If you haven’t been a regular listener to Hey YA, our podcast dedicated to all things young adult literature, then you may not know that we sunset the show in October after seven awesome years. But the show didn’t go out quietly. In fact, 2025’s roster of episodes are probably among some of the most enjoyable. We found a nice balance between hitting news, highlighting new releases, and covering angles within YA that were interesting.

Among some of the best shows in 2025? Our slate of author interviews.

Even with Hey YA officially off air, the archives live on. That means if you missed episodes and want to tune in, you can do that here. Today, though, let’s look specifically at some of the great interviews from the last season of the show. Take the time to enjoy hearing from beloved authors, as well as new voices, all talking not only about their books but about some of their favorite books, about YA as a category of books, and about where and how they support the right to read. If you’re looking for some good listening, whether it’s to help you get through your monster task list at this time of year or to put in your to-be-listened-to for when the new year rolls around, here are the author interviews you’ll want to make sure you don’t miss.

“We Are Each Others’ Safes”: A Conversation with Jason Reynolds

This year started off with a bang when I had the opportunity to spend a whole hour talking with the one and only Jason Reynolds. Our conversation is moving and Jason’s words will leave you feeling hopeful in the face of the upcoming new year.

“Books Connect You to a Common Experience”: An Interview with Gayle Forman

Gayle and I talk about her book After Life, stories about grief and acceptance, as well as the evolution of young adult literature as a category.

“Nothing Is Original” An Interview with Ava Reid

Ava Reid is a New York Times bestselling author whose debut into YA wasn’t her debut as a writer but it certainly launched her career into the stratosphere. This is a really great conversation about YA dystopia and fandom.

An Interview With Huda Fahmy

Huda Fahmy is as funny in conversation as she is in her outstanding graphic novels. We talk about writing fictionalized memoirs, about striking a balance between humor and darkness, and more.

An Interview With Erin Entrada Kelly and Kwame Mbalia, Authors of On Again, Awkward Again

One of my favorite YA books this year was On Again, Awkward Again, a younger YA book about two nerds who find themselves falling for each other when they keep falling into one another. Talking with Erin and Kwame about their collaborative novel, about humor, and about writing nerds was a real treat.

An Interview with We Were Liars author E. Lockhart & Reflections on NIMONA at 10

This episode is a two-for-one when it comes to interviews. First up, I had the chance to talk with E. Lockhart in the run-up to the release of We Were Liars on Amazon Prime. Then Erica, my cohost on the show, talks with our colleague Danika about the 10th anniversary of Nimona.

History and Politics in YA Fiction with L.M. Elliott

Watergate is a topic rarely tackled in YA (let alone in high school history classes!). I talked with the author of the novel Truth, Lies, and Question In Between about historical fiction, covering more recent history in such fiction, and where and how politics thread through YA literature.

Interview with Frederick Joseph, Author of This Thing of Ours

Want to go deep on teen activism and politics? This episode with Frederick Joseph will absolutely scratch that itch. What a treat of an interview.

An Interview with Candace Fleming

One of the themes that thread through my own reading life in 2025 was cults. There were so many really great cult books, both fiction and non, and among them was Candace Fleming’s Death in the Jungle. We talk about cults, writing about Jonestown through the lens of teenagers, and excellent nonfiction for young adult readers.

Colombo Had the Right Idea: Interviews with Author Mariko Tamaki, Illustrator Nicole Goux and Author Hannah V. Sawyerr

Last, but absolutely not least, both Erica and I shared exciting interviews in our second to last episode of the show. Erica talked with author and illustrator duo Mariko Tamaki and Nicole Goux on their sapphic murder mystery This Place Kills Me. I talked with National Book Award finalist Hannah V. Sawyerr on contemporary YA and why stories about the kids who aren’t academic aces and/or college bound matter.

Want even more? You can check out the author interviews from Hey YA’s 2024 season, including chats with Paula Yoo, Veronica Chambers, Lamar Giles, and more.