Background
David Levithan was born on September 7, 1972, in Short Hills, Millburn, New Jersey, United States.
2011
David Levithan in 2011.
2012
72 5th Ave, New York, NY 10011, United States
David Levithan with Brian Selznick at The New School in 2012. Photo by Beowulf Sheehan.
2015
David Levithan with Nicola Yoon, Maggie Stiefvater, Gayle Forman, Holly Black, and Maureen Johnson at Entertainment Weekly's first-ever EW Fest presented by LG OLED TV on October 24, 2015, in New York City.
2016
David Levithan in 2016. Photo by Marty Umans.
2018
David Levithan in 2018.
2018
7 Ludlow St, New York, NY 10002, United States
David Levithan with Angourie Rice at Every Day special screening at Metrograph on February 20, 2018. Photo by Lev Radin.
2018
David Levithan at the National Book Festival in Washington, D.C., in 2018.
Brown University, Providence, RI 02912, United States
Brown University where David Levithan received a Bachelor of Arts degree.
David Levithan with Kelsie Wade at the Texas Library Association's Annual Conference in Houston.
David Levithan
David Levithan with Justice Smith.
David Levithan with Ken Arkind and Tara Moss.
David Levithan
David Levithan with Nina LaCour.
David Levithan
828 Broadway, New York, NY 10003, United States
David Levithan at Strand Book Store.
David Levithan with Jesse Andrews at McNally Jackson Books.
David Levithan with Alyson Gerber and Cheryl Klein at McNally Jackson Books.
David Levithan with Jennifer Buehler.
David Levithan with Justine Larbalestier and Ally Carter.
1 W Pratt St, Baltimore, MD 21201, United States
David Levithan with Sarah Ressler Wright, Steven T Bickmore and Jennifer Ansbach at Baltimore Convention Center.
Margaret A. Edwards Award which David Levithan received in 2016.
Lambda Literary Award which David Levithan received three times.
(This is the story of Paul, a sophomore at a high school l...)
This is the story of Paul, a sophomore at a high school like no other: The cheerleaders ride Harleys, the homecoming queen used to be a guy named Daryl (she now prefers Infinite Darlene and is also the star quarterback), and the gay-straight alliance was formed to help the straight kids learn how to dance. When Paul meets Noah, he thinks he’s found the one his heart is made for. Until he blows it. The school bookie says the odds are 12-to-1 against him getting Noah back, but Paul’s not giving up without playing his love really loud. His best friend Joni might be drifting away, his other best friend Tony might be dealing with ultra-religious parents, and his ex-boyfriend Kyle might not be going away anytime soon, but sometimes everything needs to fall apart before it can really fit together right.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0375832998/?tag=2022091-20
2003
(One school. Twenty voices. Endless possibilities. There's...)
One school. Twenty voices. Endless possibilities. There's the girl who is in love with Holden Caulfield. The boy who wants to be strong who falls for the girl who's convinced she needs to be weak. The girl who writes love songs for a girl she can't have. The two boys teetering on the brink of their first anniversary. And everyone in between.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B010WF25A0/?tag=2022091-20
2004
(Sixteen-year-old Elijah is completely mellow and his 23-y...)
Sixteen-year-old Elijah is completely mellow and his 23-year-old brother Danny is completely not, so it's no wonder they can barely tolerate one another. So what better way to repair their broken relationship than to trick them into taking a trip to Italy together? Soon, though, their parents' perfect solution has become Danny and Elijah's nightmare as they're forced to spend countless hours together. But then Elijah meets Julia, and soon the brothers aren't together nearly as much. And when Julia suddenly decides that maybe it's Danny she's really interested in, Danny has a decision to make: does he honor his relationship with the brother he thinks hates him, or does he follow his heart, which sorely needs some repairing of its own?
https://www.amazon.com/Are-There-Yet-David-Levithan/dp/0375839569
2005
(When Ben’s girlfriend, Marly, dies, he feels his life is ...)
When Ben’s girlfriend, Marly, dies, he feels his life is over and the prospect of Valentine’s Day without her fills him with bitterness. But then Marly arrives - or at least, her ghost does - along with three other spirits. Now Ben must take a journey through Valentines past, present and future - and what he learns will change him forever.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Marlys-Ghost-David-Levithan-ebook/dp/B00OPAEUX4/ref=sr_1_fkmr0_1?keywords=Marly%27s+Ghost%3A+A+Remix+of+Charles+Dickens%27s+a+Christmas+Carol&qid=1576235200&s=books&sr=1-1-fkmr0
2005
(In the not-too-impossible-to-imagine future, a gay Jewish...)
In the not-too-impossible-to-imagine future, a gay Jewish man has been elected president of the United States. Until the governor of one state decides that some election results in his state are invalid, awarding crucial votes to the other candidate, and his fellow party member. Thus is the inspiration for the couple Jimmy and Duncan to lend their support to their candidate by deciding to take part in the rallies and protests. Along the way comes an exploration of their relationship, their politics, and their country, and sometimes, as they learn, it's more about the journey than it is about reaching the destination.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0375834672/?tag=2022091-20
2006
(Teens are more aware of sexuality and identity than ever,...)
Teens are more aware of sexuality and identity than ever, and they’re looking for answers and insights, as well as a community of others. In order to help create that community, YA authors David Levithan and Billy Merrell have collected original poems, essays, and stories by young adults in their teens and early 20s. The Full Spectrum includes a variety of writers - gay, lesbian, bisexual, straight, transitioning, and questioning - on a variety of subjects: coming out, family, friendship, religion/faith, first kisses, break-ups, and many others.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B010BANGCW/?tag=2022091-20
2006
(Nick and Norah are both suffering from broken hearts. So ...)
Nick and Norah are both suffering from broken hearts. So when Nick sees the girl who dumped him walk in with a new guy he asks the strange girl next to him to be his girlfriend for the next five minutes. Norah would do anything to avoid conversation with the not-friend girl who dumped Nick and gets over the Evil Ex whom Norah never quite broke up with. And so she agrees. What follows is an epic first date between two people who are just trying to figure out who they want to be - and where the next great band is playing. This story plays out over one unforgettable night in New York.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Nick-Norahs-Infinite-Playlist-Rachel/dp/1405272430/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=Nick+and+Norah%27s+Infinite+Playlist&qid=1576237223&s=books&sr=1-1
2006
(Naomi and Ely have been best friends forever. Naomi loves...)
Naomi and Ely have been best friends forever. Naomi loves and is in love with Ely, and Ely loves Naomi but prefers to be in love with boys. So they create their “No Kiss List” of people neither of them is allowed to kiss. And this works fine before Bruce. Bruce is Naomi’s boyfriend, so there’s no reason to put him on the List. But Ely kissed Bruce - and the resulting fallout is going to shake up the world.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Naomi-Elys-No-Kiss-List/dp/1405272449/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=Naomi+and+Ely%27s+No+Kiss+List&qid=1576237346&s=books&sr=1-1
2007
(They met on a plane / at Starbucks / in class. It was a s...)
They met on a plane / at Starbucks / in class. It was a set-up / it was completely random / they were dancing. It was love at first sight / it took time / it was a disaster! Love is a complicated, addictive, volatile, scary, wonderful thing. Many of the stories in this collection started out as gifts for the author's friends. From the happy-ever-after to the unrequited, they explore the many aspects of the emotion that has at some time turned us all inside out and upside down.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/How-They-Met-Other-Stories-ebook/dp/B00HEFQ4A4/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=How+They+Met+david+levithan&qid=1576235621&s=digital-text&sr=1-1
2008
(The book Likely Story consists of three books, Likely Sto...)
The book Likely Story consists of three books, Likely Story (2008), Likely Story: All That Glitters (2008), and Likely Story: Red Carpet Riot (2009). Meet Mallory Hayden, a sixteen-year-old producer and creator of her own soap opera. Can she survive life with her backstabbing soap-star mother, keep her friends close and her enemies closer (and tell the difference between them), find true love (supersweet boyfriend-or the show's supercute male lead?), and make her show a hit in this world of high-stakes drama and sudsy sabotage?
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Likely-Story-David-Levithan-ebook/dp/B0036S4AAE/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=Likely+Story+david+levithan&qid=1576237868&s=books&sr=1-1
2008
(The lives of three teens - Claire, Jasper, and Peter - ar...)
The lives of three teens - Claire, Jasper, and Peter - are altered forever on September 11, 2001. Claire, a high school junior, has to get to her younger brother in his classroom. Jasper, a college sophomore from Brooklyn, wakes to his parents’ frantic calls from Korea, wondering if he’s okay. Peter, a classmate of Claire’s, has to make his way back to school as everything happens around him. Here are three teens whose intertwining lives are reshaped by this catastrophic event. As each gets to know the other, their moments become wound around each other in a way that leads to new understandings, new friendships, and new levels of awareness for the world around them and the people close by.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0375834699/?tag=2022091-20
2009
(One cold night, in a most unlikely corner of Chicago, Wil...)
One cold night, in a most unlikely corner of Chicago, Will Grayson crosses paths with Will Grayson. Two teens with the same name, running in two very different circles, suddenly find their lives going in new and unexpected directions, and culminating in epic turns-of-heart and the most fabulous musical ever to grace the high school stage.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B012YX8JDA/?tag=2022091-20
2010
(At the urge of her lucky-in-love brother, sixteen-year-ol...)
At the urge of her lucky-in-love brother, sixteen-year-old Lily has left a red notebook full of dares on her favorite bookshop shelf, waiting for just the right guy to come along and accept. Curious, snarky Dash isn't one to back down from a challenge and the Book of Dares is the perfect distraction he s been looking for. As they send each other on a scavenger hunt across Manhattan, they re falling for each other on paper. But finding out if their real selves share their on-page chemistry could be their biggest dare yet.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Dash-Lilys-Book-Dares-Sparkling/dp/184845354X/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=Dash+%26+Lily%27s+Book+of+Dares&qid=1576237453&s=books&sr=1-1
2010
(How does one talk about love? Do we even have the right w...)
How does one talk about love? Do we even have the right words to describe something that can be both utterly mundane and completely transcendent, pulling us out of our everyday lives and making us feel a part of something greater than ourselves? Taking a unique approach to this problem, the nameless narrator of David Levithan’s The Lover’s Dictionary has constructed the story of his relationship as a dictionary. Through these short entries, he provides an intimate window into the great events and quotidian trifles of being within a couple, giving us an indelible and deeply moving portrait of love in our time.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B004KPLO2O/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_hsch_vapi_taft_p1_i10
2011
(In this high school-set psychological tale, a tormented t...)
In this high school-set psychological tale, a tormented teen named Evan starts to discover a series of unnerving photographs - some of which feature him. Someone is stalking him, messing with him, threatening him. Worse, ever since his best friend Ariel has been gone, he's been unable to sleep, spending night after night torturing himself for his role in her absence. And as crazy as it sounds, Evan's starting to believe it's Ariel that's behind all of this, punishing him. But the more Evan starts to unravel the mystery, the more his paranoia and insomnia amplify, and the more he starts to unravel himself.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B004J4XGCC/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_hsch_vapi_taft_p3_i2
2011
(Each morning, A wakes up in a different body. There’s nev...)
Each morning, A wakes up in a different body. There’s never any warning about who it will be, but A is used to that. Never get too attached. Avoid being noticed. Do not interfere. And that’s fine - until A wakes up in the body of Justin and meets Justin’s girlfriend, Rhiannon. From that moment, the rules by which A has been living no longer apply. Because finally, A has found someone he wants to be with - every day.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/140526442X/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i1
2012
(Stephen is used to invisibility. He was born that way. In...)
Stephen is used to invisibility. He was born that way. Invisible. Cursed. Elizabeth sometimes wishes for invisibility. When you're invisible, no one can hurt you. So when her mother decides to move the family to New York City, Elizabeth is thrilled. It's easy to blend in there. Then Stephen and Elizabeth meet. To Stephen's amazement, she can see him. And to Elizabeth's amazement, she wants him to be able to see her - all of her. But as the two become closer, an invisible world gets in their way - a world of grudges and misfortunes, spells and curses. And once they're thrust into this world, Elizabeth and Stephen must decide how deep they're going to go - because the answer could mean the difference between love and death.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00BWF59PI/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_hsch_vapi_taft_p3_i0
2013
(Based on true events - and narrated by a Greek Chorus of ...)
Based on true events - and narrated by a Greek Chorus of the generation of gay men lost to AIDS - Two Boys Kissing follows Harry and Craig, two seventeen-year-olds who are about to take part in a 32-hour marathon of kissing to set a new Guinness World Record. While the two increasingly dehydrated and sleep-deprived boys are locking lips, they become a focal point in the lives of other teens dealing with universal questions of love, identity, and belonging.
https://www.amazon.com/Two-Boys-Kissing-David-Levithan/dp/0307931900
2013
(Every day is the same for Rhiannon. She has convinced her...)
Every day is the same for Rhiannon. She has convinced herself that she deserves her distant, moody boyfriend, Justin. She knows the rules: Don’t be needy. Avoid upsetting him. Never get your hopes up. Then, out of the blue, they share a perfect day together - perfect, that is, until Justin doesn’t remember anything about it. Confused, and yearning for another day as great as that one, Rhiannon starts to question everything. And that’s when a stranger tells her that the Justin she spent that time with wasn’t Justin at all.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/1405273437/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i2
2015
(Jazz hands at the ready! Tiny Cooper (“the world’s larges...)
Jazz hands at the ready! Tiny Cooper (“the world’s largest person who is also really, really gay”) stole readers’ hearts when he was introduced to the world in the New York Times bestselling book Will Grayson, Will Grayson, co-authored by John Green and David Levithan. Now Tiny finally gets to tell his story - from his fabulous birth and childhood to his quest for true love and his infamous parade of ex-boyfriends - the way he always intended: as a musical! Filled with honesty, humor, and “big, lively, belty” musical numbers, the novel is told through the full script of the musical first introduced in Will Grayson, Will Grayson.
https://www.amazon.com/Hold-Me-Closer-Cooper-Story/dp/0147516102
2015
(Who knows you well? Your best friend? Your boyfriend or g...)
Who knows you well? Your best friend? Your boyfriend or girlfriend? A stranger you meet on a crazy night? No one, really? Mark and Kate have sat next to each other for an entire year, but have never spoken. For whatever reason, their paths outside of class have never crossed. That is until Kate spots Mark miles away from home, out in the city for a wild, unexpected night. Kate is lost, having just run away from a chance to finally meet the girl she has been in love with from afar. Mark, meanwhile, is in love with his best friend Ryan, who may or may not feel the same way. When Kate and Mark meet up, little do they know how important they will become to each other - and how, in a very short time, they will know each other better than any of the people who are supposed to know them more.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1250098653/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i6
2016
(Dash and Lily have been dating for nearly a year, but whe...)
Dash and Lily have been dating for nearly a year, but when Lily’s beloved grandfather falls ill, the repercussions take their toll on everyone. Even though they are still together, somehow the magic has gone out of their relationship and it’s clear that Lily has fallen out of love with life. Action must be taken! Dash teams up with Lily’s brother and a host of their friends, who have just twelve days to get Lily’s groove back in time for Christmas.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Twelve-Days-Dash-Lily/dp/1405284005/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=The+Twelve+Days+of+Dash+%26+Lily&qid=1576237702&s=books&sr=1-1
2016
(Every day a new body. Every day a new life. Every day a n...)
Every day a new body. Every day a new life. Every day a new choice. For as long as A can remember, life has meant waking up in a different person's body every day, forced to live as that person until the day has ended. A always thought there wasn't anyone else who was like this. A was wrong. Someday starts where Every Day left off. David Levithan takes readers further into the lives of A and Rhiannon, exploring more deeply what Every Day and Another Day had originally asked: What is a soul? What makes us human? And does gender matter when it comes to love?
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Someday-Every-Day-David-Levithan/dp/1405283882/ref=pd_bxgy_14_img_2/262-0907424-0041830?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=1405283882&pd_rd_r=379aa20e-02cf-4395-af55-de3151b8c7d2&pd_rd_w=s4AVp&pd_rd_wg=ZcwRD&pf_rd_p=6f720012-7a84-4e92-a268-5ba72c1e4b52&pf_rd_r=B0N38TYBYFVXD9EZVEVE&psc=1&refRID=B0N38TYBYFVXD9EZVEVE
2018
(Siblings Sam and Ilsa Kehlmann have spent most of their h...)
Siblings Sam and Ilsa Kehlmann have spent most of their high school years throwing parties for their friends - and now they've prepared their final blowout, just before graduation. The rules are simple: each twin gets to invite three guests, and the other twin doesn't know who's coming until the partiers show up at the door. With Sam and Ilsa, the sibling revelry is always tempered with a large dose of sibling rivalry, and tonight is no exception. One night. One apartment. Eight people. What could possibly go wrong? Oh, we all know the answer is plenty. But plenty also goes right, as well in rather surprising ways.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Ilsas-Last-Hurrah-Rachel-Cohn/dp/0399553851/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=Sam+%26+Ilsa%27s+Last+Hurrah&qid=1576237775&s=books&sr=1-1
2018
(A resentful member of a high school Quiz Bowl team with a...)
A resentful member of a high school Quiz Bowl team with an unrequited crush. A Valentine's Day in the life of Every Day's protagonist "A." A return to the characters of Two Boys Kissing. 19 Love Songs delivers all of these stories and more. Born from Levithan's tradition of writing a story for his friends each Valentine's Day, this collection brings all of them to his readers for the first time.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/1984848631/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_hsch_vapi_taft_p1_i11
2019
David Levithan was born on September 7, 1972, in Short Hills, Millburn, New Jersey, United States.
David Levithan received a Bachelor of Arts degree in English and political science from Brown University in 1994.
David Levithan has written several novels for teens and young adults, as well as novelizations of movies and television-show tie-ins. Several of his novels actually began as short stories written as Valentine's Day gifts for friends, a tradition he began many years ago. He wrote his first novel in 2013. Levithan's first original novel, Boy Meets Boy, is set in a utopian high school where all students are tolerated, regardless of their sexual preference. At this high school, the football quarterback is also a drag queen, and the narrator Paul is in the middle of a tricky romance. He has just broken up with Kyle and is beginning a new relationship with Noah, but Noah suspects Paul of being unfaithful, and Paul has to prove his feelings for Noah.
His second book, The Realm of Possibility (2003), is about twenty teens who all go to the same high school, and how their lives interconnect. Each part is written in its own style, and they all add up to a novel that conveys all the randomness and intersection that goes on in lives - two things Levithan is incredibly fascinated by. The book is written in both poetry and line broken prose - something he never dreamed he would write. But he was inspired by writers such as Virginia Euwer Wolff, Billy Merrell, Eireann Corrigan, and Marie Howe to try it.
The novel Marly’s Ghost (2005), illustrated by Brian Selznick, is Valentine’s Day retelling of A Christmas Carol. To write it, Levithan went through A Christmas Carol and remixed it - took phrases and themes and created a new version, centering around a boy named Ben whose girlfriend, Marly, has just died. When he looks like he’s giving up on life, Marly reappears in ghost form - and sends some other ghosts to get him to embrace life again. It was a hard book to write for the author - it’s about both love and grief, two very difficult things to capture truthfully.
The next book, Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist (2006), came unexpectedly. His friend Rachel Cohn proposed that they write a back-and-forth novel, with her writing from a girl’s perspective and he writing from a boy’s. The result is Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist, a love story that they wrote over summer without really planning it out. The book adapted for the big screen in 2008. Levithan's 2012 novel of the same name was adapted into Every Day, a romantic fantasy drama, released in 2018. His second collaboration with Rachel Cohn, Naomi and Ely's No Kiss List, was published in 2007 and adapted into a film of the same name in 2015. A different kind of collaboration is The Full Spectrum: A New Generation of Writing About Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender, Questioning, and Other Identities, an anthology he co-edited with his best friend Billy Merrell. It contains true stories from LGBTQ writers under the age of twenty-three.
His other famous young adult novels are Will Grayson, Will Grayson, co-written with John Green (2010), Two Boys Kissing (2013), You Know Me Well, co-written with Nina LaCour (2016), and his more recent book 19 Love Songs (2019). His first novel about adults is The Lover’s Dictionary, which FSG published for Valentine’s Day in 2011. The Lover’s Dictionary is the story of a two-year relationship, told in dictionary entries that one lover is writing for the other. Another kind of collaboration was the one he did with photographer Jonathan Farmer for Every You, Every Me (2011). When not writing, he is a publisher and editorial director at Scholastic, and the founding editor of the PUSH imprint, which is devoted to finding new voices and new authors in teen literature. He has taught at the New School since 2004.
(How does one talk about love? Do we even have the right w...)
2011(This is the story of Paul, a sophomore at a high school l...)
2003(Jazz hands at the ready! Tiny Cooper (“the world’s larges...)
2015(Based on true events - and narrated by a Greek Chorus of ...)
2013(Who knows you well? Your best friend? Your boyfriend or g...)
2016(At the urge of her lucky-in-love brother, sixteen-year-ol...)
2010(Siblings Sam and Ilsa Kehlmann have spent most of their h...)
2018(Sixteen-year-old Elijah is completely mellow and his 23-y...)
2005(In this high school-set psychological tale, a tormented t...)
2011(The book Likely Story consists of three books, Likely Sto...)
2008(Dash and Lily have been dating for nearly a year, but whe...)
2016(Teens are more aware of sexuality and identity than ever,...)
2006(When Ben’s girlfriend, Marly, dies, he feels his life is ...)
2005(In the not-too-impossible-to-imagine future, a gay Jewish...)
2006(One cold night, in a most unlikely corner of Chicago, Wil...)
2010(The lives of three teens - Claire, Jasper, and Peter - ar...)
2009(A resentful member of a high school Quiz Bowl team with a...)
2019(Nick and Norah are both suffering from broken hearts. So ...)
2006(They met on a plane / at Starbucks / in class. It was a s...)
2008(Each morning, A wakes up in a different body. There’s nev...)
2012(Naomi and Ely have been best friends forever. Naomi loves...)
2007(Every day is the same for Rhiannon. She has convinced her...)
2015(Stephen is used to invisibility. He was born that way. In...)
2013(Every day a new body. Every day a new life. Every day a n...)
2018(One school. Twenty voices. Endless possibilities. There's...)
2004
Quotations:
"Don't write to be published. Write because it's something you want (or have) to write."
"Luckily, I am much happier talking about my books than I am talking about myself."
"I am evangelical in my musical beliefs."
"It is often said that reading is the greatest inspiration to writing, and this is definitely the case for me."
"I genuinely don’t see any reason to write a book if it doesn’t feel like a challenge."
"I love editing just as much, if not more than writing."