The actual inspiration came in the early 1990s, when I worked with a support organization for lesbian and gay teens. In some sense, I think I wrote the book to rewrite my own adolescence, but give it a better resolution (and a happier ending!). In many ways, the book is my own story, since it includes many of the things I experienced in high school. What was your initial inspiration for creating this book? This interview was conducted via email in 2003. Witty, smart, touching, even romantic–this debut novel signals an author to watch and applaud. Starting a gay-straight alliance seems too risky at first, so they form the “Geography Club” instead. These two cautiously connect with peers and then seek a place to be themselves, a place where they can talk, a place where people understand. But an online chat offers an opportunity to meet up with another gay teen–who ends up being one of the best-looking athletes in school. Russel Middlebrook has a secret from even his best friends at high school, that he’s gay. GEOGRAPHY CLUB by Brent Hartinger (HarperCollins, 2003).

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