2016 NYC Teen Author Festival March 13-20!

The annual New York City Teen Author Festival is almost here!  I’m so excited to be participating in a panel with a group of amazing authors on March 19th at the New York Public Library– details below!

Check out the full schedule of events here.

Teen Author Symposium

Saturday, March 19th 1pm-5pm
Bartos Forum, New York Public Library, Fifth Avenue at 42nd Street

1:10-1:40 – What Can YA Do About It?

A discussion of how YA literature (and literature in general) can help social change, and the role this plays in works across a variety of genres.

Featuring:

Michael Buckley
Donna Freitas
IW Gregorio
Brendan Kiely
Daniel José Older
Marie Rutkoski
Scott Westerfeld

Moderator: David Levithan

1:40-2:30 – The Secret YA Lives of Historical Figures

In the spirit of Hamilton, let’s look at different historical figures through a YA lens.

Featuring:

David Arnold
Sharon Cameron
Heather Demetrios
Jeff Hirsch
AR Kahler
Emmy Laybourne
Hannah Moskowitz
Melissa Walker
Sandra Waugh

2:30-3:10 – Relationships are Hard

There is a mistaken idea that “first love” is a giddy, simple thing, when in truth the relationships we form in high school can be just as hard and complicated as the ones we form as adults. Across a variety of genres, these authors explore “young love” and show that it is just as serious, and just as meaningful, as any other kind of love. Here they will discuss this.

Featuring:

Martina Boone
Selene Castrovilla
Lauren Gibaldi
Emily Ross
Adam Silvera
Jennifer E. Smith
Catherine Stine

Moderator: Aimee Friedman

3:20-4:10 – Building a World, One Page at a Time

Each of these authors has constructed vibrant worlds for their novels – whether as offshoots of our own world, or as wholly separate worlds. Here we’ll talk about creating these stories, and the choices involved in putting together both the worlds and the characters who must navigate them.

Featuring:

Lisa Amowitz
Zoraida Cordova
Jaclyn Dolamore
Amy Ewing
Lori Goldstein
Melissa Grey
Amalie Howard
Mackenzi Lee

Moderator: Andrea Cremer

4:10-5:00 – Perspective (Part 2)

What perspective do we, as adults, bring to our novels when we write about teenagers? How do we balance what we know and what our characters don’t? Why do we find ourselves revisiting these years, and what do we learn (even years later) by writing about them? How do you acknowledge the darkness without robbing the reader of finding any light? In this candid conversation, we’ll talk to four acclaimed authors about being an adult and writing about teenagers.

Featuring:

Kerry Kletter
Alyssa Sheinmel
Nicola Yoon
Jeff Zentner

Moderator: David Levithan