The 11th annual Texas Teen Book Festival, which took place October 12 at Southwestern University in Georgetown, Tex., drew more than 35 authors and 1,000 readers for a celebration of YA literature. Presented by H-E-B, the festival was a collaboration between Texas Book Festival, BookPeople, a dedicated team of librarians, and venue sponsor Southwestern University. This year’s event included author panels, signings, Ask Me Anything sessions, a costume contest, and more. We’ve gathered a selection of highlights from the day.
Erika L. Sanchez, author of I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter (Knopf), delivers the opening keynote address.
The “Reality Bytes” panel featured cyber-savvy authors (from l.) Mary H.K. Choi (Permanent Record, S&S), Arvin Ahmadi (Girl Gone Viral, Viking), Katharyn Blair (The Beckoning Shadow, HarperCollins/Tegen), Brittney Morris (SLAY, Simon Pulse), and moderator James Kennedy (The Order of Odd-Fish, Delacorte), who discussed what happens when different realities converge.
During Penguin Teen’s Game Night, David Yoon (Frankly in Love, Putnam) (second from r.) tried to guess a book title as attendees supplied clues.
A festivalgoer curls up on a lawn chair for some reading time.
Blogger Mandy Curtis (l.) interviews comedian, YouTuber, and author Akilah Hughes (Obviously: Stories from My Timeline, Razorbill), following Hughes’s keynote.
Browsing the offerings from BookPeople.
The “Kill Your Darlings” panel: (from l.) Renée Ahdieh (The Beautiful, Putnam), Gretchen McNeil (the #MurderTrending series, Freeform), Lamar Giles (The Last Last-Day-of-Summer, Versify), Jennifer Donaldson (I Know You Remember, Razorbill), and Amy Rose Capetta (Once & Future, Little, Brown/Patterson), moderated by BookPeople bookseller Rachel R.
Attendees had the chance to get free typed poems provided by the writing community Austin Bat Cave at the Exhibitors tent.
During her AMA session, Gabby Rivera (Juliet Takes a Breath, Dial) (r.) spoke with Rachel R. of BookPeople about world-building and Rivera’s work for Marvel.
While moderating the “Even Stranger Things” panel, BookPeople bookseller Griffin M. headed into the audience for questions about power and magic in YA.
Fans collected autographs in the signing tent.
The “It’s Our World, Now What?” panel, moderated by author-illustrator Christopher Myers and publisher of Random House’s Make Me a World imprint, featured authors e.E. Charlton-Trujillo (Fat Angie: Rebel Girl Revolution, Candlewick), Brandy Colbert (The Revolution of Birdie Randolph, Little, Brown), and Joelle Charbonneau (Verify, HarperTeen) in conversation about taking steps toward positive change.
The contestants for the Epic Reads Costume Contest.
