The 15th annual TeenBookCon took place on March 23 at Alief Taylor High School in Houston. More than 600 people (at least 70% of them teens) attended the event, which aims to connect YA readers and the authors who write for them. TeenBookCon chair Lisa Nguyen said, “It was a joy to work with educators throughout the Houston area to connect teens and authors.” Blue Willow Bookshop owner Valerie Koehler added, “TeenBookCon is one of our favorite days every year. To see teens enthusiastically talking about books they love and listening to the astute questions they ask authors fills our heart. We appreciate all of the publishers who sent authors to the festival.” We've gathered highlights from the festivities. Photos: Noah Nofz and Mary Cate Stevenson.
Participating authors: (standing, from l.) Liselle Sambury, Kristen Simmons, Gabi Burton, Melissa Landers, Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé, Talia Tucker, Kim Johnson, Ngozi Ukazu, Huda Fahmy, John Schu; (seated, from l.) Bethany Baptiste, Kamilah Cole, Carolina Ixta, Dale Walls, Ellen Oh, Melissa Albert, Mason Deaver; (bottom row, from l.) Edward Underhill, Axie Oh, Tony Keith Jr., Brittany N. Williams, Tahereh Mafi, and Jason June.
Keynoter Melissa Albert.
Tahereh Mafi during her keynote with Albert.
(From l.): Ellen Oh, Axie Oh, Edward Underhill, and Jason June before their panel, “Let’s Talk About Love.”
Kamilah Cole and Tony Keith Jr. share a laugh during their panel.
Gabi Burton looks out at the audience during a panel session.
(From l.): John Schu, Liselle Sambury, Huda Fahmy, and Dale Walls are ready for their panel session, “How to Tell a Story.”
Kim Johnson meets a fan during the book signing.
Axie Oh with a young reader.
