NYC Teen Author Festival

teenauthorfest

In exciting news for those of you in the New York City area, the first-ever NYC Teen Author Festival (March 16-22, 2009) has just announced its schedule. And this schedule is VAST! So vast, in fact, that I must pause before pasting it into this post to tell you what I’m doing.

(See the full schedule below for times and places.)

To kick off the festival on Monday, March 16, Justine and I have put together a Juvenilia Smackdown panel. It consists of us two, Holly Black, Cassandra Clare, Alaya Johnson, David Levithan, and Diana Peterfreund reading from our childhood and teenage writings. (Spoiler Alert: WE SUCKED.) The incomparable and immoderate Libba Bray will be moderating us.

I’m also participating in a tribute to Joe Monti on Wedneday, March 18, where I’ll be reading from Leviathan. First time in public for that book. Ever!

And I’ll be at the giant Books of Wonder mass signing on Sunday, March 22.

Plus, I’ll be hanging out all week at other Festival stuff. (So. Much. Stuff.)

Note that the Festival has a Facebook group, so join away!

Okay, so here’s the full schedule. (Note that everything is free!)

Juvenilia Smackdown
Monday, 3/16, 4-6pm, Tompkins Square Park branch of the NYPL, 331 E. 10th Street

Join Holly Black, Cassandra Clare, Alaya Johnson, Justine Larbalestier, David Levithan, Diana Peterfreund, Scott Westerfeld as they read some of their (ahem) less accomplished work from their middle school and high school years. Hosted by Libba Bray.

I Have Seen the Future…and It Sounds Like This
Wednesday, 3/18, 6pm, Mulberry Street Branch of the NYPL, 10 Jersey Street (Between Lafayette & Mulberry Streets)

Teen authors are notoriously stingy about reading from their works-in-progress. But for Guest of Honor Joe Monti, authors Libba Bray, Rachel Cohn, Eireann Corrigan, Justine Larbalestier, Barry Lyga, and Scott Westerfeld are willing to share a little bit from their future books. Hosted by David Levithan.

The Five-Borough Read
Thursday, 3/19

BROOKLYN: Central Library, Dweck Center, 10 Grand Army Plaza, Brooklyn
10-11am

Gayle Forman
Jenny Han
Leslie Margolis
Abby Sher
Matthue Roth
Robin Wasserman

BRONX: Bronx Library Center, 310 E. Kingsbridge Road, Bronx
4-5pm

Coe Booth
Madeleine George
Paul Griffin
Brian Sloan
Melissa Walker

MANHATTAN: Countee Cullen Branch, 104 W 136th St
4-5pm

Matt de la Pena
Daphne Grab
Mary Hogan
Barry Lyga
Carolyn McCormick

MANHATTAN: Jefferson Market Branch, 425 Avenue of the Americas
4-5pm

David Levithan
Bennett Madison
Laura McLaughlin
Billy Merrell
Marie Rutkoski

MANHATTAN: Webster Branch, 1465 York Avenue
4-5pm

Lisa Ann Sandell
Courtney Sheinmel
Rachel Vail
Cecily Von Ziegesar
Martin Wilson

QUEENS: Far Rockaway Branch, 2002 Cornaga Ave, Queens
4-5pm

Tara Altebrando
Laura Dower
Heather Duffy-Stone
Aimee Friedman
Eliot Schrefer
Siobhan Vivian
Rita Williams-Garcia

STATEN ISLAND: St. George Library Center, 5 Central Avenue
4-5pm

Kate Brian
Judy Goldschmidt
Michael Northrop
Micol Ostow
Lynn Weingarten

Rock Out with TIGER BEAT!
Thursday, 3/19, 6pm at Books of Wonder

By day, Libba Bray, Daniel Ehrenhaft, Barney Miller, and Natalie Standiford are upstanding authors. But by night, they turn into … TIGER BEAT, the first ever YA author rock band. Tonight is their debut public performance … and it’s sure to go down in legend.

With opening act The Infinite Playlists (Rachel Cohn and David Levithan reading a litany of musical references, but mercifully not singing).

I Love You, New York: Teen Lit in the City
Friday, 3/20, 6pm, NYPL, 42nd Street, Court Room

Join authors Coe Booth, Paul Griffin, Maureen Johnson, David Levithan, Cecily von Ziegesar, and Rita Williams-Garcia in a spirited reading and discussion about teen novels set in New York City – from the glamour of the gossip girls to the grit of the Bronx projects, from the everyday battles of the high school halls to the extraordinary events of 9/11.

Stuff for the Teen Age Ceremony
Saturday, 3/21, 1pm, NYPL, 42nd Street, Celeste Bartos Forum

This new list only has the best of the best, and includes books, music, movies, and video games. Featuring a keynote by Walter Dean Myers

Teen Authors Celebrate Teen Readers
Sunday, 3/22, NYPL, 42nd Street, Trustees Room, 1pm

Over a dozen authors salute teen readers and teen advisory board members from around the city, including Blake Nelson, reading from his upcoming novel Destroy All Cars.

The Biggest Teen Author Signing EVER
Sunday, 3/22, 4pm, Books of Wonder, 18 West 18th Street

Join over 40 authors for a signing extravaganza as they take over Books of Wonder, sign books, and converse with fans new and old. An incredible event that is sure to go down in book-signing history.

Authors include:
Nora Baskin
Jessica Blank
Judy Blundell
Coe Booth
Elise Broach
Susanne Colasanti
Sarah Darer-Littman
Matt de la Pena
Heather Duffy-Stone
Gayle Forman
Aimee Friedman
Madeleine George
Maureen Johnson
Kristen Kemp
Justine Larbalestier
David Levithan
E. Lockhart
Barry Lyga
Carolyn Mackler
Sarah MacLean
Megan McCafferty
Lauren McLaughlin
Neesha Meminger
Billy Merrell
Blake Nelson
Micol Ostow
Matthue Roth
Marie Rutkoski
Lisa Ann Sandell
Courtney Sheinmel
Abby Sher
Brian Sloan
Rachel Vail
David Van Etten
Ned Vizzini
Adrienne Maria Vrettos
Cecily von Ziegesar
Melissa Walker
Robin Wasserman
Scott Westerfeld
Suzanne Weyn
Maryrose Wood
Lizabeth Zindel

157 thoughts on “NYC Teen Author Festival

  1. I literally want to attend that so much I may have to enslave myself for the next month in order to find a way to get to NYC.

  2. Oh, that festival sounds awesome! I’m quite jealous. I suppose the Utah Fantasy/Sci-Fi Symposium (Life, the Universe, and Everything) will have to satisfy me. *le sigh*

  3. Haha, I didn’t even read all of the post, just flew over to comment! LOL! I was working on the Uglies trailer. It’s coming along! We still need some clips…

  4. Holy skata!!!!! I soooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo wish I lived anywhere close to New York City!! I like live way down south in San Antonio! Come on! San Antonio’s a big city, why can’t we ever have something here?!?

  5. im so sad because no one ever comes to north carolina its always big cities. why cant i live in new york. anyways i wish i could be there 🙁 *tears* well anyways cant wait for leviathan to be in stores.

  6. oh and i forgot to say that many of my favorite authors besides scott (he is my #1) are going to be there.*sighs*

  7. So why is it that authors always do big events in the states, and if they do happen to come to Canada they pretty much only go to Toronto? What about those of us out here in Edmonton? Why would authors not want to come here? Just because there’s not much to do, and there’s snow, and it’s totally freazing for over half the year… okay maybe that’s understandable. But still! It’s nice in the summer! And we have either the worlds largest or second largest mall (I really have no idea which it is, WEM was largest, then MOA was built and was larger, but then WEM did expansions to be larger, and then I stopped keeping track because it really doesn’t matter much…).
    Anyways, my point is you should come come to Edmonton because New York has awesome stuff all the time and so the awesomeness needs to be disperesed. 🙂

  8. oOBubblesOo, Mall of America is the biggest, I belive. I’ve been there. It puts a whole new perspective on HUGE!!!! Seriously! They have a theater, an amusement park, normal sized restraunts, and a Barnes & Nobles that’s also normal sized! As well as several other famous stores, like the Discovery Channel Store, and the Lego place. And thousands of others! It’s sooo HUGE!!!! Like, indescribable. You just have to go see for your self. You just have to. But it’s amazing!!

  9. That sounds like the coolest thing in the world and it sucks that I’d never be able to go to it. Nothing exciting happens in stupid northern British Columbia.

  10. Upon reading this post, I snuck a glance in the mirror and found that my face had turned green. Green, I say! And not just any kind of green. It was puke green. Maybe because I was just about to barf from being over excited that there is such an amazing event and overly disappointed that I will never be there at the same time.

    I wish I lived on the other side of the globe. (Not really, but all the awesome stuff happens there (except for the non-metric thing going on)) Do you think that if I dig far enough I’ll reach you all?

  11. that sounds fawsome… but alas i don’t live near New york in fact i live all the way down in the south of La (the state) so no author ever comes down here 🙁 and i wish i could go to at least one of them … sadness and i really like all of those authors too 🙁

  12. Wow, it’s been a while since I was this late to comment, but seeing as I wasn’t allowed to use the computer yesterday (I’m sick, can’t spread the germs) it’s understandable.

    I soooooo wish I could be there. I always miss the cool stuff. 🙁

    Click my name! Especially if you don’t live in the US, I need foreign hits! (I’m competing with Orchid, and she’s totally kicking my butt right now) 😀

  13. I am so incredibly enthusiastically totally noexuses magnificantly unbelievably fawsomely colio(ey?) THERE!!!!

  14. awww thats awesome and,, like Aryll-wa,, i live nowhere NEAR ny…my aunt does tho….not that thats relative at all lol ^.^

  15. I hate where I live.
    I officially hate it more.

    (though, if I started walking now I might make it to NY by March…)

    That sounds like so much fun! I hope it goes well. (for everyone that goes [growl] and for all the authors attending.)

    What people (authors) should do is pick the most desolate state (michigancough) and hold something fun there.
    For free.
    With cool people.

    (My friend’s like ‘Michigan is not the most desolate place. Have you ever been to Wyoming or Colorodo? [I was thinking Nebraska…] so maybe like the sixth most desolate state. That’d work. OR just go to every state and CANADA and Singapore. That’s the obvious choice.)

    oOBubblesOo: I agree.

  16. each time I tried to comment the past few days, it wouldn’t let me 🙁

    wish I lived in NYC!!!
    sounds like it will be tres bubbly!

  17. Gah. Now my days sucks even more.

    I hope someone records the Juvenelia panel—it sounds interesting.

    Stupid, stupidness. I hate North Carolina even more.

  18. AND ROBIN WASSERMAN IS GOING TO BE THERE!!!
    Meeehhh. (<<anger sound)

    Ping-la: You’re totally right–someone should record it! That’d make it kind of better.

  19. Yeah, like the comments were messed up the past couple of days or something. But no matter now. Again, I will shout the obvious. Get ready… here it goes……………………………………………COME TO SAN ANTONIO, PEOPLE! WE ARE SUCH A HUGE CITY BUT NOTHING EVER HAPPENS HERE! IT’S ALLWAYS SOMEWHERE ELSE! LIKE NY!! AND EVEN WHEN IT IS IN TEXAS, IT’S IN AUSTIN OR HOUSTON!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! NOT FAIR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! *Pants* Okay, so now I got that over with. Ugh. Anyways, I should be doing HW right now… I need to go to the big computer that has Publisher, ‘cuz mi laptop doesn’t have a printer or publisher…

  20. Manga Head Explosive Goo Post (that is fun to type…)
    Drew-la: I got An Abundance of Katherines the other night because I remember Dahlia-wa saying she didn’t really care for paper towns. I’m excited. (I also got Sweethearts…they were only $5.99 so I was HAPPY)

    Forever Last, TYC Leader: I loved those songs. They were really deep, and I think Trish-la said it, but what music were you imagining going along with them?

    Next week we have spirit week, and one day is Dress up like your favorite character day! (tallycough) and another is fake an injury day (zombie!)

    Alex-wa: I’ll check out your site when I can (vastly slow computer) (same for Ashley-wa’s[ I think] youtube thing)

    Everyone have a nice day/evening!

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