By Christine M. Quirk — Christine@concordbridge.org
Readers, writers, and lovers of young adult literature can be part of the inaugural Young Adult Author Symposium (YAAS) from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., Saturday, November 16, at Concord-Carlisle High School.
CCHS librarian Kip Wilson and Concord Free Public Library teen librarian Erick Gordy have been planning the event for about a year. They hope to recreate the atmosphere of the Boston Teen Author Festival, which was discontinued in 2021.
“Last year, both Erick and I were new at our jobs, but we’d come to them with experience attending, presenting at, and helping organize similar events,” Wilson told The Concord Bridge via email.
The symposium is open to the public, though priority signup will be given to teens.
“The goal of YAAS is to encourage teens and tweens to embrace a love of books, reading, and creative writing,” he said. “With so much time spent on screens these days, we thought that meeting creators face to face would be a great way to reignite bookish enthusiasm.”
Preparing a panel
As a novelist with a young adult audience herself, Wilson reached out to other local YA and kidlit writers — authors who write specifically for children and teens — and had great success.
“Because this is the first year for YAAS, the biggest problem was keeping the number of authors to a manageable size,” she said.
Wilson and Gordy settled on 12 presenters: Rebecca Caprara, Federico Erebia, Sara Farizan, Desmond Hall, Kendall Kulper, Rajani LaRocca, Vanessa Lillie, Rebecca Mahoney, Marcella Pixley, Lisa Stringfellow, Susan Tan, and Jonathan Todd.
“What helped our appeal also is just the relationship Concord has with authors and vice versa,” Gordy said in an email. “There are definitely a few favorite sons and daughters of the Concord area on our roster.”
These writers bring a variety of subgenres to the symposium, including a reimagining of Ovid’s Arachne myth, a middle-grade novel in verse, a teen thriller, graphic novels, and historical fantasy.
Workshops and book signings
The day will begin with a panel and end with book signings. In between, the writers will offer workshops on topics including “Creating Authentic Characters,” “Fantasy World Building,” “Keeping It Real,” and “All The Research.” Attendees may register for two sessions.
Wilson and Gordy hope YAAS will become an annual event.
“If all goes well this year, we’d love to run it again with even more authors,” Wilson said.
“I would love to see it become the spectacle of fandom you might find at Comic-Con,” Gordy said. “YA literature fans engaging with the authors they admire, connecting with their fellow book fanatics, and finding new stories and literary voices to fall in love with.”
YAAS supporters include the Concord Education Fund, the Concord Free Public Library Corp., and the Massachusetts Cultural Council.
Find more information, including registration, at bit.ly/3YGycUz.
