Pasadena Loves YA Recap

I had the privilege of attending the Pasadena Loves YA Teen Book Festival this past weekend at the Pasadena Public Library. We had a great group of twenty different YA authors, with five panels covering a diverse group of topics over four hours.

The event kicked off in the Auditorium at noon, where the fantastic Mary McCoy delivered a touching keynote speech on the power of reading and the importance of libraries to teens. 

The first panel was upstairs in the teen central area (complete with a full-size TARDIS, which can be seen in the background of some of the signing pictures); I enjoyed the temporary change in venue, and it also allowed for a quicker turnaround time between panels, since panels alternated between the auditorium and the teen central. The only downside was that if you weren't close enough to the front of the signing line, you would miss the beginning of the next panel, but that only happened to me once (since I didn't have that many books to be signed).

Signing with Lauren Miller (you can see the TARDIS in the background!).

Signing with Lauren Miller (you can see the TARDIS in the background!).

You can find a list of each author and their respective works on the Pasadena Loves YA website, but the five panel topics, in order, were as follows: Second Chances, The First Time - From First Draft to Finish Line, YA Sci-Fi and Fantasy, Dial "M" for Murder, and Tough Topics.

Each panel was followed by a signing; while some of the signing lines went by efficiently, others (usually signings for bigger-name authors, such as Kody Keplinger and Stephan Chbosky) were out the door.

The day went smoothly and everyone, from the authors to the attendees, seemed to really enjoy the event. Big thanks to Jane Gov at the Pasadena Public Library and Bridge to Books for coordinating the event, as well as everyone else who helped out. I can't wait for the next Pasadena Loves YA book fest, and I hope to see some of you there!

Photo credits go to Katie Ferguson, who generously allowed me to use her photos of the event.

 Carolyn is a teen blogger who shares her favorite YA reads and favorite book related finds with readers on Fridays.