The annual Texas Teen Book Festival, which took place October 6 at St. Edward’s University in Austin, drew 37 authors and thousands of readers for a celebration of YA. This year marked the 10th anniversary of the festival, which was launched by the Texas Book Festival and BookPeople; H-E-B served as a presenting sponsor, and Humanities Texas, Penguin Teen, Epic Reads, 3M, and Delacorte Press were contributing sponsors. The 2018 lineup included author panels, signings, Ask Me Anything sessions, writing and filmmaking workshops, a costume contest, cover design challenge, and more. We’ve gathered a selection of highlights from the event.
Keynote speaker Nic Stone, author of Dear Martin and Odd One Out, kicked off the festivities.
After Stone’s speech, fans waited to meet the author.
The 37 participating writers gathered for the All Author Introduction.
Father-and-son collaborators Neal (l.) and Jarrod Shusterman (Dry) during their Afternoon Keynote.
Team captains from the Penguin Teen Presents: Cover Design Challenge showed off their jacket designs.
Attendees lined up to meet their favorite authors in the signing tent.
The “Cracks in the Crystal Ball” panel, which focused on futuristic YA, featured authors (from l.) Samantha Mabry, Katharine McGee, Neal and Jarrod Shusterman, and Andrew Smith.
During a storybuilding workshop, participants creates an original narrative with author Ngozi Ukazu (Check, Please!).
The third annual Costume Contest sponsored by Epic Reads attracted literary characters from all genres.
BookPeople’s year-round Teen Press Corps gathered after live reporting from the festival.
Winners of the We Need Diverse Books Essay Contest had the chance to join a roundtable discussion led by Cynthia Leitich Smith (back row, fifth from l.), with authors David Levithan (front row, center), Tochi Onyebuchi (front row, r.), and Julissa Arce (second row, second from r.).
Thousands of fans celebrated a full day of YA.
