2020 NYC Teen Author Festival Schedule

Sunday 3/29, 7pm
The Strand (828 Broadway, New York, NY 10003)

Why We Tell the Stories We Tell

A conversation about writing fiction to engage in themes that are personal, political, or both, because usually when we choose what to write, we’re influenced by what we want to see in the world.

Arvin Ahmadi
Charlotte Davis
Ben Phillipe
Laura Silverman
Phil Stamper
Katherine Webber

Monday, 3/30, 6pm
NYPL, Mulbery Branch (10 Jersey St, New York, NY 10012)

Conflict Resolution

For our craft panel this year, we’ll be focusing on conflict. Each author will introduce one of their books in terms of its central conflict, and then we’ll discuss such things as whether character or conflict comes first, what authors learn by having to resolve their characters’ conflicts, whether conflicts become more or less complicated as the writing goes on, and how the story itself tends to generate microconflicts that weren’t part of the initial plan.

Kayla Cagan
Katelyn Detweiler
Pam Laskin
Sarah Darer Littman
Derek Milman
Michael Northrop
Eliot Schrefer
Gae Polisner
Amy Zhang

Tuesday, 3/31, 7pm
Little City Books, Hoboken (100 Bloomfield St, Hoboken, NJ 07030)

Reading, signing, and conversation at Hoboken’s best and brightest indie bookstore.

Morgan Baden
Ryan La Sala
David Levithan
Barry Lyga
Carolyn Mackler
Marie Rutkoski
Ismée Williams

Wednesday, 4/1, 6pm
NYPL, Mulbery Branch (10 Jersey St, New York, NY 10012)

Inspirations

An examination of two questions that sound the same, but actually are often different: What inspired you to write your novel? And What were your inspirations as you wrote your novel? The first is the a-ha moment (or series of a-ha moments), while the second is made of all the reference points you gather to give your narrative shape. A lively discussion of all the different inspirations that come to play in creating a novel.

Jimmy Cajoleas
Mayra Cuevas
Andrew Eliopulos
Heidi Heilig
Deborah Heiligman
Kate Henry
Maxine Kaplan
Sarah Moon
Abby Sher

Friday Symposium, 4/2

Scholastic Auditorium (130 Mercer St, New York, NY 10012), 2-5:30 pm

Panel 1: Creative assignment

One of the most fun parts of NYCTAF is the “creative assignment” – where authors are given a writing task and then share the results of that task with the audience. Task only to be announced to the public at the panel!

Morgan Baden
Katie Cicatelli-Kuc
JJ Howard
Adib Khorram
Mark Oshiro
Eliot Schrefer
Paternelle van Arsdale

Panel 2: Mean Girls, Frenemies, and Female Friendships in YA

A discussion of female friendship tropes in YA, from mean girls and gossip girls to the friend who will stand by you to the friend who will betray you. And, of course, everything in between.

Eireann Corrigan
Lara Wood Johnson
Gae Polisner
Lauren Spieller
Amy Zhang

Panel 3: Pain and Healing

YA doesn’t revel in pain as much as it provides portraits of how to navigate pain and tragedy. In this conversation, we’ll talk about the narrative arc of pain and tragedy, and how to balance realism with hope when writing for teenagers and younger readers.

Kacen Callendar
Amy Fellner Dominy
Rafi Mittlefehdlt
Abby Sher
Laura Sibson

Panel 4: Character and Heightened Circumstances

Whether it’s in a thriller, a fish-out-of-water comedy, a fantasy adventure, or something based on a true (or could-be-true) story, authors often use heightened circumstances in order to challenge and forge their characters. In this conversation, we’ll talk about the varied ways these authors have pushed their characters to extremes in order to learn their truer selves.

Mayra Cuevas
Sayantani DasGupta
Kit Frick
Michael Northrop
Ben Phillipe
Addie Thorley
Katrin van Dam

Friday, 4/3, 7pm
Barnes & Noble Bookstore, 83rd/Broadway (2289 Broadway, New York, NY 10024)
Readers’ Theater

Our annual tradition of acting out each other’s books, in a decidedly amateur fashion.

Kristina Forest
I. W. Gregorio
David Levithan
Rafi Mittlefehldt
Lance Rubin
Laura Sebastian
Tiffany Schmidt
Ashley Woodfolk

Saturday Symposium, 4/4

Scholastic Auditorium (130 Mercer St, New York, NY 10012), 1-4pm

Panel 1: Creative assignment

One of the most fun parts of NYCTAF is the “creative assignment” – where authors are given a writing task and then share the results of that task with the audience. Task only to be announced to the public at the panel!

Charlotte Davis
Katherine Locke
Barry Lyga
Marie Rutkoski
Shawn Sarles
Tiffany Schmidt
Heather Swain

Panel 2: The Love Panel

A panel authors conversing about writing about love and relationships through a WOC lens.

Kristina Forest
Leah Johnson
Sarvenaz Tash
Ashley Woodfolk

Panel 3: Writing About Mental Health and Cognitive Difference

A conversation about writing about neurodiverse characters and those struggling with issues of mental health.

Carolyn Mackler
I.W. Gregorio
Sam J. Miller
Kim Purcell
Andrew Simonet

Panel 4: My Brilliant (Second) Career

Each of these authors started off in other careers (or continues to have another career while also writing). What is the influence of these other careers on the stories they choose to tell?

Andrew Fukuda
Elizabeth Lim
Sarah Darer Littman
Joanne Rendell
Lance Rubin
Laura Sebastian
Ismee Williams

Saturday, 4/4, 7pm
McNally Jackson Bookstore, Prince Street (52 Prince St, New York, NY 10012)

How to Tell the Story

Each author will read, and then we’ll discuss how they chose to tell your stories, in terms of narrative strategies, viewpoint characters, tense, and other particular novel-writing choices.

Kacen Callendar
Zoraida Cordova
Kit Frick
Andrew Fukuda
Lana Wood Johnson
Adib Khorram
Sam J. Miller
Alex Richards

Sunday, 4/5, 1-3pm
Our Mega-Signing at Books of Wonder (18 W 18th St, New York, NY 10011)

Festival authors sign their books in NYCTAF’s grand finale!

1-1:30

Emily Arsenault
Morgan Baden
Jimmy Cajoleas
Zoraida Cordova
Sayantani DasGupta
Charlotte Davis
Kit Frick
Barry Lyga
Shani Petroff

1:30-2

Kristina Forest
Katie Henry
Lana Wood Johnson
David Levithan
Elizabeth Lim
Katherine Locke
Carolyn Mackler
Laura Silverman

2-2:30

Sam J. Miller
Derek Milman
Rafi Mittlefehldt
Gae Polisner
Joanne Rendell
Lance Rubin
Marie Rutkoski

2:30-3

Pam Laskin
Tiffany Schmidt
Eliot Schrefer
Laura Sebastian
Abby Sher
Laura Sibson
Addie Thorley
Ismee Williams
Amy Zhang