Cheers to all the literary ladies out there! This one’s for you!
Brooklyn Heights may seem inexplicably far away for the average Manhattanite, but no fear, it can be reached in a mere twenty minutes! No excuses now to forgo all the wonders this borough has to offer :)
This Sunday, I had the pleasure of boarding the 4 train and traveling to the most magical place: the Brooklyn Book Festival, an annual literary event which houses a slew of incredible literary panels, book signings, author meet and greets, as well as tents that sell the wares of local publishing companies and book sellers. It’s a fantastic day-long event full of lovely literature, cool opportunities to support print media, and interesting, bookish people (think man-buns and circular glasses, sprinkled with a heap of flannels and penny loafers!)
With the help of Instagram, (holla at accessible mass media, people!) I learned that my absolute FAVORITE magazine editor, Tavi Gevinson, would be speaking at the High School Confidential panel along with a few other young adult authors. Tavi is the Editor-in-Chief of Rookie Magazine, an online magazine “for teenage girls,” and is an awesome, whip-smart, pixie-like nineteen year old who also happens to have founded the incredibly successful magazine. She’s been a true hero and inspiration to me since she first came onto the scene with her fashion blog, named “Rookie.” Now, her online magazine covers everything from fashion, feminism, advice from adults to quirky fan illustrations. Reading this magazine is like looking at teendom in a unique way. Tavi best describes it as “..looking through rose colored glasses” at the time in our lives that is often the most difficult in terms with finding oneself and dealing with the constant change that can plague this time. Rookie makes the teenage years seem like they are sprinkled with magic and good music; and it’s this magic, this idea of nostalgia and glamour, that can be quite helpful in overcoming this hump we call “the teen years.”
Anyway, getting back to this event, The Brooklyn Book Fest sponsored this fabulous panel which included some fabulous YA authors including Renée Watson, award-winning author of This Side of Home, and Harlem’s Little Blackbird: The Story of Florence Mills, Leila Mills, author of Tonight The Streets Are Ours, This Song Will Save Your Life, Past Perfect, and Mostly Good Girls, and Paul Rudnick, playwright and essayist, who recently wrote a young adult novel called Gorgeous. These authors joined Tavi in discussing their works and their impact on the world of YA. The panel was lighthearted–the guests talked about everything from Instagram to best friends–yet displayed the real struggles and obstacles that come alongside the genre, such as creating relatable, complex characters and convincing, realistic storylines.
The world of Young Adult is certainly not an easy one to conquer, yet these incredible authors are curating worlds that make teens and young people eager to read, learn and experience realms of being outside their own.
Check out Rookie Magazine and Tavi’s work: http://www.rookiemag.com
Cheers to the Brooklyn Book Fest! Hope to see you there next year!
Image credit: Rookie Mag (1)