On Saturday, September 22 the Boston Teen Author Festival (BTAF) hosted their 7th annual event at the Cambridge Rindge and Latin School and Cambridge Public Library. 32 young adult (YA) authors were in attendance to connect with the Boston’s YA fans.
The event started with a welcome panel introducing all 32 authors. Each author was asked what they would do on a day off with either their protagonist, their book’s main love interest, or their villain/antagonist. It was fun to hear what the authors had to say about characters they spend so much time with in their head, and some of the answers given were extremely entertaining. Some authors took the time either during this panel or other panels to remind people to register to vote this midterm election.
This year there were so many panels at the festival! There were four sessions in total, and each session had four panels, giving attendees a total of 16 panels to choose from! I went to three panel sessions: “Xs, Ys, and Family Ties,” “Honestly, Though,” and “Sorry Not Sorry.” In each panel, a moderator asked the authors questions for the first 30 to 35 minutes.After, audience members asked questions for the last 10 to 15 minutes. All three panels I attended were amazing, giving me a lot of room to think about YA and society at large through the lens of a book genre so important to me. For those who are curious, a full list of the panels that were available this year can be found here.
The first panel I went to revolved around sibling relationships within the books of the authors speaking. They talked about making real sibling relationships and how these relationships in books can be messy but unbreakable. As someone with a brother, I loved listening to how these authors viewed sibling relationships and how they crafted these in books. Sibling relationships can be some of the most fun, understanding, and complicated relationships in and out of YA books.
The second panel talked about giving teen characters experiences that don’t shy away from the nitty-gritty of an honest teen experience. One of my favorite things discussed was that while critics believe YA is too dark, in reality while we do need escapist books we also need books that give truth and perspective to readers, especially in this day and age when it can feel like we’re alone in going through what society throws our way. I loved that the panelists pointed out that we shouldn’t hide this truth from youth because we want them to learn from the mistakes they didn’t make without turning it into a preachy novel.
The third panel talked about “unlikeable” female protagonists in books. Ambition in female characters can be seen as something that makes a woman unlikeable. Conversely, that trait can shine a positive light on a male character.This concept desperately needs to change in our society. Honestly, a few days after listening to this panel I had an epiphany about some of my feelings toward characters from my childhood, and it totally blew my mind. With authors like the ones on this panel, and with readers and writers continuing to become more aware of the pitfalls of our society, I hope we can learn to and continue to support amazing and driven women in YA novels and beyond!
After the fourth panel, there was a book signing session with all the authors, but, again, I had to leave the festival early. I also got so lucky as I was leaving the festival! This year BTAF had an Advanced Reader’s Copy (ARC) drop from a few different publishers they said would be happening at surprise times and locations. On my way out of the third panel, I actually found the ARC drop! BTAF was already an amazing experience, and being able to take a free, unreleased book was an extra surprise that made my experience so much happier.
I can’t wait to see how BTAF will grow in future years! I’ve been attending the festival ever since I came to Boston, and I hope I can continue to go in the future! I highly recommend the festival to anyone interested in YA or discussions about books and media in general!