I Tried It: YA Book Festival Field Trip With Middle Schoolers!

Held on Middle Tennessee State University's campus here in Murfreesboro, the Southeastern Young Adult Festival is the brainchild of four middle and high school librarians in my district. This marks the second year in the festival and Friday was reserved uniquely for educators and their students to meet and greet with over 40 young adult authors.

Here are some pics from my students' visit to the festival:

The author panel we attended included M. Tara Crowl, Tracy Barrett, Bridget Hodder, and Megan Shepherd.

At the bookstore, we were able to purchase books by the authors and get them signed.

Best. Job. Ever.

Southern Festival of Books

I spent yesterday and today in downtown Nashville OD-ing on authors and book signings at the Southern Festival of Books. My love for this festival goes back a long way and is sort of a family tradition. My dad is a book fiend and haunter of library sales, my mom is a librarian, and I will be a librarian (officially) next summer. We've all been going to the festival for years now, and it's something we always look forward to every October. This year didn't disappoint (except for when it rained cats and dogs and all the books on sale got wet and curled up!)

Here are just a few of the highlights of the festival for me:

• Roy Blount, Jr., author of Alphabet Juice.
• Brad Gooch, author of Flannery: A Life of Flannery O'Connor.
• Ron Rash, author of Serena.
• Beth Pattillo, author of Jane Austen Ruined My Life.
• Robert Hicks, author of A Separate Country.
• A. Manette Ansay, author of Good Things I Wish You.
• Buzz Aldrin, author of Magnificent Desolation. Not to mention an ASTRONAUT!
  
• Kathryn Stockett, author of The Help.
  

For a list of all authors and sessions at the festival, click here.

And here are the books I snagged this weekend: