Oct. 4, 2014
St. Edward's University to Host Texas Teen Book Festival This Saturday, Oct. 18
The Maze Runner author James Dashner and Lauren Oliver, creator of Delirium series among headliners
AUSTIN—The Texas Teen Book Festival is here! This Saturday will be jam-packed with author sessions and panels, book signings, vendor displays, and more. The full lineup of 29 authors appearing at the Texas Teen Book Festival represents some of the most popular and critically acclaimed authors in the booming Young Adult genre.
Two of the most-anticipated headliners are James Dashner, author of The Maze Runner series; and Lauren Oliver, creator of the bestselling Delirium series and Before I Fall.
Dashner’s latest novel, The Rule of Thoughts (the sequel to The Eye of Minds), is a novel set in a world of hyper-advanced technology, cyberterrorists, and gaming. A movie based on The Maze Runner debuted last month and has grossed more than $220 million worldwide. Oliver’s YA book Panic has been optioned by Universal Pictures in a major movie deal, and her first novel for adults, Rooms, debuted in September.
Other headlining and featured authors include Marie Lu, Scott Westerfeld, A.S. King, and Andrew Smith. The full list and schedule are available at www.texasteenbookfestival.org.
The one-day Festival takes place this Saturday, Oct. 18, from 8:30 a.m. until 5:30 p.m. on the campus of St. Edward’s University, 3001 South Congress Avenue. Organizers believe that the location on the beautiful college campus, along with free parking, will be another big hit of this year’s Festival and its expected 4,000-plus attendees.
“This year's Festival is THE one to attend,” says librarian and Fest founder Heather Schubert. “You'll find amazing keynotes, interactive events, writing workshops, a hilarious game show, and much, much more. Expect to leave with a list of new favorite authors and a stack of books you can't wait to read!”
The popular Texas Throwdown Game Show, taking place from 9:40 to 10:20 a.m., is a high-energy competition with teams of authors led by Marie Lu (The Young Elites) and Paolo Bacigalupi (The Doubt Factory).
“‘Is that a banjo I hear?’ ‘Wait, how many marshmallows did he just put in his mouth?’ These are just a few remarks you might hear teens say during the TTBF wild Texas Throwdown Game Show this Saturday,” says show host Sarah Pitre. “The event promises to reveal authors’ secret, hidden talents, karaoke blunders, and crazy hijinks," Pitre says.
To help attendees plan their day, the Texas Teen Book Festival schedule is available for download on SCHED, an interactive app here. Attendees can also download SCHED on mobile devices including iPhone, Androids and Blackberries, so they will have their personal schedules handy on Saturday.
The Texas Teen Book Festival is presented by the Texas Book Festival in conjunction with the Austin Public Library Friends Foundation, in partnership with BookPeople and venue sponsor St. Edward’s University. The program is also made possible in part by a grant from Humanities Texas, the state affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities.
The Texas Teen Book Festival will “bookend” the Texas Book Festival, which features books for all ages and takes place Oct. 25 and 26 in and around the state capitol building. Both Festivals are free and open to the public thanks to generous donors, sponsors, and volunteers.
For more information about any and all Texas Teen Book Festival happenings, go to www.texasteenbookfestival.org. Join the conversation on social media with the hashtag #ttbf14. See you at the Texas Teen Book Festival this weekend!
About the Texas Book Festival
The Texas Book Festival celebrates authors and their contributions to the culture of literacy, ideas, and imagination. Founded in 1995 by first lady Laura Bush, Mary Margaret Farabee, and a group of volunteers, the nonprofit Texas Book Festival promotes the joys of reading and writing through its annual Festival weekend, the one-day Texas Teen Book Festival, the Reading Rock Stars program, grants to Texas libraries, youth fiction writing contest, and year-round literary programming. The Festival is held on the grounds of the Texas capitol each fall and features more than 280 renowned authors, panels, book signings, live music, cooking demonstrations, and children’s activities. Thanks to generous donors, sponsors, and nearly 1,000 volunteers, the Festival remains free and open to the public. www.texasbookfestival.org, www.facebook.com/TexasBookFestival, www.twitter.com/texasbookfest, #txbookfest; and www.texasteenbookfestival.org, facebook.com/TexasTeenBookFestival, www.twitter.com/txteenbookfest, #ttbf14.