St. Louis Teen Book Festival – Schedule of Events

St. Louis County Library will host the St. Louis Teen Book Festival on Saturday, December 2, 2023 from 1:00-5:30 p.m. at Ladue Horton Watkins High School. The festival is free and open to all readers. Recording or streaming is not allowed. 

Featured Authors

 

12:30 p.m.

Doors Open

1:00–1:45 p.m.

Opening Ceremony, Remarks by Keynote Author Neal Shusterman, Introduction of Authors (Multi-purpose Area)

2:00–2:45 p.m.

Breakout Sessions

Moderator: Haley Calvin, Novel Neighbor

There’s nothing better than falling head over heels into a fantasy romance and our favorite YA authors obviously do it best. Long live all the magic we made!

Panelists

  • Alex Aster
  • Catherine Bakewell
  • Kendare Blake
  • Emma Mills
  • Lauren Roberts 

Moderator: George Jreije, local author

Who inspires us and how do they help us find our own ideas to put on the page? Let’s share and learn about literary influences big and small.

Panelists

  • Sharon Cameron
  • Soman Chainani
  • Kim Johnson
  • Samantha Markum
  • Lynn Painter

Moderator: Esme Symes-Smith, local author

Even in the toughest of times, we find bright spots. Let’s talk about the found family, jokes and love that help us discover hope when we need it most.

Panelists

  • L.L. McKinney
  • Doan Phuong Nguyen
  • Neal Shusterman

Moderator: Kassie King, Novel Neighbor

We all turn to books to make us feel seen, heard or understood when the clouds won’t iron out –– let’s discuss the importance of depicting mental health and neurodiversity in the YA space.

Panelists

  • Adib Khorram
  • Rachael Lippincott
  • Lio Min
  • Laura Nowlin
  • Justin A. Reynolds

 

3:00–3:45 p.m.

Breakout Sessions

Moderator: Desiree Schumann, The Novel Neighbor

Who here wants to be an author? This is the panel for you! We’ll talk about process, craft and how to tell the story you want to tell. We’ve got plenty of advice!

Panelists

  • Alex Aster
  • Catherine Bakewell
  • Soman Chainani
  • Laura Nowlin
  • Lauren Roberts

Moderator: Stephanie Skees, The Novel Neighbor

Retellings of classics, myths and fairytales are more popular than ever. What draws us to familiar stories and how do we mix them up for a modern audience?

Panelists

  • Kendare Blake
  • Rachael Lippincott
  • L.L. McKinney

Moderator: Jaer Armstead-Jones, Local Author

This panel is all about where historical fiction and contemporary fiction collide: reading historical fiction through a modern lens and history informing our contemporary fiction.

Panelists

  • Sharon Cameron
  • Kim Johnson
  • Doan Phuong Nguyen
  • Justin A. Reynolds
  • Neal Shusterman

Moderator: Angie Rundle, St. Louis County Library

We all love a good romance, so let’s get into why! Tropes, butterflies and all the beautiful ways love makes us swoon.

Panelists

  • Adib Khorram
  • Samantha Markum
  • Emma Mills
  • Lio Min
  • Lynn Painter

 

4:00-5:30 p.m.

Author Book Signing (Cafeteria)

Books available for purchase from The Novel Neighbor