Bring YA to PA

I'm overjoyed to tell you about the 1st Annual 2010 PAYA Festival! This is an event I'm really excited about because it's not too far away from me! The festival will include author signings, workshops, basket raffle, bake sale, and a used book sale. Books and baked goods?! I'm there!!

I really like the mission of PAYA:

PAYA is a coalition of Pennsylvania’s young adult authors, bloggers, librarians, readers, and other book-lovers. Our mission is two-fold:
-To share the love we have for young adult literature with others in our state-To raise money to support Pennsylvania’s libraries, with a focus on helping build Young Adult library collections and Young Adult services.

The Details:

Date/Time: August 21st - 1 to 3 pm
Where: West Chester, PA -- Center for Performing and Fine Arts

Authors that will be signing:

Cyn Balog (Fairy Tale, Sleepless)
Holly Nicole Hoxter (The Snowball Effect)
Andrew Auseon (Freak Magnet)
Josh Berk (The Dark Days of Hamburger Halpin)
Amy Brecount White (Forget-Her-Nots)
Stephanie Kuehnert (I Wanna Be Your Joey Ramone, Ballads of Suburbia)
Jon Skovron (Struts and Frets)
Shannon Delany (13 to Life)
Jeri Smith-Ready (Shade, WVMP series, Aspect of the Crow trilogy)
Meg Medina (Milagros: Girl from Away)
Chelsea Swiggett (Rae)
Kieryn Nicolas (Rain)
Dianne Salerni (We Hear the Dead)
Jennifer Hubbard (The Secret Year)
Christine Marciniak (When Mike Kissed Emma)
Jennifer Murgia (Angel Star)
Shelena Shorts (The Pace series)
Ellen Jensen Abbott (Watersmeet)

The Workshops (you need to pre-register):

Listen & Critique Workshop - Authors Josh Berk, Amy Brecount White, Stephanie Kuehnert, Jeri Smith-Ready, Jon Skovron, Meg Medina, and Shannon Delany will each be speaking on an aspect of writing they feel is most important. Attendees will then be split into groups of 3-5, each with an author, based on genre of writing. Each members of the group will read the first three pages of a WIP from another members and critique it as a group. The author will lead the discussion and answer any specific questions about writing by the members of the group. This workshop will run from 10am-noon and will cost $40.

Teens on Writing Workshop - Teen authors Chelsea Swiggett and Kieryn Nicolas will give an hour-long workshop on writing as a teenager. This workshop is geared at those 13-18 with an interest in writing - no work-in-progress is necessary. The workshop will run from 1pm-2pm and cost $10.Looks like a great event! Anybody else planning on going? Which authors are you most excited about?

Looks like a great event! Anybody else planning on going? Which authors are you most excited about?