The 9th Annual Texas Teen Book Festival is just 10 days away and we could not be more thrilled to partner with We Need Diverse Books (WNDB) for a full day of programming on October 7th at St. Edward’s University!
Created to address the lack of diverse, non-majority narratives in children’s literature, the mission of this grassroots organization is to put more books featuring diverse characters into the hands of all children. We are honored to host author Dhonielle Clayton, WNDB’s COO, and I.W. Gregorio, WNDB Team Member at TTBF 2017!
30 winners of our recent We Need Diverse Books Essay Contest have been invited to a special reception hosted by Dhonielle Clayton and I.W. Gregorio to talk to authors, publishers, librarians, and booksellers about how to make their voices heard in the book world. Attendees will be invited to share their thoughts about this experience, along with thoughts about their full time at the festival on our Teen Press Corps blog after the fact.
We Need Diverse Books is also offering a full schedule of other opportunities to connect through books, publishing, and activism throughout the day, so take a look and make sure to stop by!
9:00 AM – 9:45 AM
Start off your morning with a visit to the WNDB booth. Here you can sign up for their newsletter, inquire about resources for writers and readers, and much more!
11:15 AM – 12:05 PM
Educators are invited to a WNDB workshop led by Dhonielle Clayton to discuss using diverse books in the classroom. Educators will also hear about WNDB’s new app, “Our Story,” a useful book-finding tool for teachers, librarians, and students that offers cool content from authors as well as WNDB-themed curriculum and material perks. Registration required.
2:30 PM – 3:00 PM
Join us in the iTent for a WNDB-sponsored “Ask Me Anything” session about gender and sexuality with I.W Gregorio (None of the Above), Mackenzi Lee (The Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue) and Julie Murphy (Ramona Blue). Come ask these authors any burning question you might have!
3:30 PM – 4:20 PM
Join us in the iTent for a WNBD-sponsored “Ask Me Anything” session with their COO Dhonielle Clayton. This is a great chance to ask questions about the organization that launched a movement. Come ask about current initiatives and goals or offer thoughts on where their focus is needed most. This is an excellent forum to ask questions and raise the profile of anything that’s on your mind!
3:30 PM – 5:30 PM
Stop by the WNDB booth to ask any last questions or share any thoughts you’ve stored up during the day.
5:30 PM
Grab a copy of None of the Above by I.W. Gregorio, and Tiny Pretty Things and Shiny Broken Things co-authored by Dhonielle Clayton in the festival bookstore. Both Dhonielle Clayton and I.W. Gregorio will participate during the final all-author signing.
If, like us, you can’t wait to get your hands on Clayton’s The Belles (releasing 2/20/18), you can pre-order and receive a signed bookplate in the festival bookstore before you leave!
See you soon!