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In Our Own Words

Fifth Annual Teen Book Festival

By Archie Burke, Teen Services Manager, East Regional Library
On behalf of the Teen Services Committee
Young Adult Book Authors

On March 5, 2020, Durham County Library Teen Services Committee offered the Fifth Annual Teen Book Festival at Durham School of the Arts. This year’s festival enjoyed more participation than previous years (141 total attendance) and was supported by Durham Public Schools, Durham Library Foundation, Book Harvest, and Barnes & Noble. Additionally, Durham County Library’s Electronic Resources Committee members attended to provide information and instruction on our electronic resources collection. We were also assisted by various staff members who volunteered their time and energy to support the event. The Young Adult (YA) authors who participated this year were: Julia Day, Kwame Mbalia, Celia C. Perez, Scott Reintgen, Jeremy Whitley, and Allan Wolf. The festival began with the authors and participants gathered together in the Media Center for a Q & A session. Following this session, each author provided two writing workshops, and teens decided which author talk to attend. Once the workshops concluded, everyone reunited in the Media Center for book signings, swag, free books from Book Harvest, and pizza! The festival was a wonderful opportunity for Teen Services Librarians, Durham County Library staff, teens and parents of Durham, local businesses, and, of course, YA authors to come together to share their love for books and community.