Colorado Teen Literature Conference

This weekend was the Colorado Teen Literature Conference.

The conference was held in the historic Tivoli building in downtown Denver. What a setting! The Tivoli was built in 1866 as a brewery. It changed many hands over the years, brewing its last beer in 1966- one hundred years after it first opened. In 1994 it was renovated and made into one of the most premier student unions in the nation. The old brick walls and peeling paint, the second story balconies and large white pillars, the beautiful architecture, all set the mood for an amazing time.

The conference was great! Over four hundred authors, writers, educators, librarians, and teens attended the event. I was thrilled at how teens and adults were able to interact, sharing a common interest of reading. Keynote speakers included Maggie Stiefvater, author of the "Shiver" series, and Todd Mitchell, author of "The Secret to Lying". They reminded us to follow our dreams, be our crazy normal selves, and put ourselves out there. The conference was inspirational as well as motivational.

The author panel was made up of local young adult fiction authors, Amy Kathleen Ryan, Brenna Yovanoff, Denis Vaga, Dom Testa, and Terri Clark. They sat down during an author panel and let teen fans ask questions and give comments.

I had the chance to meet and talk to authors, writers, up and coming new voices in literature, publishing houses, educators, librarians, blog writers, and many energetic and inspiring teens.One of the exhibitors was the teen girls behind yaromace.com. When you have the time, check out their webpage. It's a great site on everything YA (young adult). They did a wonderful job capturing their energy, and their site is well written.

I went to different sessions that focused on things like: online book clubs, debut novels, the latest and greatest in teen literature. Some other sessions that were offered included: getting boys to read, beating the block, fan fiction, poetry slams and workshops.

I had a wonderful time, and I look forward to attending again next year. Next years authors include: Lauren Oliver, author of "Before I Fall" and the "Delirium" series, and Jay Asher, author of "13 Reasons Why", and co-author of "Future of Us".