Second annual festival showcases authors
Organized by JustWrite Ohio partnering with Gathering Volumes in Perrysburg, the second Northwest Ohio Teen Book Festival will be held at Rossford Junior/Senior High School on March 18. The Northwest Ohio Teen Book Festival is focused on teens and tweens of Northwest Ohio, as a volunteer organization made up of lovers of literature, who have come together to create a fantastic opportunity for teens to meet their favorite authors and discover new authors.
JustWrite Ohio
JustWrite Ohio is a competitive creative writing program for 9-12 grade students across the state. The program strives to assist educators by providing instructional support for creative writing, inspiring, praising and building confidence in Ohio’s teens while helping them discover their own creative voice. The program engages teens to recognize the importance of literacy and the connections between reading and writing. The JustWrite program celebrates the voices of writers, as their words have the power to change the world.
Best selling authors
The festival will feature keynote speaker Natalie D. Richards, author of the New York Times bestselling books Five Total Strangers and Master of Suspense. Richards’ latest book, Seven Dirty Secrets, is a pulse-pounding YA thriller about a girl who goes on a mysterious scavenger hunt, only to discover that someone knows her worst secret and is out for blood. “Ms. Richards is a champion of aspiring authors and is a frequent speaker at schools and writing groups and we are so excited for her to encourage the teen writers of Northwest Ohio,” said Denise Phillips, Northwest Ohio Teen Book Festival organizing committee member.
Phillips hopes “that everyone that attends the event leaves having learned something new, having discovered a new inspiration, with renewed confidence in their own future. But most of all, I hope that they have a fun day surrounded by great books and amazing people. I hope their biggest takeaway is a realization that there are many book lovers out there and that we can all come together to create amazing stories together.”
The Festival includes a full lineup of author speakers, a festival scavenger hunt, a giveaway of advance copies of Natalie D. Richards’ latest book and more. The festival takes place Saturday March 18 from 9am-3:30pm at Rossford Junior/Senior High.
The event is free and open to the public. Schools can also register bus loads of students and, thanks to generous sponsors such as Taylor Automotive, schools can apply for a bus sponsorship to help and/or cover the cost.
In addition to the keynote address, the day-long event will include moderated author panels, breakout sessions, games, pitch wars and author signings. Gathering Volumes will be on site throughout the day offering the books of participating authors for sale. Authors will sign at the end of the day from 2:30-3:30pm.
For more information and registration for the Northwest Ohio Teen Book Festival, visit novateenbookfestival.com. For more information about JustWrite, visit justwriteohio.org.
