Hey y’all,
Having been born and raised in Florida, I love that phrase, “y’all,” and having spent the last three and a half days in Austin, Texas, I have been hearing it a lot. That makes me happy! What was I doing in Austin, Texas you ask? Well, I was tagging along at the Texas Teen Book Festival, which Carrie had been invited to attend. As someone who gets to be there as the “plus one” of a guest author, I really didn’t have a place. Other than helping Carrie manage her day, I was left to my own devices and had a lot of free time on my hands. I filled most of this free time talking with people and listening to the conversations of others.
Many of these conversations had to deal with the thousands of teenagers in attendance and their love for books and those who write them. I overheard an incredible amount of stories that ranged from, “you are my favorite author ever and I love you so much,” to “you are the one who convinced me that I could be an author,” and all the way to “reading your book saved my life! I thought I was the only one who felt that way (or had that experience)!”
Every single time I attend an event similar to this one, I hear these same stories over and over. As adults (which there are plenty of in attendance at these supposed teen events) we tend to think that teenagers are over dramatic and always blowing things out of proportion, and maybe they are. However, the importance of any issue usually carries maximum relevance to the person living it, no matter their age. What we may see as a trivial issue may be the very most important thing in the world to a teenager (anyone really) and these authors have the very rare and incredible opportunity to make a difference in somebody’s life. These authors write books, which people read, and any one of these books could be the start of a love for reading (and usually an increased intellect and empathy), a passion for a particular subject or the catalyst for a life changing (or saving) event.
This is why I firmly believe that events such as the Texas Teen Book Festival and the Bar Harbor Kids Book Festival are important. I do not think that anyone can state that bringing the love of reading to children is not a need of paramount importance and I know that you want to be a part of this. This is my call to action, for the Club, to volunteer any time that you may have available on October 21st and 22nd to help this year’s Bar Harbor Kid’s Book Festival be a success in bringing children and the love of reading together!
Thank you,
Shaun
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