Trinity hosted its fourth student trip to the Charleston Young Adult Book Festival on Nov. 9-10. The annual event gives students the opportunity to meet many of their favorite authors.
English teacher Georgia Parker learned about the festival five years ago and began hosting the trips a year later with Librarian Reba Gordon.
“The interaction with the authors and being able to have not only your book signed but to get to hear them speak about a variety of topics just seems like something our students would really benefit from and enjoy,” Parker said.
Parker and Gordon said they hoped that the trip would get students excited about reading new books and encourage them to consider pursuing a future in the writing industry.
“It’s such an incredible opportunity for kids to be able to meet authors, not only to meet them but to hear how they work, to realize that you can be an author [and that] it’s something that’s attainable,” Gordon said.
The annual trip to YALLFest inspired Parker and Gordon to start their own Author Festival at Trinity to share the experience with the school.
“We saw what happened to our students at YALLFest and how they lit up and realized that they could do this too,” Gordon said.
Over 30 Trinity students, first-timers and returning fans, attended YALLFest this year. Eighth grader Sarah Gross went to YALLFest for the first time this year to meet the authors behind some of her favorite books.
“I liked being able to meet the authors, and I feel like it was always something that I’ve wanted to do because they’re kind of like celebrities in their own way,” Gross said. “I just really like a lot of their books, so it was fun meeting them.”
Senior Robby Witten attended his fourth YALLFest this year and has been going to the festival since the school’s first trip. Witten started to enjoy reading young adult literature in sixth grade, and his passion for it has only continued to grow since then.
“The first time I went [to YALLFest], it was a new process,” Witten said. “It was a fun experience with all my friends, and each year you learn more and more. You can spend more time with your friends, and you know what parts you enjoy the most.”
Through the panels and conversations he had with authors in the past four festivals, Witten learned many tips and tricks that have helped him become a better writer. He said his favorite part of YALLFest was seeing some of the same authors year after year.
“It’s really nice when they start to not only remember me but remember my name and [are] able to sign without having to actually look at or read anything,” Witten said.
Students were also able to gain insight about writing from listening to authors speak in panels which were held alongside the signings. Freshman Isabel Tongson said she learned many writing techniques from the authors. Tongson said she felt that going to YALLFest would be a good experience for her, especially as someone who is interested in writing.
“I like how I get to meet some of my favorite authors and how you can actually have personal conversations with them,” Tongson said. “The keynotes are very helpful if you want to learn how to write your own stories.”
While YALLFest allowed people to meet and learn from their favorite authors, the festival also provided a chance for students to bond with others and make new friends.
“I think it’s a really good bonding experience, and I definitely grew closer with a lot of other people,” Tongson said. “It’s just a weekend where we get to nerd out and have so much fun.”
Trinity’s annual trips to YALLFest offer students the opportunity to meet and learn from many different authors and bring together a group of people who all share a common interest.
“Everyone who’s going to YALLFest enjoys reading at least to some degree, so having all those people together with that shared common interest really allows for friendships to grow further and deeper than they would previously and also just creates a new spark for creating new friendships that didn’t already exist,” Witten said.
