Conference, Guest Blogger

Bethany’s Report from Teen Lit Con 2019!

This is a guest blog post written by Bethany Kauffman, CMLE Board Member and Media Specialist at Rogers High School. Need a mini grant to help fund a program for your community? Apply now!

What is the Teen Literature Convention?

“The Twin Cities Teen Lit Con is where authors, books, teens, & fun collide. There will be amazing authors, breakout sessions, & an action-packed Exhibit Hall (book arts, book signings, & much more). Teens have the opportunity to connect with their favorite authors, explore other aspects of being a part of a reading community, & attend workshops for writers.” (https://teenlitcon.org/faqs-2/)

We had another great day at Teen Lit Con on April 27, 2019.  “We” is our group of three high schools that attended together through a grant from CMLE.  Upsala High School, Sauk Rapids Rice High School and Rogers High School staff and students road one bus together to Henry Sibley High School in Mendota Heights for the big day!

The three high schools had 30 students attend and three adults which we considered a good turn out on a busy Saturday.  The bus ride gave students and staff a chance to chat and get to know each other which was one of our goals in riding together.  There aren’t enough opportunities for students from different areas of MN who share a love of reading and writing to meet each other.  Thank you to CMLE for making this possible!

Once at Sibley High School, the fun began.  We attended a panel discussion with the nationally known authors Lamar Giles, Tomi Adeyemi, Becky Albertalli and Jarrett Krosoczka.  What an entertaining and informative group of authors! The attendees did a lot of cheering. You would have thought we were at a rock concert.

There were numerous sessions students could attend throughout the day including Book Fued, Writer’s Studio, Social Justice and Activism in YA Lit, Pie Club – Finding Your Next Book, Graphic Storytelling and more.  Students also participated in a variety of exhibits and hands-on activities. Waiting in line to get the authors’ signatures was a part of the day for almost everyone, too.

We all arrived back at our individual school by late afternoon/early evening feeling really tired but happy.  Thank you again CMLE for making this trip possible for our teens!