MG & YA Forever - an Evening of Passionate Reading at Fox Egg Gallery

Tonight's event was a celebration of local middle grade and young adult authors: Swati Avasthi, Heather Bouwman, Geoff Herbach, Lynne Jonell, and Stephanie Watson.  The event was put together by Stephanie Watson and held at The Fox Egg Gallery. 
 

Stephanie Watson welcoming guests to the Fox Egg Gallery.

In honor of being almost Valentine's Day, the evening featured 'passionate' reading and lots of Valentine's treats. 
 

Stephanie Watson (author of Elvis and Olive, Elvis and Olive: Super Detectives, and The Wee Hours) introduced each author. 
 

First up was Geoff Herbach (author of Stupid Fast, Nothing Special, I'm With Stupid, and the upcoming Fat Boy vs. The Cheerleaders - out in May, and Addendum will be hosting the launch party!). Geoff read from the book he is currently working on, and it is hilarious (of course)!
 

Next up was Swati Avasthi, who read from her most recent book, Chasing Shadows (which has been nominated for the Minnesota Book Award!). Swati is also the author of the novel Split. 
 

Heather Bouwman read next, from a new piece she is working on.  Heather is the author of The Remarkable and Very True Story of Lucy and Snowcap.

We also heard an excerpt of Stephanie's next book, read by Geoff Herbach.  It sounds incredible!
 

Lynne Jonell was the last reader of the evening. She read from her next book, The Cat Speaker, coming in spring of 2015 (can't wait!). She is also the author of Emmy and the Incredible Shrinking Rat, Emmy and the Home for Troubled Girls, Emmy and the Rats in the Belfry, The Secret of Zoom, Hamster Magic, Lawn Mower Magic, and Grasshopper Magic, as well as a number of picture books. 
 

We have signed copies of the authors' books available at Addendum! 
 

Thank you to the Fox Egg Gallery for allowing us to use your wonderful space, to Stephanie Watson for asking us to be a part of the evening, and to all the authors who read tonight. Thank you, too, to the fans who braved the cold to come to this event! 

 

Tamora Pierce!

The seventh author in the Teens Know Best Author Series that we are working on with MELSA was Tamora Pierce! 
 

Tammy spoke to a crowd of almost 200 readers today at the Southdale Library. 
 

Tammy was an incredibly entertaining speaker. She spent much of the time on Q&A with the audience, and we learned so much about her life, inspiration, writing, and characters. 
  

After her talk, the crowd formed a long line to have Tammy sign their books. 
 

Many of her fans read as they waited for their turn!
 

These young ladies baked a cake for Tammy with Alanna's 'Lioness Rampant' symbol from the Song of the Lioness Quartet. 
 

A guest plays with the cards from the TKB Stuff Bag she received for attending the event. 

Tammy also signed stock for the store, so if you couldn't make it to the event, stop by Addendum to purchase her books! 
 

 

From the author's website: 

 

Tamora Pierce is the recipient of 2013's Margaret A. Edwards Award for THE SONG OF THE LIONESS and PROTECTOR OF THE SMALL Quartets, which "honors an author, as well as a specific body of his or her work, for significant and lasting contribution to young adult literature.... It recognizes an author's work in helping adolescents become aware of themselves and addressing questions about their role and importance in relationships, society, and in the world.... Edwards Committee Chair Jamie Watson said that 'Pierce’s books and characters have been influencing both readers and writers of fantasy since their inception.'"

We couldn't agree more! Congratulations, Tammy, on your award!

So excited to meet Tamora Pierce today!

Thank you to everyone who came to the library to meet Tamora Pierce - you helped make today a fantastic event!