While Coachella was the big pop culture event of April, I was getting excited for a different kind of festival - book festivals.
And I think that says everything you need to know about me.
As a lucky bookworm on the West Coast, there are a handful of FREE literary events to attend and this spring I had set my sights on attending at least two of them. First on my list was YALLWEST, which has been on my bucket list since high school, when I was really into Young Adult (YA) literature. I learned about the festival from bloggers and “booktubers'' who attended the festival and shared the panels and fun things happening there on social media and it always looked like such a blast.
Panels with my favorite authors, gatherings of book nerds and writers, giveaways, and books for sale? Sign me up!
YALLWEST is hosted at Santa Monica High School in Southern California, so after one short plane ride and the most expensive Lyft ride of my life, my book buddy Sabrina and I were situated in our hotel, ready for our fun weekend getaway.
We woke up bright and early and took the 7 bus to Santa Monica high school. We were lucky to get there early enough to have a decent spot in line but not have to wait too long.
People immediately flocked to stands and lines for panels and giveaways. I could definitely pick out who was a returning YALLWEST attendee - those with rolling carts to stash their book haul and a determined plan for the day. Even though the festival seemed like it was still coming back from its pandemic version with fewer booths than I expected, the lines were still long. With events happening every hour, it was very reminiscent of a day at Disneyland or comic-con. You need to have a plan, allot extra time to get in line early, and make sure to schedule a break for lunch.
The first panel we went to was “Sequels and Expectations” with panelists V.E. Schwab, Tahereh Mafi, Ransom Riggs, Maggie Stiefvater, E. Lockhart, and Amy Foster, moderated by Melissa de la Cruz. Hearing this stellar group of authors bantering back and forth about who prefers writing series or standalones, discussing living up to pressure and expectations, and talking shop about the writing process was so enthralling.
I’ve attended signings for Schwab and Mafi before, but listening to them speak never gets old. Mafi in particular is one of the most eloquent, elegant speakers I’ve ever had the chance to be in the same room as. I could listen to her talk about anything and everything.
(L to R) Moderator Melissa de la Cruz, V.E. Schwab, Tahereh Mafi, Ransom Riggs, E. Lockhart, Amy Foster, and Maggie Stiefvater
After a short break for lunch (where I was unfortunately unable to acquire a highly coveted wristband to get my copy of “Gallant” signed by VE Schwab) I went to the “Streaming Stories” panel. The authors who spoke were all in the process of getting their books adapted into movies or tv shows. It was moderated by Stephanie Garber, with panelists Adam Silvera, Abigail Hing Wen, Tracy Deonn, Beth Reekles, Kate Marchant and - you guessed it - V.E. Schwab. Schwab’s short story “First Kill” is from the vampire anthology Vampires Never Get Old and is coming to Netflix as a series in June.
It was a candid conversation about the challenges and joys of seeing their written works come to life. The panelists shared their experiences on making diverse stories palatable to Hollywood’s production biases, working with a team to expand a written work into something for the screen, and having those check-ins when changes need to be made. I loved hearing what part of the process excites them the most - watching actors bring characters to life, seeing magic created in visual effects, hearing the score, seeing your name in the credits. It was a great reminder that the book and the adaptation can exist simultaneously - and that the adaptation can be different and better.
(L to R) Beth Reekles, V.E. Schwab, Abigail Hing Wen, Adam Silvera, Tracy Deonn, Kate Marchant, and moderator Stephanie Garber
Panel number three was the “Ask Me Anything” panel with a group of women who write comic books, graphic novels, and video games. It was a very cool discussion that was like a peek behind the curtain into this niche of the entertainment industry because even established storytellers are still very much struggling to tell the stories they want to. The panelists gave great advice on getting started in the industry and offered a lot of encouragement to aspiring writers - draw constantly and write what you want. I loved hearing them talk about how cool it is to get to play in the sandboxes of some of the most popular franchises, like DC and Marvel. I can only imagine the exhilaration and pressure of the chance to steer both beloved and new characters on adventures in settings like Gotham, especially when you’re already a fan of the world.
We showed up a couple minutes late to the last panel which was called “Trope Wars,” so I wasn’t sure who exactly was saying what but it was a very fun back and forth of some common tropes and why we love them or love to hate them. From friends-to-lovers and surprise royalty to writing fanfiction, the energy at the end of the day was just delightful. There was a great answer from someone on the panel about how we should be aware of harmful tropes and the importance of recognizing the difference between intention and execution in writing to not perpetuate them or subvert them in interesting ways.
The last thing we did was an event called “Speed Dating.” I hadn’t intended to participate, but Sabrina volunteered to stand in line for us and by the end of the event, I was so glad she had insisted. We got to sit right next to a handful of authors including Soman Chainani, author of The School for Good and Evil, and Abigail Hing Wen, author of Loveboat, Taipei, who spent a couple minutes chatting with small groups about their book and answering any questions. All the authors totally sold me on all their upcoming releases and I definitely have them all on my TBR now. Laura Gao’s graphic novel memoir Messy Roots looks particularly interesting in that part of her story takes place in San Francisco. Everyone we met was so friendly and eager to share and geek out over book things. New York Times best-selling authors - they’re just like us!
Festival number two was much closer to home. A (relatively) quick BART ride dropped me off at the Bay Area Book Festival in Berkeley on a pleasantly sunny Saturday. I only attended the first of the two days and went mostly just for the vibes. I tackled this one myself, intending to enjoy the free parts of the fair and enjoy the day in Berkeley.
Tents and booths were spread out around the Martin Luther King, Jr. Civic Center with stages set up for free panels and readings while other panels were happening indoors at other nearby venues. Lots of booths repping writing groups, publishers, and booksellers presented lots of opportunities to talk with fellow literary enthusiasts.
The Outdoor Fair part of the festival was very family friendly - there was a designated stage for kids' readings and authors and lots of children’s booksellers. Half Price Books had a sizeable booth and they were giving away free children’s and teen books and that was definitely the crowd draw it sounds like.
I stopped to listen to a panel from the group CinnamonGirl. About a dozen middle school girls talked about their experiences writing short stories, exploring different genres, going through the writing process, and tackling issues like mental health and racism in their stories, which they created during the pandemic.
I had a great tostada for lunch (one of many delicious-looking food options) and even took a couple of minutes to check out the really nice farmers market happening on the next street over. As I was heading out, I asked one of the Half Price Books workers where the nearest store location was, and lo and behold, it was two blocks away. So of course, I went, and I stepped into my first Half Price Books. My life was forever changed. I managed to find a pristine copy of The Lovely War by Julie Berry - it’s been on my TBR list forever and I was over the moon to find an edition that was practically brand new, so of course, I had to buy it.
Book festival season was a lot of fun. It was really lovely to see the excitement for YA books in the real world, to be reminded that YA lovers exist and that they are all types of people. Sometimes reading can feel like a little bubble, for better or for worse. But these in-person events create a great sense of community and were a fun, temporary respite from COVID gloom.
I don’t know when I’ll next attend YALLWEST, but you’ll definitely be able to find me at the Bay Area Book Festival in the coming years. Other bookish events I’m hoping to check out someday include LA’s Festival of Books, and I have my fingers crossed for a BookCon and BookExpo relaunch in the near future.
