Outdoor exhibit returns to the Wildflower Center
Published by The Austin Chronicle 10/2/19
Every child has carefully constructed a hideout out of couch cushions and blankets. Sadly, not every kid grows up and is given $10,000 to create the fortress of their dreams. Returning for its second year, Fortlandia at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center empowers local designers to do just that, and kids and adults are invited to enjoy the results.
Thirty applicants pitched their designs and underwent the scrutiny of judges until only 10 fort finalists remained. Those selected will decorate the trail of the arboretum from October 5 until January 26.
Along with visits to forts with names like Fortmosa and Color Trail, kids will have the chance to work on Passfort booklets at each stop. Passforts are new to the Fortlandia experience and pose questions like “What would you name this fort?” on every page to encourage kids to take their time observing the creations. Kids can also put their construction skills to the test in the Fort Build which is open year-round and provides all of the essential, kid-friendly outdoor building materials one needs.
Photo by Addie Costello
Celebration of YA lit moves north to Southwestern University
Published by The Austin Chronicle 10/9/19
You may have retired your Harry Potter wands and Twilight posters long ago, but TTBF welcomes you no matter how outdated your YA lit references are.
The one-day event on Sat., Oct. 12, is entirely free for teen literature appreciators of all ages. This year marks the festival’s 11th year but will be its first year located at Southwestern University. Over 30 authors are featured, ensuring that even the most bizarre sub-genres of YA are covered. (I'm lookin' at you, high school survival guides in the apocalypse.)
Eight panels are scheduled over the course of the day with a wide range of topics from dysfunctional families to changing the world. Along with the panels, attendants can interact with authors during scheduled book signings. If booksignings and panels aren’t enough, authors may stop by the iTent for more casual conversations with festivalgoers. The iTent offers an outdoor space for even more interaction between writers and their readers.
Meghan Goel, program director for TTBF and BookPeople, explains the motivation for organizing the festival year after year: “To support and engage teen writers and readers. Texas is home to so many ravenous teen readers, really creative kids, kids who are writing, kids who are reading, and kids who are thinking and are curious about so many things.”
Although the festival has "teen" in its title, do not be discouraged if you are not so young, young adult lit fan. Goel says that every year the event is a mix of attendants of all ages.