A while back I posted about the Colorado Teen Literature Conference.  Well, it was yesterday and I just want to start off by saying that it was absolutely amazing.  If you live in Colorado and weren’t there, make plans to come next year on March 31, 2012.  Not only will a ton of amazing teens and librarians be there but so will Maggie Stiefvater!!!

So my first time going to the Colorado Teen Literature Conference was last year but this time was a little different.  I was just a guest last year and this year I was an actual presenter.  I spent one of the sessions actually speaking to others about how I got started blogging and how they could too.  It was so much fun.  I was super nervous beforehand but once I actually got started I had a blast.  I really enjoyed getting the chance to talk to others about blogging and hopefully everyone there learned a little something that they didn’t know before.

The other two sessions I spent as a member of the audience.  The first session I attended was a group of teens doing booktalks for some of their favorite books.  I was so impressed by how comfortable everyone was talking to such a big group and how informative they were.  I added some new books to my TBR pile from their session, not that I needed anymore.  The other session I attended was about connecting with young adult literature and some of the best books out there to share with reluctant teen readers.  Most of the books were ones that I had heard of but there were a few that I didn’t know about and will definitely have to check out.  Both sessions were super informative and my only problem was that I couldn’t go to more.  There were just too many to choose from.  =]

Like I said, all the sessions were great but the best part was the authors that were there.  The two keynote speakers were Rachel Vail (If We Kiss, Lucky, Gorgeous, Brilliant) and Pete Hautman (How To Steal A Car, Godless, Blank Confession, The Big Crunch) and they were both brilliant speakers.  I loved listening to them talk about how and why they got started writing.  They were hilarious and I was so glad that I got the chance to meet them.  There was also a local author panel which included Sarah Ockler (Twenty Boy Summer, Fixing Delilah), Carrie Vaughn (Voices Of Dragons, Steel), Traci Jones (Finding My Place, Standing Against The Wind), Ronald Cree (Desert Blood 10pm/9c), and Alane Ferguson (Forensic Mystery series).  I have been trying for so long to get to one of Sarah’s events so I was super excited to finally meet her.  She was so funny and friendly.  So was Traci Jones.  I have not read any of her books yet but after meeting her I definitely plan on it.  Carrie Vaughn was also so nice.  I loved Voices Of Dragons so I obviously had to tell her that.  Ronald Cree is another author I have not read yet but I now have a copy of his book and I plan on reading very soon along with Alane Ferguson’s series.

So as you can see, yesterday was a bit of a crazy day for me but I adored every minute of it.  I had so much fun and I already can’t wait for next year’s conference.  I loved the chance to meet other teens who love books just as much as me and see some of the people that I met last year.  Like I said, it’s a great opportunity so if you live in Colorado you should definitely make plans to attend next years event.

P.S. If you want to check out the website, click the image!