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The Diocese of San Jose hosted its first annual Young Authors Book Festival in San Jose on May 6 to celebrate more than 100 student authors . Theresa Yang , Saint Victor School ’ s Development Coordinator , lead a team of diocesan teachers and administrators to spotlight the work of young authors , expose them to bestselling authors , and offer families interactive opportunities to encourage literacy .
Dr . Seuss said it best , “ You can find magic wherever you look . Sit back and relax , all you need is a book .”
More than 100 Diocese of San Jose ( DSJ ) student authors in grades K-8 were awarded Teacher ’ s Choice and Principal Awards for the books they authored . The achievements of these student authors were enjoyed by the community through public readings of their original works at this event . A document camera projected the pages of their books on the big screen while student authors read excerpts of their books to the eager crowd .
Attendees could choose from a multitude of activities including book signings , and presentations by # 1 “ New York Times ” bestselling author and illustrator , Raina Telgemeier ; the Library of Congress ’ s National Ambassador for Young People ’ s Literature , Gene Luen Yang ; and local graphic novelist , Thien Pham .
Due to a flight cancellation , Thien Pham stepped in for Mr . Yang to address the crowd in the keynote . Mr . Pham gave an inspirational talk about the humble beginnings of many of the most successful graphic novelists .
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Gene Luen Yang , the Library of Congress ’ s National Ambassador to Young People ’ s Literature and also a parent at Saint Victor School , personalizes a book for a young reader from Saint Justin .
He showed the earlier self-published , stapled copies of their work as well as the gleaming covers after publishers picked them up . He emphasized the importance of working with a supportive writing group and encouraged young authors to persevere . “ Keep drawing and writing , even when nobody buys your books !”
Gene Luen Yang chimed in at the end of the keynote address . Mr . Yang began drawing comic books in the fifth grade . In 1997 Mr . Yang received a Xeric Grant for this fist comic , “ Gordon Yamamoto and the Kind of the Greeks .” He has since written and drawn a number of titles , including his first graphic novel for which he
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Saint John Vianney students pose with their books and Jennifer Packard , their school coordinator .
was a National Book Award finalist and winner of both the Printz Award and an Eisner Award . He is currently the fifth appointment as the National Ambassador of Young People ’ s Literature , where he has been promoting his platform , Reading Without Walls . Mr . Yang challenged every reader to explore the world through books beyond their comfort zones .
In the closing address , Raina Telgemeier was interviewed by Mr . Yang about her early work as a first-grade student to connect to the elementary and middle school audience . She walked them through her childhood into her professional writing and illustration career .
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Hicklebee ’ s Books , an independent children ’ s bookstore in Willow Glen , promoted this year ’ s DSJ Young Authors Book Festival . They were on-site with a collection of books from the bestselling authors and illustrators . Students and family members could purchase these books for the various book signings at this event . It was inspirational for these budding authors to have the opportunity to rub noses with these bestselling creators .
With more than 300 participants , the first annual Diocese of San Jose ’ s Young Authors Book Festival was a huge success . Afterwards , Saint Victor , Saint John Vianney , Saint Leo the Great , Sacred Heart Nativity , Holy Family , and Saint Justin schools chose to host their own award ceremonies at their respective campuses to acknowledge the Teacher ’ s Choice and Principal Award winners . This is a way to include the entire student body in the event and spark the interest of new writers .
Theresa Yang plans to lead next year ’ s event in March 2018 . Look for an announcement in the fall and secure the date on your calendar so that your family can attend the 2018 Diocesan Young Authors Book Festival .
“ You can make anything by writing ,” stated C . S . Lewis . Help to make the 2018 event as extraordinary as possible for the youth of our diocesan schools .
All who are interested in joining the 2018 event planning team should please contact Mrs . Yang at tyang @ stvictor . org .
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