The Her Campus National Editors write about products we love and think you’ll love too. Her Campus has affiliate partnerships, so we get a share of the revenue from your purchase. All products are in stock and all prices are accurate as of publication.
Dear Authors galore,
My first year visiting the Texas Book Festival in Austin was at a point in my life where books and reading were just a hobby. I was amused by a whole festival dedicated to books but decided to attend because a family friend in town wanted to go. As an academic, I miserably consumed scholarly essays and textbooks daily. There’s nothing wrong with reading this genre, but as a STEM major, I was getting tired; it was all I had time to read and write about. Last November was also the first time I experienced the inevitable imposter syndrome, and rightfully so, pre-med was hard.
But the first time I visited this festival, it sparked something in me; it felt like home. Book lovers surrounded me for the first time in my life besides the crowds at Barnes & Noble and the clearance section at Target, who were willing to chat and not afraid to display their strong love for reading. I realized I experienced imposter syndrome for a reason. At that moment, I thought, “Maybe I’m not where I’m meant to be, but I can be”.
This year, I returned to the festival as an English and Rhetoric Major with new eyes and even wider arms to embrace the passion, skills, and dedication that go into the writing process and the absolute joy of being a reader. It’s cheesy, I know, I know, but it’s a livelihood. I see it in the mirror and even more when face to face with the great selection of authors who are courageous enough to share something so personal- their writing accumulated into a few hundred pages.
There were two panels I visited guided by UT Austin English Faculty Members. The first panel was called “Dangerous Secrets & Unlikely Allies: Action-Packed YA Romantasies,” a talk about three romantic fantasy genre books and what connected them led by Dr. Domino R. Perez. Perez was an eager and intellectual panel host, expressing her admiration and knowledge of the author’s background and books, making the panelists comfortable and more engaged. There were four authors: Alexandra Bracken, author of Silver In The Bone; Gabi Burton, author of Sing Me To Sleep; and dual authors David Bowles and Guadalupe Garcia McCall, who collaborated to write The Secret of the Moon Conch.
I will not lie. I teared up during this panel, not only because of the representation of diverse authors and people who looked like me but because I bought all their books right after: R.I.P., my bank account. Perez talked about a thread of culture that weaved through these books with Greek, African, and Mexican indigenous backgrounds. Except, it wasn’t the basic things we associate with these cultures from a colonized perspective; it was how they saw it and how they believed it should be represented. It was important for me as a Hispanic who has felt an absence of my heritage in books that I adored. It was a special moment for me to see the growth in the industry and the passion that the authors carried with them because it showed me a reflection of who I could be or whom I would be working with later on in my career.
The next talk, “Love Interest: YA Rom Coms for Every Reader,” was led by UT Postdoctoral Fellow Aaron Aceves, who has his own YA book published called This Is Why They Hate Us. Aceves was a comedic panel host who was perfectly matched with the selection of authors, guiding the questions smoothly to let each writer shine individually. The talk focused on one of my personal favorite genres, Romantic Comedy, and let me say, the audience was full of laughter for the entire forty-five minutes. It’s one thing to read the books, but to hear the author’s thought process is something special. First, there was Sanji Patel, who wrote Sleepless in Dubai; Mazey Eddings, who wrote Tilly in Technicolor; and Jonny Garza Villa, author of Ander & Santi Were Here. While these books were representative of culture, they also explored familiar themes, queer identities, and neurodivergent advocacy. Eddings was so charming and the personification of sunshine in a person. I ran out of the tent to buy her book right after. I also met her, and she signed my copy; she was wonderful(btw, I finished the book in a day and highly recommend it)!
So, to all the YA authors, thank you for believing in yourself and bringing something new to the world. Thanks to you, I smile and remember why I love to write.
Till the next Texas Book Festival.
