My Dream Author Panel (If Only Dreams Really Did Come True...)

*Thanks to the amazing team of Eventbrite for this great blog post idea! * 

After being inspired by the Eventbrite team to consider my dream author panel, I was pretty excited. Living in South Africa, you don't get the opportunity to readily attend awesome YA author panels so, getting the chance to put together a not-to-be-missed panel of my favorite authors sounded like the perfect chance for my imagination to run wild! 

 I love the idea of attending an author panel (as I shamefully admit that I have yet to actually experience one myself) and because I find myself, unintentionally on a YA contemporary book binge of late, I couldn't think of a more satisfying panel than one that contained the currently most buzzed about contemporary authors.  Therefore, my dream team Young Adult author panel would have to consist of Jennifer Niven, Jay Asher, John Green and Rainbow Rowell.

Image from Jennifer Niven

Jennifer Niven  

Author of All The Bright Places (and my mostly recently finished read, Holding Up The Universe), I feel that as a contemporary young adult author, Niven writes stories revolving around teens struggling with very identifiable troubles, fears and anxieties. I think she would be an excellent author to add to a panel with other writers that strive to create characters and stories that not only bring awareness to teen issues, but present inspirational endings, giving their target readers hope and reassurance that they aren’t alone.

Jay Asher  

With the upcoming release of the Nexflix series for 13 Reasons Why, I thought the Jay Asher was an obvious choice author to add to my YA contemporary panel. While I have a major catch up session ahead of me in order to be ready to binge watch the series, I have read The Future of Us which I thoroughly enjoyed. The prevalent teen issues that play out in the haunting story of Hannah and her teen suicide, provide great insight into a sad fact of reality that families deal with on a daily basis. I think having Asher on my panel would help raise awareness, and open up the floor to discussions about how teen fiction can reach young people who may feel they have nowhere else they can turn to in their darkest moments.

Image from Gage Skidmore

John Green  

Ah where do I even start to sum up the literary genius that is John Green? Young Adult writer of our time, panel extraordinaire and emotional magician, how could anyone have a contemporary panel and not include Green. My heart ached after The Fault in Our Stars, I wept after Looking for Alaska, and I giggled at the sweet moments in Paper Towns. He is the author of our time and friend to all in the blogesphere, and fandom worlds. It would be a dream come true to watch Green on any panel discussion, and I must-have for my dream team.

Rainbow Rowell  

Rounding off my panel has to be the sweetheart of the YA contemporary world, Rainbow Rowell. I read and loved Eleanor & Park, for its take on first time young romance, and Fangirl for how it's totally relatable to all lovers of a fandom. After having authors that touch on the tougher subject matters in the teen fiction worlds, I felt my panel needed some lightening up, and that’s exactly what Rowell will do. Having her on the panel would bring that little sparkle and glitter, the kind that young love can sprinkle on any of us.


That's it – my dream Young Adult author panel, now if only this could actually happen!  If you're interested in planning or hosting your own panel discussion, or event check out how Eventbrite could make it so much easier for you. Register here and get planning, or search for some exciting events that are taking place in and around your city today.

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