10:00 - 10:20 (Room 1)

Opening statements by Nantali Indongo, Talya Pardo, and Sarah Mlynowski

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10:25 - 11:05

 "Who Runs the World? Girls!" Room 1

Whether (future) queens of fantasy worlds or queens of the pop scene, this panel is all about girl power and girls who run the show!​

Laura Sebastian, Kristen Ciccarelli, Maurene Goo, Sarah Mlynowski, Nicki Pau Preto

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"Teen Tearjerkers" Room 2

Books elicit all sorts of emotions, but these ones make you close the book for a few minutes (or hours) so you can indulge in a good cry.

SK Ali, Shenaaz Nanji, Jeff Zentner, Kagiso Lesego Molope

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"O Canada!" Room 3

What does it mean to be a Canadian author writing for Canadian teens? These are authors have a distinct Canadian flavour to their work, and are shaping the identity of Canadian teens!

Cherie Dimaline, Tim Wynne-Jones, Monique Polak, Tanaz Bhathena, Heather Smith

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"Change is Constant" Room 4

Death, divorce, disappearance – loss in YA is handled in many ways, and these authors all bring a unique perspective on how teens cope with upheaval.

Ria Voros, Marsha Skrypuch, Kim Turrisi, Natalie Blitt, Amelinda Berube

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11:10 - 11:50

 "Displaced and Disoriented" Room 1

Whether immigrants or refugees, these authors’ characters have an added difficulty when it comes to the self-discovery of adolescence – their entire lives change when they have to adapt to a new country and new culture.

Marsha Skrypuch, Ben Philippe, Shenaaz Nanji, Tanaz Bhathena, Monique Polak

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"Coming of Age" Room 2

The classic teen theme, coming of age – what does it mean to face down adolescence and start to learn who you are as a fledgling adult?

SK Ali, Jeff Zentner, Sabina Khan, Kagiso Lesego Molope, Natalie Blitt

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"Scream Teens" Room 3

Read these books with the light on and the blankets over your head, because they’re designed to make you sleep with one eye open.

JF Dubeau, Amelinda Berube, Kim Turrisi, Greg Chomichuk

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"A Whole New World" Room 4

What goes into creating a world different from our own? These authors have all set their books in settings unfamiliar to us!

Kristen Ciccarelli, Nicki Pau Preto, Cherie Dimaline, Laura Sebastian

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11:55-12:15

Q&A Room 1

Laura Sebastian, Sabina Khan

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Q&A Room 2

Tanaz Bhathena, Ria Voros

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Q&A Room 3

JF Dubeau, Tim Wynne-Jones

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Q&A Room 4

Kagiso Lesego Molope, Heather Smith

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12:15-12:45

Lunch

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12:45-1:05

"Game: Harry Potter Kahoot" Room 1

Ben Philippe, Cherie Dimaline

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"Game: Heads Up" Room 2

Monique Polak, Jeff Zentner

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"Game: Jeopardy" Room 3

Nicki Pau Preto, Natalie Blitt

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1:10 - 1:50

 "Struck by Cupid's Arrow" Room 1

Nothing is so formative as your first love, and these authors know how to write a romance that feels as real on the page as your own first love!

Natalie Blitt, Maurene Goo, Tanaz Bhathena, SK Ali

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"Blood and Water" Room 2

Our earliest influences are our families, whether the characters in these books like it or not!

Heather Smith, Shenaaz Nanji, Kagiso Lesego Molope, Ria Voros, Ben Philippe

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"Path to Publishing" Room 3

What goes into getting published? These writers will share the details about their journeys from aspiring writer to published novelist.

Kim Turrisi, JF Dubeau, Jeff Zentner, Sabina Khan, Tim Wynne-Jones

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"Tune in Next Time On..." Room 4

It’s one thing to write a novel, it’s another thing to explore a narrative through multiple books, which is just what these authors have done!

Kristen Ciccarelli, Marsha Skrypuch, Laura Sebastian, Greg Chomichuk, Sarah Mlynowski

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1:55 - 2:35

 "Turtle Island Reads: Indigenous Voices" Room 1*

Join Turtle Island Reads authors Cherie Dimaline, Greg Chomichuk, and David Robertson for a special panel.

*Please note this panel runs from 1:55 to 2:55, with a Q&A until 3:20.

Cherie Dimaline, Greg Chomichuk, David Robertson

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"Middle Grade Mania" Room 2

These authors know that writing for a preteen audience is just as fun as writing for older readers!

Sarah Mlynowski, Natalie Blitt, Marsha Skrypuch, Ria Voros, Monique Polak, Shenaaz Nanji

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"LGBTQ+ Characters in YA Fiction" Room 3

The books by the authors on this panel include really great LGBTQ+ representation, and we’re here for it!

Heather Smith, Kagiso Lesego Molope, Sabina Khan, Kim Turrisi, Amelinda Berube

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"Why YA?" Room 4

We all have a story inside of us, but some of these stories have a specific audience. These authors will talk about what drew them to YA, and what it means to them to write YA!

Ben Philippe, Laura Sebastian, JF Dubeau, Maurene Goo, Nicki Pau Preto

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2:40 - 3:20

"Daring Debuts" Room 2

Breaking onto the scene can be challenging! These authors with a debut novel under their belt share about what it’s like to emerge as a YA author.

Ben Philippe, Nicki Pau Preto, Sabina Khan, Amelinda Berube

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"Writer's Craft" Room 3

Everybody approaches writing in different ways, and these authors share their process and discuss the ups and downs of writing.

Sarah Mlynowski, Maurene Goo, Monique Polak, Kristen Ciccarelli, Tim Wynne-Jones, Ria Voros

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"Rebel with a Cause" Room 4

Troublemakers and rule breakers, these characters are rebels forging their own path despite all odds and in face of some serious adversity.

Shenaaz Nanji, Tanaz Bhathena, SK Ali, Heather Smith, Jeff Zentner

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3:20 - 3:35

Snack Break

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3:35 - 3:50 

Raffle Prizes Draw, Room 1

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3:50 - 4:10 

Closing statements and keynote delivery by Tim Wynne-Jones, Room 1

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4:10 - 5:00 

Author Signings,* Room 3 & 4

*VIP only from 4:10-4:30

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