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Girls rule young adult literature at 37th annual Kentucky Book Fair on Nov. 17 in Lexington


Fierce females will be the focus of a young adult literature panel at the 37th annual Kentucky Book Fair on Nov. 17 in Lexington at the Kentucky Horse Park Alltech Arena.

The Kentucky Book Fair is the anchor event of the Kentucky Book Festival, taking place Nov. 12-17.

Authors Mindee Arnett, Geanna Culbertson, Kristina McBride, and Lynn Slaughter will be on stage together, discussing the importance of strong female protagonists in young adult literature. Each of the authors takes pride in featuring young women in roles like hero, fighter, scholar, and other typically male-dominated characters.

Culbertson, author of the Crisanta Knight series, said, “I want to create characters that inspire girls of all ages to actively pursue their dreams, live up to their potential, and proudly stand by the women that they are and the women that they hope to be.” This panel discussion will take place at 10 a.m. in the Spalding Room at the Kentucky Book Fair.

The Young Adult section of the Fair also includes two new young authors, Lauren Hudson and Erin Wedemeyer.

Hudson, an award-winning author, co-authored her first book, Our Best Tomorrow, at age 13. The Kentucky native is the recipient of a Mom’s Choice Gold Award, E-Lit Silver Award, Great Southeast Book Festival Award and young adult book awards at the New York, Los Angeles, and San Francisco Book Festivals.A freshman at the University of Kentucky and NKY native, Hudson has appeared on Fox News, Fox Business News, and the Blaze.

Wedemeyer published her first novel as a senior in high school. She has been writing since the eighth grade. Wedemeyer is now a freshman at Georgetown College, studying biology and English.
 
Other young adult authors of note include:

·       Gwenda Bond, author of the Lois Lane and Cirque American series

·       Teresa Richards, author of Topaz Reign and Emerald Bound

·       Megan Lynch, author of the Children of the Uprising series

·       Ben Woodard, author of The Staircase of Fire

·       Alecia Whitaker, Cynthiana native and author ofThe Queen of Kentucky and the Wildflower series
 
The Kentucky Book Festival would not be possible without our sponsors, donors, and community partners. More information on the Festival, including a full list of sponsors, events, and authors can be found at https://www.kyhumanities.org/kentuckybookfestival.html or by calling (859) 257-5932.

From Kentucky Humanities


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