Seattle authors Kevin Emerson, Karen Finneyfrock and Jennifer Longo discuss writing young adult fiction, finding your voice and reaching teen readers. There will be time for questions from the audience.

Kevin Emerson is the author of 12 novels for teen and middle grade readers. His two most recent young adult novels are “Exile” and “The Far Dawn,” the third and final book in the Atlanteans series. Kevin is a former elementary science teacher and middle school writing teacher, and has taught for Seattle Arts and Lectures’ Writers in the Schools program. He is also a guitarist and drummer in two bands: Northern Allies and the Board of Education.

Karen Finneyfrock is a poet, novelist, and writing teacher. Her two young adult novels are “Starbird Murphy and the World Outside” and “The Sweet Revenge of Celia Door.” She is a former Writer-in-Residence at Richard Hugo House in Seattle and teaches for Seattle Arts and Lectures’ Writers-in-the-Schools program. In 2010, Karen traveled to Nepal as a Cultural Envoy through the US Department of State to perform and teach poetry and, in 2011, she did a reading tour in Germany sponsored by the US Embassy.

Jennifer Longo’s young adult novel “Six Feet Over It” is “an impressive debut novel – simultaneously hilarious, clever, and poignant,” according to School Library Journal. A California native, Jennifer holds a Bachelor of Arts in Acting from San Francisco State University and an MFA in Writing for Theatre from Humboldt State University. After years of acting, playwriting, working as a literary assistant and as an elementary school librarian, Jennifer decided to face her fear of prose.

Hear talented children and teens from across Seattle read their creative writing.

Hear talented children and teens from across Seattle read their creative writing.

Young adult filmmakers Jesse Stipek and Max Magerkurth will discuss the process of creating and submitting their respective films, "Two Brothers" and "Alone," to NFFTY.Selections from the best films of the 2013 festival will be screened, and tickets to the 2014 festival will be given away. NFFTY (pronounced "nifty") is the largest youth film festival in the world. It is also a student film festival and a Seattle film festival. Watch films, learn filmmaking.

As part of the Teen Advisers, Seattle high school students (ages 14-19) can earn service learning credit at The Seattle Public Library. Teen Advisers are ambassadors for reading and the Library, and work on creative projects, including planning programs and writing blog posts.

Four fantastic teen authors join us to read from their new books and give a sneak-peek at some soon-to-be-published books, including:

"The Unfinished Life of Addison Stone" by Adele Griffin (early fall 2014)

"We Were Liars" by E. Lockhart (May 2014)

"Don't Even Think About It" by Sarah Mlynowski (March 2014)

"The Waking Dark" by Robin Wasserman

After these new works, we'll get a chance hear the authors' fledgling literary attempts. All writers have those skeletons in their closets... but do they read them to you? Not usually, but it will happen tonight! Wasserman, Mlynowski, Lockhart and Griffin will read from their sometimes-awkward early attempts at writing.

L. Divine, author of the Drama High series, discusses her books and what inspires her writing with students from the Interagency Academy’s University District Youth Center.

As part of the Teen Advisers, Seattle high school students (ages 14-19) can earn service learning credit at The Seattle Public Library. Teen Advisers are ambassadors for reading and the Library, and work on creative projects, including planning programs and writing blog posts.

As part of the Teen Advisers, Seattle high school students (ages 14-19) can earn service learning credit at The Seattle Public Library. Teen Advisers are ambassadors for reading and the Library, and work on creative projects, including planning programs and writing blog posts.