The Tucson Festival of Books is offering local middle and high school students the opportunity to learn about writing and illustration from some of the best in the business.

The festival is accepting applications through Friday for its Creative Arts Teen Summit, which will host about 300 students in writing and illustration workshops led by award-winning young adult and middle-grade book creators.

The event, taking place Friday, March 14, will be led by E. Sybil Durand, an associate professor of young adult literature in the University of Arizona’s Department of Teaching, Learning and Sociocultural Studies.

This is Durand’s second year in the role, and she told Tucson Spotlight she’s been an avid reader of children’s and young adult literature since she was a young girl.

She received her PhD in curriculum and instruction from Louisiana State University’s College of Education in 2012 and teaches courses in young adult literature and social justice at UA. 

“I was interested in the possibilities of young adult literature in instruction but also to support students in reading to become lifelong readers,” Durand said.“As an English teacher that is typically our main goal: for students to become lifelong readers and I wanted to find more ways to support that.” 

Before she became the festival’s teen summit liaison, Durand served as a moderator on many different panels. She recalled a panel discussion swarming with eager young adult readers in which she couldn’t help but recognize the beauty the summit tries to bring to participant’s lives.

“The room full of them listening attentively and snapping and clapping for the authors and illustrators was just a lot of fun,” Durand said. 

Durand stepped in last year to fill the shoes of previous coordinator Mary Werner, from whom she sought advice and guidance. She said her excitement to be involved in the event outweighed jitters she might have about taking on the new role.

The summit extends invitations to schools all around the Tucson area, focusing on Title 1 schools that house students who may not typically have access to the UA campus. Title I is a federal aid program for public schools that provides additional funds for educating disadvantaged or underserved children. The event is free for students to attend and offers bus scholarships for schools to transport their students to and from the event. 

The summit opens with either a panel of authors or a keynote speaker who talk about their own work and how they advanced in their career. Some are more well established while others are just beginning on their writing journey. 

Kathy Short, UA professor and director of Worlds of Words: Center for Global Literacies and Literatures, said that this choice is intentional. 

“We want them to see that these fields provide opportunities for careers because it’s not something that many of them have encountered or have much knowledge about,” she said. “We really want to broaden their reading horizons and have them recognize this incredible body of books that are being created just for them.”

After hearing from the experts, students participate in hands-on workshops individually selected by Durand. The workshops allow students to enter the headspaces of these experts' creative minds and to learn what it takes to be an author or illustrator. 

“The diversity of the authors shows the students that there are so many different types of stories that share the human experience,” Durand said. “There are so many different ways to be a human in the world and I think the importance is showing that to readers. They may discover for the first time that there is a character that looks just like them.”

Students are also provided with a free lunch and a book they can have signed by the author. 

“I remember one time a young woman got delayed during lunch and thought she missed the signing,” Durand said, remembering the previous year's summit. “She ran up to the author and asked if they could sign her book and when they said ‘yes,’ she burst into tears.” 

Durand and Short both said they hope students leave with a new excitement for reading.

Short said that oftentimes, high school curriculum lacks the fundamental connection point for students to get excited about what they read and the lives that they live. 

“Reading is fun,” Durand said, smiling ear to ear. “You can get lost in a story. You can visit another universe through reading.” 

McKenna Manzo is a journalism major at the University of Arizona and Tucson Spotlight intern. Contact her at mckennamanzo@arizona.edu.

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