Montreal YA Fest 2021: The Complete Breakdown

It has been two years since I have attended a book festival. Granted, this one was entirely virtual, but that didn’t make it any less exciting. I had the honor of moderating a couple of panels, and I attended a few others. The whole day was like a dream, and I cannot wait to share it with you all. So, here is the complete breakdown of the 2021 Montreal YA Fest, hosted by the Norman Berman Children’s Library of Montreal and sponsored by Babar Books. You will also find links to the mentioned authors’ websites.

The festival began with a speech from keynote speaker Angeline Boulley, the #1 New York Times Bestseller of Firekeeper’s Daughter. I heard great things about her novel, so I was excited when I heard she would be the keynote speaker. And she delivered such a beautiful and thoughtful speech. You can always tell if someone’s a writer based on their speeches, and Angeline Boulley was no exception. She spoke about her background and how she came up with the idea for her novel. Both of these discussions led to her main point—the impact stories have on us.

Angeline Boulley said she never stopped dreaming about her novel; it was a spark of fire in her mind. This spark prompted her to realize that stories are medicine for when we need it the most. We experience so many different lives when we read. Angeline’s words reminded me of why literature and writing are so important to me. I have always used reading and writing as a way to escape, and both had arguably saved my life. Angeline is correct when she says that stories are good medicine, and they are more than that. Stories can be whatever we need them to be—escapism, a good laugh, adventure, a means to pass the time. We read the stories we want to hear and write the stories we want to tell. That is truly the power of stories, and Angeline Boulley did an excellent job capturing this power during her speech.

Angeline Boulley | Purchase Firekeeper’s Daughter

Initially, I was not planning on attending a panel before mine. I was extremely nervous about moderating a panel, let alone one that had authors I genuinely admired.I knew I wouldn’t be able to give my undivided attention before my first panel because of my anxiety. However, I decided to go anyway. Not only would I learn from the authors, but I would also get a glimpse of how moderating works.

In the end, I was so glad I decided to attend the Indigenous Own Voices Panel. Of course, this featured Angeline Boulley, and it also featured Chief Mi’sel Joe, Chief of Miawpukek First Nation, and Sheila O’Neill. Both are writers and have published indigenous books for young readers. It was an honor to be in these writers’ presence. I learned a lot from watching their panel, even if I could not be there the entire time.

A memorable moments from the Indigenous Own Voices Panel was when one of the authors said something along the lines of, “Once you publish your writing, it is no longer your story. You cannot control how others interpret your work.” I don’t remember the context of this quote because, as I said earlier, it was difficult to fully pay attention. But this particular quote stuck with me because as a writer and a reader, it is essential to remember that every interpretation of a work is valid. The author may write a story intending to be about something specific, but readers can pick up their story and walk away with a completely different interpretation. We should be respectful of writers and their boundaries, and nothing is more important than that. At the same time, nobody will have the same interpretation of a story, and we must also respect that. All interpretations are meaningful, significant, and valid, regardless of authorial intent. And this quote is a powerful reminder of the importance of indigenous storytelling.

Indigenous stories are so important; they are the backbone of storytelling and the writing community. We must honor indigenous writers and their works respectfully. White supremacy, colonialism, and institutional racism have worked hard to suppress indigenous voices, but Indigenous Peoples have fought back harder. We must continue to uplift and listen to indigenous stories, and this panel was a powerful reminder of that.

Angeline Boulley | Purchase Firekeeper’s Daughter

Chief Mi’sel Joe | Purchase Muinji’j Becomes a Man

Sheila O’Neill | Purchase My Indian

It was finally time to moderate my first panel. Despite my initial anxiety, it evaporated within the first few minutes because of how wonderful the authors and audience members were. They created a warm and comfortable environment, which made my job infinitely easier. The authors featured were Namina Forna, Ashley Shuttleworth, and Ali Bryan. Unfortunately, Dhonielle Clayton was supposed to be there, but the power in her apartment building was out for the day, so she could not make it. We missed her dearly, though!

I kicked it off with a few general questions for the authors. Namina, Ashley, and Ali all have the first book of their respective series published, so I asked if they had always planned for their books to be part of a series. Namina and Ashley answered yes, but it was not the case for Ali, who originally wrote her novel, The Hill, as a standalone. It is fascinating to witness how writers process, outline, and plan their stories differently. All three books are powerful beginnings to what I am sure will be excellent series, and each of the authors went about it differently.

I asked two more questions before taking some from the audience. The first one was if any of the authors had plans for standalone novels. I was curious about their answers because I find that authors who write series do not usually write standalone books, but obviously, that is not true for everyone. This question resulted in discussing why we treasure book series and sequels. To quote Namina, “When I read a world that I like, I must then consume more of it.” She pretty much summed it up—we devour book series because often, one book isn’t enough. Of course, many stories do not need sequels, and sometimes, sequels might ruin a story’s essence if it is unnecessary. However, when I finish reading standalone novels, I often find myself craving more of this story. I end up devouring fanfiction, fanart, and other things created for said novels because one book is rarely enough for me. I always find myself wanting more of some particular aspect, even with books that I did not particularly care for.

I also asked if they ran into issues when mapping out significant events or other aspects in their series. All three authors mentioned struggling with this, especially when figuring out where storylines or subplots fit better. They talked about the process of rewriting their books during editing and revision. As a writer myself, I was relieved to hear successfully published writers talk about restructuring bits of one book or even a series as a whole. It made me feel more confident since I’m currently working on a series that I imagine to be either a trilogy or a four-book series, which I am still unsure of because I cannot stop rewriting and restructuring the story.

After my last question, I opened the floor to the audience to ask their questions, which were excellent and insightful. Most of the questions were about outlining, world-building, and character development. There were no questions designated for a particular author—they were all meant for the three of them. I found a question on character development the most helpful. Someone had asked how much of a character’s backstory should you know before writing. I struggle with that a lot because I can never stop planning, researching, and world-building. Most of the time I spend working on my novel is spent doing those three things rather than the actual writing because every time I think I’m ready, I find another aspect of the story that needs more fleshing out before actually writing it. Essentially, Namina, Ashley, and Ali all emphasized the importance of planning, but the degree depends on your writing style and the story itself. However, before you get to writing, you should know what will happen in your story and have a basic understanding of your characters.

Another question I loved had two points to it. Someone asked how to know the right direction for your series and how to ensure the books that follow your first book are just as good. All three authors discussed the fear that your sequels will not be as good as the first book. They also discussed trusting yourself to make the right decision while having critique partners or a writing group. (Side Note: if anyone is looking for writing groups, NaNoWriMo Forums are a great place to find critique partners.) In particular, Ali mentioned having a “cause-and-effect” trajectory for your series (i.e., something happens, and because that something happened, something else happens after). She also mentioned raising the stakes and having compelling character motives (i.e., what they want/need) to keep readers invested. I found this advice super helpful and inspiring, and I think it could benefit all writers everywhere.

I wish I could go through all of the questions everyone asked in great detail since everyone presented something unique that I would not have thought of before. But I think the questions I already provided were the essence of this panel—the rest were along similar lines and had similar answers. If I could take away one thing from this panel, planning is so important, especially with sequels and series. You need to know enough about your plot and your characters before actually writing. Planning is truly everything and the key to success for book series.

Soon enough, the hour was over, and it was time to wrap up the panel. I was proud of myself for making it through moderating my first panel, and I felt so honored to share it with these wonderful authors. I felt more confident about the rest of the day, ending the Sequels & Series Panel on a good note. I’m blessed to have had the opportunity to speak with these authors and moderate other questions.

Ali Bryan | Purchase The Hill

Ashley Shuttleworth | Purchase A Dark and Hollow Star

Dhonielle Clayton | Purchase The Belles

Namina Forna | Purchase The Gilded Ones

There were two panels I was interested in moderating at the 1:30 PM time slot—the LGBTQ+ panel and the fantasy panel. They are two of my favorite subjects, and I wished I could somehow attend both simultaneously. However, as a member of the LGBTQ+ community, I wanted to moderate this panel more than anything, and I was so happy to discover I would have the chance to do so. The authors featured were Kacen Callender, Tanya Boteju, and Tess Sharpe.

Leading up to the panel, I was initially disorganized because I tried to record the fantasy panel on my mother’s laptop, but it did not work out. After that, we started right away. My questions for these authors were more general than they had been for my last panel. I first asked where they drew their inspiration from for their stories, and they all gave unique answers, referring to their identities and personal experiences. Kacen talked about their gender identity, Tanya mentioned her years in drag, and Tess spoke about her struggle to get published. Tess had a hard time getting published because the industry only wanted coming out stories at the time, something that she never wanted to write about. I’m glad the publishing industry is moving forward, even if we still have a long way to go.

Then, I asked the authors how they intertwined their characters’ LGBTQ+ identities with other identities, such as race, ethnicity, family, religion, etc. Tanya talked about really getting to know her characters before actually sitting down to write their stories. Kacen said that their characters are a reflection of some part of them. They had a moving answer, talking about Black, queer, and trans people discovering self-love in a society that makes them question their worth. Tess also gave a similar response, writing characters that reflect a part of herself. She specified that she is a disabled abuse survivor and often incorporates those personal experiences into her writing.

I asked one more question before I opened it up to the floor: did they have any advice for aspiring queer writers, especially those struggling with their identities? The authors emphasized the importance of having strong boundaries, telling your story (since queerness is varied), and turning off background noise (e.g., social media). Kacen specifically quoted Brené Brown, saying, “if no one is in the ring with you getting bloodied, then their opinion doesn’t matter because they’re in the cheap seats.”

This panel did not receive as many questions from the audience as my previous one did, but the questions were still insightful. Someone asked about categorizing novels as LGBTQ+ even if said novels are distinctly mystery, science fiction, fantasy, etc. The authors talked about pros and cons regarding the LGBTQ+ genre, such as uplifting queer voices while realizing there is a lot more to their writing than just being queer or any other marginalized identity. The main takeaway from their answers to this question was that they hope one day we can all reach the point where there is so much queer literature that we do not need our own distinct categories, and I could not agree more. But they also mentioned that we had come a long way, despite having more to go.

A few others had similar questions along the lines of authors writing queer characters despite not being fully out yet. Kacen, Tanya, and Tess once again emphasized the importance of having strong boundaries and not owing anyone an explanation. Someone had mentioned Becky Albertalli and the horrific abuse she endured, forcing her to come out before she was ready. Although the #OwnVoices hashtag was not mentioned during the panel, I have discussed it with a few friends, noting that people in the publishing industry have used it as a way to weaponize LGBTQ+ people. This excellent article pretty much sums it up—we have no right to assume that an author is straight just because they have not stated their sexuality. LGBTQ+ authors do not need to disclose anything to anyone, and we must be respectful of that.

There were a few other questions, but this post will never end if I extensively cover every single one. But everyone’s questions were related to queer identities and stories. People asked about book covers, what libraries can do to support LGBTQ+ literature, what the authors would like to see more of in queer literature, and inspiration they drew from other novels. Books mentioned include Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli, Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Sáenz, Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe by Fannie Flagg, Juliet Takes a Breath by Gabby Rivera, and Ash by Malinda Lo.

Soon enough, the panel ended, and I had officially completed moderating for the day. It was so much fun, something I would do again. And I was so honored to moderate a panel that spoke directly to me and my identity.

Kacen Callender | Purchase Felix Ever After

Tanya Boteju | Purchase Bruised

Tess Sharpe | Purchase The Girls I’ve Been

Although I could not attend or record the fantasy panel, I was fortunate enough to speak with the panel’s moderator, Erica Fagen, on what had occurred. The authors featured were Ashley Shuttleworth, Kelly Powell, Liselle Sambury, Namina Forna, and Regina M. Hanson. Dhonielle Clayton was unable to attend due to an unexpected power outage, as I mentioned earlier.

Erica said she asked the authors about what inspired their books. They all mentioned various locations as a source of inspiration—Ashley and Liselle mentioned Toronto, Kelly spoke about Nova Scotia, where she grew up, and Namina attributed the scenery and coast of Sierra Leone.

Erica also asked whether writing fantasy was a way to escape the world, especially given the last year. I was surprised that they all said it was the opposite—they drew inspiration from current social and political issues. Despite my initial surprise, it makes perfect sense. Reading and writing go hand-in-hand, and many people (including me) read fantasy to escape the real world. But then I realized that we read to escape reality, but when we write, we tell a particular story, and the fantasy genre is known for having themes reflective of our world.

A question was explicitly directed for Namina and Liselle in this panel—someone asked about finding an agent and editor who understands Black/BIPOC experiences. Namina and Liselle talked about getting to know your agent, explaining essential things to them, and finding someone who will advocate for you.

There were a couple of other questions I liked. Erica asked how much time the authors write each day, and they said it depends, emphasizing the importance of mental health. As someone with ADHD (among other things), I found their answers reassuring. I struggle a lot when trying to focus, and I often cannot write longer than 30-45 minutes straight before I lose concentration. I end up being too hard on myself and write less as a result. But the authors’ answers gave me hope—it is okay if I cannot write for long increments of time, and I should not beat myself up for it. I try not to and will continue to do so in the future.

Someone asked about keeping track of fantastical rules in your books, and the authors agreed unanimously to write things down. Another question I liked was about the process of being a debut novelist because many of these authors are. They spoke about things that occur behind the scenes, such as social media promotion. The authors learned a lot about the amount of publicity required for your books, along with other new skills.

That was pretty much all of the information Erica graciously provided me. Although I could not be there, and my recording method failed, Erica gave such a detailed description that I almost felt like I was there. I am thrilled that I can write about the fantasy panel, even without having been there. Thank you so much, Erica!

Ashley Shuttleworth | Purchase A Dark and Hollow Star

Dhonielle Clayton | Purchase The Belles

Kelly Powell | Purchase Magic Dark and Strange

Liselle Sambury | Pre-Order Blood Like Magic

Namina Forna | Purchase The Gilded Ones

Regina M. Hanson | Pre-Order The Coming Storm

I decided to attend two more panels, even though I had finished moderating. The first was on YA content creators. There were four people on this panel—two of them co-host a YA podcast, and the other two panelists are bookstagrammers.

The moderator asked where they find their inspiration for their content. This question was classic, and the influencers provided answers that turn back to our love for reading. They all mentioned something along the lines of their love for young adult literature, the potential for diverse literature, love for books, etc.

Once the floor was open for the audience to ask questions, I did not hesitate. As a relatively new book blogger who struggles with maintaining a viewership, I asked for tips on growing your audience. I was surprised by some of the advice they provided. For example, on Instagram, captions are more important than the actual photo. Captions are critical because that is what your audience responds to and engages with. They also had other tips such as posting regularly, demonstrating your passion, staying true to yourself, engaging with the book community through hashtags and challenges, learning how to use social media effectively, following trends, using whatever tools you have, etc. I found their advice super helpful, and I will keep it in mind going forward.

Someone else asked the influencers how they organize and create content. They all stressed the importance of planning ahead of time, up to a few months. When choosing books to review, prioritize what speaks to you—e.g., unique voices and diverse authors—and narrow your choices through characteristics such as traditionally published books. Essentially, the content creators stressed the importance of selecting books that match the vibes you want to give off, how you want others to perceive you on the internet.

The panel was so engaging that it passed by pretty quickly. I had enjoyed myself as an audience member, and I learned a lot. Attending content creator panels is not a choice I would typically make, but in this case, I’m glad I did, and I have so many new ideas for my platforms going forward.

@abookandacup | YouTube

@annelitterarum | Book Blog

@yapodcast | Podcast

The last panel I attended was about diversity in literature. It was mainly based on the non-profit organization, We Need Diverse Books (hence the panel’s title). Several authors were featured, including Angeline Boulley, Ashley Shuttleworth, Celia Pérez, June Hur, and Tanya Boteju. Dhonielle Clayton was also supposed to be there, but she had a power outage in her building, as I mentioned earlier. I was most looking forward to hearing what she had to say because she is one of the founders of this organization, so I was a little disappointed that she could not attend. Nevertheless, the panel was still inspiring and thought-provoking, and I walked away, gaining plenty of new insight.

One of the things that stuck most with me was that while there are more diverse stories, there are not as many diverse authors. I think I already knew that, but the authors provided an eye-opening conversation around this fact. Celia Pérez summed it up nicely when she said, “You can make a brown character, but it doesn’t make it an authentic character.” The authors spoke about how it is crucial to balance authentic characters with imagination and storytelling. One of them had suggested to ask yourself before writing something if it is your story to tell, and I think that is so important, especially as we keep pushing for more diverse authors. We can have all the diverse characters in the world, but the reality is, they’re not going to be as authentic written by those who tell a story that is not their own.

Of course, the authors clearly distinguished a difference between main characters and secondary characters. For example, let’s say you’re a white author, and you’re looking to incorporate more BIPOC characters in your novel. Your main character (or whoever the story is centered around) should be white, but having BIPOC secondary characters to create an authentic and diverse setting is plausible. The panelists added that if you decide to write a main character who has a marginalized identity that you do not, you have to be prepared for backlash. However, even having secondary characters of color require extensive research. The authors emphasized that if you plan to have characters with marginalized identities that are not yours, you must commit to research.

The panel also touched upon the differences between cultural appropriation and appreciation while writing various identities and stressed the importance of listening to others. One of the authors suggested hiring a sensitivity reader to review your manuscript, but one reader cannot speak for everyone in that community.

I will say that I identify as a white Ashkenazi Jewish lesbian, and everything that I have said came directly from this panel, where five out of six authors are BIPOC (and the sixth is LGBTQ+). I am simply recounting what the authors said about diversity in literature. I recognize it is not my place to say these things to people, especially as a white person to BIPOC. I learned a lot from this article, and I highly recommend it, especially if you are white looking to incorporate BIPOC characters in your stories.

One last thing the authors on this panel discussed that struck me was that diverse literature does not just depict reality. It also provides countless possibilities and realities that readers may not have considered before. Writers often write stories of things they want to see, whether in the present or the future. I found this statement was compelling and demonstrated the importance of diverse literature. We must continue reading diverse authors and authentic experiences. Simply looking for books with diversity is not enough.

Overall, I found the We Need Diverse Books Panel to be informative, eye-opening, and insightful. I learned so much from this brief hour, and I’m so glad I had the opportunity to witness this panel.

Angeline Boulley | Purchase Firekeeper’s Daughter

Ashley Shuttleworth | Purchase A Dark and Hollow Star

Celia Pérez | Purchase Strange Birds

Dhonielle Clayton | Purchase The Belles

June Hur | Purchase The Forest of Stolen Girls

Tanya Boteju | Purchase Bruised

Not many people attended the closing remarks, understandably so—it had been a long and exciting day. But I’m glad I went because of how beautiful the end speech was. I realize I use the word “beautiful” frequently, but I cannot help it! It is how I genuinely viewed most aspects of the festival.

The founder of the Montreal YA Fest delivered a breathtaking speech on the significance of young adult literature. After briefly touching upon how this festival came to be, she spoke eloquently about how book festivals bring many readers together. Young adult literature is popular at these festivals and in the book community because it reminds us of the passion these stories bring. The YA genre is a universe filled with countless stories, and there are so many more left to tell.

The Montreal YA Fest was an incredible and unforgettable experience. I was planning on attending anyway, but never in my wildest dreams did I ever think I’d have the honor of moderating two panels, let alone one. The event was magnificent from start to finish; it was worth every moment of exhaustion I experienced afterward. Like the festival’s founder said, YA literature reminds us of why we love and have a passion for reading. The genre brings together people from different backgrounds as we bond over various stories. As we continue to devour more YA literature, we must consciously think of our own biases and look for more books to read by diverse authors. So many writers, especially writers of marginalized identities, have stories to tell, and we must listen.

There are also authors I wished I could have seen, but I unfortunately did not get the chance to do so. I would have loved to see Liselle Sambury because I am so excited for her upcoming novel. However, she did sit in my the sequels and series panel, and I felt so honored! I would have also liked to see Loan Le, Crystal Maldonado, JF Dubeau, and Aiden Thomas, whose books I have either read or are on my TBR list. But honestly, I would have loved to see all the authors, and you can see who attended here. However, I know there will be more book festivals in the future, whether in Montreal or elsewhere, so I’m sure I will have the opportunity to see them again.

I’d love to hear from you guys! Did any of you get a chance to attend a virtual book festival this year? If so, what did you think of it? Would you do it again? Personally, nothing beats in-person conversations with authors, but I had the time of my life at the Montreal YA Fest, and I would, without a doubt, do it all over again. I hope it will not be virtual next year, but if it is, you can bet I’ll still be there.

If you missed my latest reviews, I reviewed Cool for the Summer by Dahlia Adler. I also recently participated in my first-ever book tour! I reviewed The Ivies by Alexa Donne. You can also find a giveaway in the post, so check it out!

Once again, I’d like to mention Palestine, especially since many people have stopped talking about it now that there is a “ceasefire” (even though Israel already broke it). You can find the latest updates from Palestinians directly from this source. Here is a thread of donation links to help Palestinians, and you can learn more about Palestine here. Finally, please consider donating to and participating in the BDS Movement. We must hold Israel accountable for their war crimes and gross abuse of human rights, which does constitute as apartheid and genocide based on the official UN definitions.