YOUNG AUTHORS BY THE BAY connects thousands of students with authors at a non-profit festival to strengthen literacy, voice, confidence and leadership.
Share your story, your journey to becoming an author, and your advice for aspiring writers.
Every partnership directly powers real-world literacy and leadership impact.
We kick things off together with a high-energy welcome. Then, choose from a jam-packed lineup of interactive panels, live games, challenges and hands-on workshops with bestselling authors, creators, innovators and industry pros. Between sessions, explore the marketplace, hit the festival bookstore, meet authors, get books signed and discover something, or someone you didn’t expect.
Then we bring everyone back together for a powerful closing keynote designed to send you home inspired, fired up and ready to be the author of your own life.
Pitch your story in “Shark Tank, But Make It Books.” Watch authors get wildly honest (and things get a little unhinged) in “Truth or Dare: Author Edition.” Break down the books taking over your feed in “#BookTok Made Me Buy It.”
And that’s just the start! Across interactive panels, games and workshops, students get in the conversation with bestselling authors, creators and industry pros… asking questions, testing ideas, trying new skills and discovering just how many places a great story can take you!
Storytelling makes you a stronger reader, writer, thinker and communicator. The same skills students use at YA By The Bay… finding meaning, making connections, building an argument and communicating it clearly… show up in the classroom, on tests, in essays and across academic benchmarks.
But they matter long after the test is over.
Learn how to walk into the world and tell people who you are, where you come from, what you believe and what you dream of doing next.
Because knowing your story is powerful.
Knowing how to tell it can change your life.
Presented with support from
Every partnership directly powers real-world literacy and leadership impact. There is still room for your name!
Stay tuned, author list dropping soon!
R.L. Stine is confirmed for 2027, and author applications are open through November 1st.
Big authors. Packed rooms. Real access. Real momentum.
YA By The Bay’s signature event is a multi-district teen literacy and leadership festival uniting 2,000 students and 50+ authors for one transformative day.
Students celebrate stories in fast-paced, laugh-out-loud panels. They dive into interactive writing workshops. They ask unfiltered questions about publishing and perseverance. They connect with community leaders and public figures and sharpen the storytelling skills that help them succeed in school, careers, and life.
Students leave changed: clearer, stronger, and ready to use the power of their own story.
Still have questions? We're here to help! Reach out and we'll get back to you as soon as possible. Contact us.
YA By The Bay connects thousands of students with authors each year to strengthen literacy, voice, and confidence through storytelling.
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