Please check-in at the welcome tent when you arrive! Pick up your tote bag and other goodies (as supplies last). 


11 am – outside
Vroman's Bookstore popup opens
Cash and credit card accepted. Gift cards will not be accepted due to the store being offsite; we're sorry for the inconvenience.


noon - auditorium
"Our Place in the World" panel
Nikki Barthelmess, Everything Within and In Between
Racquel Marie, You Don't Have a Shot
Patrick Ness, Different for Boys
Jessica Parra, Rubi Ramos's Recipe for Success
(moderator) Yi Shun Lai, A Suffragist's Guide to the Antarctic (2024)


1 pm - Meeting Room
"Once Upon A Time" panel
Vanessa Lanang, Fireheart
Robyn Schneider, The Future King
Stephanie Kate Strohm, Twelfth Grade Night
(moderator) Brandie June, Curse Undone


2 pm - auditorium
"Haunts, Horrors, & Murder!" panel
Alex Brown, Damned If You Do
Gretchen McNeil, Three Drops of Blood
Lily Sparks, Teen Killers in Love
Justine Pucella Winans, Bianca Torre is Afraid of Everything
(moderator) Sara Scribner, Marshall Fundamental School Library


3 pm - Meeting Room
"Misunderstandings & Mishaps" panel
Elizabeth Foscue, Boat Girl
Marisa Kanter, As If On Cue
Edward Underhill, Always the Almost
Rebekah Weatherspoon, Her Good Side
(moderator) Kendra Fitzpatrick, Valencia Library


3:45 pm - Lobby
Big Book Giveaway
Browse gently used young adult books and pick up something new to read, while supplies last. Free free to bring your own YA books to swap, but it is not necessary. If you are bringing books, please connect with a volunteer. All ages welcome, but the focus is young adult titles.

PARKING

Below is a map of the location. You can park on the street or in the parking lot on Sierra Bonita Avenue.

The large sign in front of the campus is a red sign that says “Fire Department Training Center.” This is the correct location; the library entrance is accessible via the building doors on the Villa Street side. 

The address is: 

1500 E Villa St. 

Pasadena, CA 91106

You’ll find us in Google Maps as “Jefferson Branch Library Children and Teen Services.”

CONTACT

 

Announcing the 2023 authors:

Nikki Barthelmess, Everything Within and In Between

Alex Brown, Damned If You Do

Elizabeth Foscue, Boat Girl

Please save the date for Pasadena Loves YA - Saturday, September 23, 2023 from 12 pm to 4 pm.

We are happy to announce the updated lineup for our mini Pasadena Loves YA festival this year. Excited to bring Josephine Angelini, Jennifer Brody, Naz Kutub, Aminah Mae Safi, and Monica Zepeda to the festival on October 22, 2022 from 3-5 PM. Jennifer Brody will be moderating.

Mini Pasadena Loves YA

Saturday, October 22, 2022

3:00 pm - 5:00 pm

Hastings Branch Library

3325 E Orange Grove Blvd, Pasadena, CA 91107

Stay Tuned for Author Announcements! 🤫

We're not hosting an author book festival this year, but we hope you can join us in a YA book giveaway event!

Pasadena Loves YA: Gigantic Book Giveaway
Saturday, Sept. 18 • 3-5 p.m. • Hastings Branch Library

We regret to announce that the festival has been cancelled until 2021 due to health and safety concerns. We do not yet have a date for PLYA 2021, but check back here for updates.

Our sixth annual teen book festival, Pasadena Loves YA, featured 19 authors, 4 panels, and a book blitz. We owe many thanks to everyone who helped with the event including: 

• Our featured authors -- who donated their time and expertise, and took care of their own travel arrangements
• The panel moderators: Nicole Mainardi, Catherine Linka, Jennifer Brody, and Gretchen McNeil–thank you for taking on the extra task and the extra reading and conducting a superb discussion
• Bridge to Books for lending a helping hand and for donating all the fabulous yummy snacks. 
• Alethea Allarey for her incredible dedication and leadership with Bridge to Books
• Thuy Lam for the years and years of consistently posting, sharing, and managing our social media pages
• Additional donations from Dominos Pizza, Cake Girl, and Vital Proteins
• Alfonso Huerta for photographing (for free!)
• Vroman’s Bookstore for taking care of book sales
• Our teen volunteers, Teen Advisory Board (special shoutout to Haneen, our PLYA2019 volunteer Lead), Youth Ambassadors, and Youth Council
• And Pasadena Public Library’s Communications team, Administration, Security, Technology, and staff for helping to make this happen.

Julie Berry, Derek Milman, Clare Di Liscia, Catherine Linka, and Dana L. Davis at the author luncheon

PLYA alum Robin Reul and Nicole Mainardi at the author luncheon

“Out of the Ashes” panel; Nicole Mainardi, Demetra Brodsky, Clare Di Liscia, Mary McCoy, and Lauren Morrill

“Out of the Ashes” panel; Nicole Mainardi, Demetra Brodsky, Clare Di Liscia, Mary McCoy, and Lauren Morrill

“Out of the Ashes” panel; Mary McCoy and Lauren Morrill

“Out of the Ashes” panel book signing; meeting fans

“Against All Odds” panel; Derek Milman and Abdi Nazemian

“Against All Odds” panel; Julie Berry, Derek Milman, and Abdi Nazemian

Fans during “Against All Odds” panel

Catherine Linka moderating “Against All Odds” panel

“Against All Odds” panel book signing; Julie Berry and Derek Milman meeting fans

“Rebels and Rebirth” panel; Jennifer Brody, Maura Milan, Alexa Donne, Andrew Smith, and Caitlin Seal

“Rebels and Rebirth” panel book signing; Alexa Donne and Andrew Smith meeting fans

“Rebels and Rebirth” panel book signing

“Expectation vs. Reality” panel; Dana L. Davis and Maurene Goo

“Expectation vs. Reality” panel; Gretchen McNeil, Dana L. Davis, Maurene Goo, Christine Riccio, and Amy Spalding

Teen helpers setting up the book blitz

“Expectation vs. Reality” panel book signing; Dana L. Davis, Maurene Goo, Christine Riccio, and Amy Spalding

Maurene Goo personalizing a book for a fan

Book blitz

Book blitz

It's time! Come to our FREE YA book festival event

Pasadena Loves YA

Please help us spread the word about this year's Pasadena Loves YA book festival. The event will take place at Pasadena Public Library - Central Branch, as usual, on Sat, Sept. 21, 2019 from 12-4 pm.

Here are some graphics with the author lineup on them (now with the date and time)

Please point people to our Facebook Event, our Instagram, and #PLYA2019. See you on Sept 21st!

* Also please note, an earlier version of these graphics included Nikki Barthelmess, who can no longer make it to this year's event. The most up-to-date list includes Neliem author Clare Di Liscia.