November 22, 2015, Sunday - Second Story Reading Series: Varian Johnson and Kristen Kittscher at The Loft

Time: 2:00pm

Location: The Loft Literary Center, at Open Book (Performance Hall), 1011 Washington Ave

Second Story Reading Series: Varian Johnson and Kristen Kittscher

The Loft Literary Center proudly presents a very special Second Story Reading with Varian Johnson and Kristen Kittscher.

From 4:00–5:30 p.m., Varian Johnson, a well established author of YA and middle grade children’s fiction, including the widely acclaimed 2014 novel The Great Greene Heist, will hold a special session for writers of color. He will answer questions about writing for kids and young adults and lead a discussion about the challenges a writer of color might encounter in the world of children's literature. (Note: This free session is open only to writers who identify as writers of color. Session will take place in Room 304 of Open Book.)

Kristen Kittscher is the author of middle grade mystery The Wig in the Window and the upcoming The Tiara on the Terrace (Harper Children's, January 5, 2016). A graduate of Brown University and the 2014 James Thurber House Children’s Writer-in-Residence, Kristen taught middle school English before becoming a writer. She lives with her husband in Pasadena, California.

Varian Johnson is the author of four novels, including The Great Greene Heist, a Publishers Weekly Best Summer Book of 2014. His novels for older readers include My Life as a Rhombus, named to the Texas Library Association Tayshas High School Reading List and the New York Public Library “Stuff for the Teen Age” list, and Saving Maddie, a Bank Street College of Education Best Children’s Book. Varian was born in Florence, South Carolina, and attended the University of Oklahoma, where he received a BS in Civil Engineering. He later received an MFA in Writing for Children and Young Adults from the Vermont College of Fine Arts. Varian now lives outside of Austin, TX with his family.