On Thursday, March 6, high school students from across Anne Arundel and Baltimore City County took a field trip to Loyola University for Volume 7 of LitCon, an annual convention for readers and aspiring authors.
Mrs. Fitzgerald and Mrs. Hill chaperoned the 22 students from Severna Park, and after a crowded bus ride with those from Broadneck, they arrived at Maryland Hall, Loyola. Everyone settled in for a speech from the keynote speaker, Nic Stone, author of Dear Martin and Odd One Out, among others. Her speech included details about her latest book, Dear Manny, which each attendee received a copy of, as well as advice for students looking to get into writing. There was also an opportunity for students to ask questions.
“I really liked Stone’s speech and it gave me a new perspective on how authors write,” junior Audrey Chen said.
Following the speech, the students headed to smaller breakout rooms in other buildings on campus for various activities, such as escape rooms, book trivia, and smaller sessions with Stone, as well as several other featured authors, including Ryan La Sala, Lizzy Mason, Ashley Woodfolk, and Wendy Xu. While this part of the day has always been an element of LitCon, returning students thought it was a definite step up from previous years.
“It’s amazing to see the improvements made over the past few years that have made this event such a big success!” junior Nora Devine, who has been attending since her freshman year, said. “With a new variety of activities and options, they have created an exciting space for all kinds of readers.”
For many, a highlight of the trip was meeting with individual authors to talk about their books. Junior Alaina Washington attended Nic Stone’s session and really enjoyed getting to interact more with the author.
“[The session] was really cool to listen to,” Washington said. “It was interesting to hear about her experiences as a black queer author as well as her writing process and how that all works.”
After a quick lunch, it was time for the main event, the book expo. This gives students a chance to get books signed by all of the attending authors and choose a new book to take home with them. It also lets them enjoy time with other attendees and meet people who share their love for books with fun activities like a photo booth and craft area.
“It’s a super cool opportunity to be able to surround yourself with a community of people who love reading as much as you do and even more cool to meet and talk to authors,” Washington said.
The students headed back to school, many already looking forward to attending again. Spots go quickly, so anyone hoping to go next year should look out for permission slips in the library starting in January.
“I can’t wait to attend next year,” Devine said. “I’m excited to see what mix of authors and activities will be in store!”
