Rebecca Balcárcel loves popcorn, her kitty, and teaching her students at Tarrant County College as Associate Professor of English. She’s the author of Shine On, Luz Véliz! and The Other Half of Happy, which was named a Pura Belpré Honor Book, an ALSC Notable Book, and the Best Texas-authored Middle Grade Book by Texas Institute of Letters. Her next book is Bridges and Islands: 20 Stories by Multi-Racial and Multi-Cultural Authors for which she is both co-editor and contributor. Find Rebecca on YouTube where she analyzes literature and chats about writing as the SixMinuteScholar. Her latest book is Shine On, Luz Véliz!
May 21, 2022
Determined Leaders
- 11:45 am - 12:45 pm
- | Location of Session: McNutt Garden Tent
- Middle Grade Sessions
- Start of Signing: 1:00 PM
- | Signing Location: Festival Marketplace
About the Event
Rebecca Balcárcel’s Shine On, Luz Véliz ponders: have you ever been the best at something only to lose it all? A soccer star suffers a serious knee injury – but without soccer, who is she? Justin A. Reynolds’s It’s the End of the World and I’m in My Bathing Suit asks: what happens when five unsupervised kids face the apocalypse under outrageously silly circumstances? Celebrate two memorable characters and talented authors in this powerhouse session.
This session is co-sponsored by the Carver Community Cultural Center.
About the Author
Justin A. Reynolds
Justin A. Reynolds has always wanted to be a writer. Opposite of Always, his debut novel, was an Indies Introduce selection, a School Library Journal Best Book, has been translated in 17 languages, and is being developed for film with Paramount Players. He hangs out in northeast Ohio with his family and likes it, and is probably somewhere, right now, dancing terribly. His second novel, Early Departures, published September 2020. In spring 2021, he teamed up with Marvel and Graphix to release his debut graphic novel, Miles Morales: Shock Waves. He also contributed a story to the #1 New York Times bestselling anthology Black Boy Joy: 17 Stories Celebrating Black Boyhood, edited by Kwame Mbalia. It’s The End Of The World And I’m In My Bathing Suit is his latest book.
Moderator
Vicky Liendo
Vicky is the Event Coordinator at Nowhere Bookshop in San Antonio, TX. When she’s not at the shop, she’s probably sewing, sweeping, or eating dairy. Her book genres of choice are memoirs, contemporary romance, and kid’s books that make you cry. Vicky lives with her daughter and two very rude cats.
