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The 2026 West Virginia Book Festival will present a series of programs and workshops during the event. All events and programs are free and open to the public.In this craft session with Megan Lynch, teen writers will consider how the unique elements of their hometowns can be translated into an atmospheric setting of a YA novel.
This session will be held at 9 am in Room 202-3 of the Charleston Coliseum & Convention Center.
Participants will be asked to question the history, culture, and expectations before getting tangible techniques to turn these insights into story elements that tie characters to a strong sense of place. We will think through the way a location's history affects how characters are formed, what scares them, and how far they're willing to go to get what they want. We will also explore (briefly) a history of the American Gothic genre in YA.
Megan Lynch grew up in New Cumberland, West Virginia, and is the author of several novels for kids, teens, and adults. Her upcoming book, Hymn for the Forsaken, is set in West Virginia and has won the T.A. Barron prize for fiction with progressive themes. She earned her MFA in 2022 and has spoken at Awesome Con in Washington, DC, as well as Carnegie Mellon University, Hamline University, and her alma mater, Bethany College.
For more information about the West Virginia Book Festival, visit http://www.wvbookfestival.org/
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Event venue
200 Civic Center Drive, Charleston, WV, United States, West Virginia 25301
Tickets
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