Brooklyn Book Festival Recap!

Hi guys! This past Sunday I went to the Brooklyn Book Festival for the very first time with my school's creative writing club, and it was such a spectacular time. I met so many great readers, authors, and publishers that I just had to talk about it, so here we are!

So, for starters, I was totally shocked that this entire event was free. I didn't know what to expect, but several club members had gone before and assured me that the event was free, the panels were free, and you were given all sorts of swag and books and totes for free as well. (Think a mini-BookCon!) So when I stepped off the subway and looked around, I was totally floored. There were so many booths stretching as far as the eye could see -- seriously so many! I wasn't even able to see the entire layout of the festival from the entrance. There was just so much going on. There were booths with publishers and booksellers and authors, food trucks, outdoor panels, and even live music. It was basically a fantastically bookish street fair, so I was immediately like count me in. 

So I walked around and checked out the booths of a lot of the publishers that we've worked with before, which was awesome. I also got some info about grad school writing programs and writer's workshops, which got me super psyched. By the end of the event, I was itching to get back to my laptop and start hammering away at my current work in progress, which had been stalled recently and left me feeling helpless and anxious about it -- but just the entire atmosphere of the event made me crave my notebook, my laptop, and a quiet place to write. I practically sprinted to the subway to get back once the day was over, and it's already been a few days since the event and my motivation to write seems to have stuck, which is really exciting. 

But back to the event itself. I grabbed a quick snack for lunch, which was exciting because they were these DELICIOUS fries from Home Frite with some lemon garlic butter dipping sauce, so even though my calorie count for the day wasn't enthusiastic about it, my tastebuds certainly were. 

And then it was time for the panels! The panels were also totally free at the event, which I was shocked (but really impressed) by. I decided to look up the panels a few days before just to kill some time, and when I found out that Sarah Dessen and Adam Silvera were going to be there...I lost it, guys. I totally lost it. If you've been around for awhile, you'd know that Sarah and Adam are two of my favorite writers of all time, and my literary heroes that I am constantly striving to emulate because they're half the reason I write what I write. 

So when I got to go to a panel of theirs for free and be in the same room as them (as well as Lilliam Rivera and Gabby Rivera!), I was practically buzzing with excitement. I also got the chance to meet Taylor, one of our book blogger friends from Stay On The Page, which was awesome, even if we only got to say a quick hello before the panel started! And once the panel did start, I got so many awesome tips and tidbits that I needed to learn how to better write a romance story for my new book. I left feeling starstruck and totally satisfied, and also loaded with tons of new book recs, which is always an awesome thing.

Overall, I really enjoyed the Brooklyn Book Festival. I can't believe that I didn't go last year, but I can now safely say that I've learned my lesson and will be attending next year and far into the future as well! 

Did you go to the Brooklyn Book Festival this weekend? If so, what was your favorite part? And if not, do you think you'll be going in the future? Comment down below and share your thoughts!