SCI-FI SAVVY
Teen Voices in the Future of Fiction

Saturday, September 14 2024
Time: 1 – 2:15 pm
Pike County Public Library

Teen authors, Hallie, Auttie and Owen will discuss their books and journeys in publishing at a young age in conversation with the best-selling author Chuck Wendig. Topics will include their adventures into sci-fi, school-life balance, their feelings on censorship, and their future plans in the book-writing world.

Chuck Wendig is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of  Star Wars: Aftermath, as well as the Miriam Black thrillers, the Atlanta Burns books, Zer0es/Invasive, Wanderers, and the Book of Accidents. He’s also worked in a variety of other formats, including comics, games, film, and television.

Adult titles also include Wayward and Black River Orchard. 

A finalist for the John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer and the cowriter of the Emmy-nominated digital narrative Collapsus, he is also known for his books about writing. He lives in Pennsyltucky with his family.

Everything started in 5th grade when Hallie Balogh and Auttie Grace first met. They quickly became known for always being together. You never only saw one of them. That 5th grade school year didn’t only spark their friendship, but it set the foundation for the Auttie and Hallie writing power-duo. From 5th grade and all through middle school, they spent their free time writing stories together. Once Covid-19 hit, they took it as an advantage to write their first novel, Empire: To Earth and Back. Honestly, it started as a joke, but by the end of high school, they had published their second novel, Empire: At Esprit’s Core, and won the national Inspirational Women in Literature award. As young female authors, they want to inspire others that no dream is “too big” when you’re passionate about something. 

Owen Carso has been a storyteller for as long as he can remember. He has been circulating his stories among his friends for many years, and he has also received regional and national recognition for his writing. He has won two national writing awards: a silver medal for his novel Lewis Adams and the Kingdom of Fire from the Scholastic Art and Writing Awards and the grand prize for a short story from the Scholastic Book Club. Owen’s published books include: A Deal With Death, My Cursed Gloved Hands, and Bigfoot’s Bargain., all of which are available on Amazon. Carso adapted A Deal With Death into a play that was performed at his high school in 2024. Last summer, he attended writing programs at Denison University and the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. He lives in northeastern Pennsylvania. Follow him on Instagram @owen_carso_author, or visit his website, www.owencarso.com