Two Tennessee-based authors present discussion geared toward young readers today at Star Line Books

Brooks Benjamin
Brooks Benjamin
photo Andrew Maraniss

If you go

* What: "Breaking Down Barriers: A Middle-Grade Panel" discussion. * When: 3-5 p.m. today, March 25. * Where: Star Line Books, 1467 Market St. * Admission: Free. * Phone: 423-777-5629.

Two Tennessee-based authors whose works are geared toward young readers will present a discussion today at Star Line Books titled "Breaking Down Barriers: A Middle-Grade Panel."

Brooks Benjamin, author of "My Seventh Grade Life in Tights," and Andrew Maraniss, author of "Strong Inside," will discuss how they strive to break down stigmas in society through their books.

The discussion is presented by the Chattanooga Writer's Society, a club for primarily non-English majors at UTC. The society was founded by UTC junior Hannah Rials, author of "Ascension," a vampire story geared to the young-adult market. She formed the society to give book-loving readers and writers at UTC a place to talk about the craft.

"College schedules are so strict, so it's very hard for non-English majors to take a creative writing course," she says. "This is a way from them to carve out time each week to write about anything that we want."

About a half dozen students meet regularly, Rials says. Members also offer editing and ideas on how to improve story ideas if asked. As the group has grown, participants have invited guests, such as publishers and authors, to talk about the business. The idea for today's panel discussion was to focus on a different aspect of the YA market.

"This panel will deal with social stigmas and barriers and how they break these barriers down," Rials says. "When people think of young adult, it is mostly dominated by woman, so Brooks and Andrew reach a different demographic. They are both superarticulate and love to see young readers coming out and talking to them about what they do."

"My Seventh Grade Life in Tights" centers on a young man in a freestyle dance group who hopes to one day be a professional dancer. To do that, he needs to train at a dance studio, but his friends say those are for sellouts. His father wants to be a football player, and the book deals with how he handles all of these pressures and issues.

"Strong Inside" is the story of Perry Wallace, the first African-American basketball player in the Southeastern Conference.

Contact Barry Courter at bcourter@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6354.

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