GOOD NEWS: Get ready for 60 young adult writers descend Nov. 13-14

Upper King Street will be alive and crawling with young readers as more than 60 of the world’s biggest young adult authors swoop into town Nov. 13-14 for the fifth annual YALLFest, the Charleston Young Adult Book Festival.

The festival includes a dozen #1 bestselling New York Times writers and 29 bestselling writers who will participate in 22 panels, presentations and talks and make 15 visits to Lowcountry schools.  Click here for festival info.

Presented by Epic Reads, Harper Collins’ YA community, YALLFest’s Hollywood crossover titles will include #1 New York Times bestselling blockbusters Veronica Roth (Divergent Trilogy), Gayle Forman (If I Stay), Daniel Handler aka Lemony Snicket (A Series of Unfortunate Events),  Kody Keplinger (The Duff), Rick Yancey (The Fifth Wave Series), Kami Garcia & Margaret Stohl (Beautiful Creatures Series), Melissa de la Cruz (Disney’s Isle of the Lost, A Descendants Novel), Ann Brashares (Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants Series) and Meg Cabot (The Princess Diaries Series). Author/actress Bella Thorne (Shake It Up) will appear to promote her new book, Autumn Falls.

The opening keynote will be given by #1 New York Times bestseller Richelle Mead (Vampire Academy Series), along with the legendary children’s book author R.L. Stine (Goosebumps Series), who has sold over 40 million books. Closing keynote will be given by dual #1 New York Times bestsellers Brandon Mull (Fablehaven Series) and Brandon Sanderson (Mistborn Series); Sanderson is also known for completing Robert Jordan’s Wheel of Time series.

YALLFest’s mission is to improve literacy through great YA literature, and includes an outreach program that puts visiting authors in local schools to connect directly with young readers and spread their love of word and books.  YALLFest was co-founded by Jonathan Sanchez, owner of Charleston’s Blue Bicycle Books on King Street, Margaret Stohl and Kami Garcia..  More info.

In other good news:

Ultramarathon:  Charleston County Parks will have a new extreme distance race — a 50K (31 mile) ultramarathon called Ultra Chili 50K — at Laurel Hill County Park on Nov. 21. The race, five miles longer than the traditional marathon, is open to individuals and teams of two to four participants.  It begins at 8 a.m. and will take runners through the majestic moss-draped trails of Laurel Hill County Park. More info:  CharlestonCountyParks.com/UltraChili. Online registration ends at 3 p.m. Nov. 20.

James Island library meeting.  Charleston County has hired a team of consultants and architects to develop a plan for the kind of spaces and services that should be in each of the five new buildings that will be built following last year’s successful $108.5 million bond referendum.  They need your input to know what you consider the top priorities.  A meeting to discuss the new James Island branch was previously held October 1, but due to the torrential rainstorms that started that night, local officials and residents requested a second meeting since many people didn’t want to come out in the rain.  The second meeting will be 7 p.m. Nov. 9 in the cafeteria of James Island Elementary School, 1872 Grimball Road, on James Island.

• To learn more about the construction and renovation plan, view a map and see a breakdown of the estimated costs, click here. Residents unable to attend the meeting can send comments to letusknow@ccpl.org.

New day at law school.  The Charleston School of Law on Friday inducted Georgetown attorney Ed Bell as its new president and managing partner.  “I’m honored to serve as president of The Charleston School of Law,” Bell said in a statement.  “I’ve watched this school grow and take shape over the years, and I’m proud that our great state of South Carolina offers students two strong choices for a top-tier legal education. Our vision is one that puts students and faculty first as we move into a future that will include the implementation of innovative learning and teaching opportunities, and mirror our founding motto pro bono populi” (for the good of the people).