YALLFest 2025's closing keynote brings together three sensational YA authors—BookTok sensation Alex Aster (Lightlark, Grim and Oro), fantasy maven Rachel Griffin (The Nature of Witches, The Sun and the Starmaker), and shining debut Shannon J. Spann (A Stage Set for Villains)

****

Please note that keynote tickets are exclusively for keynote attendance and do not guarantee a place in the signing line for either author.

****

ALEX ASTER is the #1 New York Times Bestselling author of the Lightlark series. She lives in New York, and is never too far from a coffee shop.

RACHEL GRIFFIN is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of magical and romantic YA novels. When she isn’t writing, you can find her wandering the Pacific Northwest, reading by the fire, or drinking copious amounts of coffee and tea. She lives in the Seattle area with her husband and growing collection of houseplants. Visit her online at rachelgriffinbooks.com or say hi on Instagram @TimesNewRachel.

SHANNON J. SPANN is an NYC-based writer from Virginia, where she grew up as one of six sisters and spent most days crafting stories in the woods (and subsequently performing them for anyone who would listen). A lifelong fan of ghost stories, old movies, and all things theatrical, Shannon can most often be found wandering Central Park, exploring her local bookstore, or hunting down a sunbeam to read in.