speaker-photo

Justine Manzano

Speaker & Moderator
Justine Manzano is the geeky author of the geeky YA series Keys & Guardians, and geeky YA novel Never Say Never. Known as a Professional-Life-Ruiner-By-Antagonist, Justine’s fiction is tough on the outside and sweet on the inside, like an M&M or a hard candy with a gooey center, delivered with sass and snark. Also a freelance editor, Justine also serves as an Editor-in-Residence at WriteHive, a role which includes co-hosting the Word Nerd Cafe podcast and has also led to her serving on the board of the non-profit organization. An activist at heart, Justine is also the Director of Operations of the I Know Why She Stayed Initiative. She lives in Bronx, NY with her husband, teenage son, and beloved puppy. She can usually be found at her website; www.justinemanzano.com, or all the usual social media haunts. If you’ve looked in all these places and can’t find her, she’s probably off reading fanfiction. She’ll be back soon. She never takes off her many hats for too long.
11:30AM - 1:00PM EDT

Sunday July 12th

Steering Fiction Away From Abusive Characters (featuring Authors Against Abuse)

Depictions of abuse and violence against women and children are everywhere. In stories, in the media, in both our lives and escape mechanisms. Join K. J. Harrowick, Justine Manzano, and Kasey Rogers of Authors Against Abuse in this panel discussing the pitfalls of abuse in fiction and strategies for writers to avoid reinforcing this narrative.