BTAFest
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ANTI-HARASSMENT POLICY

The Boston Teen Author Festival (BTAF) is dedicated to making our event a safe space for everyone and adheres to a ZERO TOLERANCE POLICY for harassment of any kind. If you witness or experience behavior that is making you feel uncomfortable, you should immediately report it via one of the following methods:

Find a BTAF staff member or volunteer for assistance.

Email the Author Relations or Reader Relations team at: authorrelations@bostonteenauthorfestival.com or readerrelations@bostonteenauthorfestival.com.

If you’d prefer to report an incident anonymously, call our staff at (781) 474-3023.

BTAF will not tolerate any form of harassment, including but not limited to:

Unwelcome or inappropriate physical contact or attention, offensive verbal comments, verbal abuse, intimidation, bullying, bathroom policing, stalking, physical assault, and/or disruption of programs (panels, signings, VIP parties) in relation to but not limited to: age, appearance, body size, citizenship, color, gender identity or presentation, mental or physical disability, pregnancy, race, religion, and/or sexual orientation.

This policy extends to EVERYONE, including but not limited to Staff, Authors, Attendees, Volunteers, Exhibitors, Security, and Press, in all festival spaces, which include but are not limited to public venues, green rooms, BTAF staff spaces, food areas, and VIP events.

If a person(s) engages in harassing behavior, BTAF staff will take prompt action in any form they deem appropriate, including asking the offending party to leave the event and, in extreme cases, contacting local law enforcement. In the case of reported harassment a BTAF staff member will escort the individual(s) to a safe space while the situation is handled.

Our mission is to create a fun, welcoming, and joyous celebration of Young Adult Literature. To that end we strive to make everyone feel welcome in an environment where they are accepted. As YA enthusiasts ourselves, we take seriously the importance of creating a space where all can celebrate their love of books safely.

ACCESSIBILITY POLICY

Boston Teen Author Festival (BTAF) believes that everyone, no matter their gender, gender expression and identity, sexual orientation, race, ethnicity, religion, body size, disability, and medical condition, should enjoy and have access to all the areas of BTAF. BTAF is dedicated to providing a safe and accessible environment for all of its members and takes accessibility very seriously.

The Cambridge Public Library and the Cambridge Rindge and Latin School are both fully wheelchair accessible. If you plan to attend and need accessibility accommodations please alert the Reader Relations staff ahead of time so we can be prepared to make your experience as smooth as possible.

A plan for the signing session is still in the works but we will update this space when it's finalized. Please note that the Accessibility Policy is a living document that will change and grow as BTAF continues to improve. ​

SIGNING POLICY

We do not have a limit to how many books attendees can get signed however, you can only have 3 signed at a time. If you have more than 3 books per author, please return to the back of the line after each set of 3. This way we can keep lines moving and make sure as many people have a chance to meet the authors as possible. Thanks for understanding!

Books will be for sale all day from Porter Square Books. You are also welcome to bring books from home to be signed. We ask that you wait until the end of the day during the allotted signing period to ask authors to sign your book(s).

If you have concerns about accessibility, please contact the reader relations team at courtney@bostonteenauthorfestival.com before the fest, find a volunteer or team member on the day, or call (781) 474-3024.

If you would like your book(s) to be personalized, volunteers will be passing out sticky notes and sharpies so you can prepare ahead of time. Materials will also be available in the main hallway and at the info desk throughout the day if you’d like to be extra prepared and help things run smoothly. For hardcovers, if you could make things easier for the authors by placing the front flap into the signing page, it would be much appreciated!

There is no ticketing system or sign-up, so please listen to all volunteers and team members to help the signing process go as smoothly as possible!

DISCLAIMER

​The views of attendees, authors, guests, and/or sponsors do not necessarily reflect the views of BTAF. Our festival retains the right to terminate relations with a partner at any time if deemed necessary for reasons that may include but are not limited to: hateful speech, harmful content, and/or harassment.
bostonteenauthorfestival@gmail.com
  • Home
  • About
    • The Festival
    • Our Team
    • Policies
    • Non-profit Information
    • Author Testimonials
    • Past Authors
  • 2018 Sponsors
  • Coverage
    • Press
    • Gallery