The town of Winchester, Massachusetts totally knows how to throw a book party. Last Thursday the entire town celebrated Authorfest, an annual event in which every public school student at every grade level has the opportunity to meet an author in their classroom. Twenty local authors participated, zipping from school to school and chatting with students about their work and their books. I was one of these lucky authors.
I met with fifth graders at Ambrose School in the morning and talked with them about the making of TRACKING TRASH. I was thrilled to hear how my presentation tied in to some work they are doing in science class. (Good luck with those discovery bottles, Ambrose!)
Later in the day I spoke with fourth and fifth graders at St. Mary’s School. Although these students heard the same presentation, they took our Q&A in an entirely different direction, asking all sorts of interesting questions about the places I visit while researching books. (Thanks for those questions, St. Mary’s!)
When the school day ended, all twenty authors convened at Winchester Town Hall, where our books were on sale to the public. We sat at a looooong table and signed books for students and their families. While surrounded by these folks:
Heather Panahi
Jamie Spencer
and their hundreds of amazing children’s books, it was hard not to feel a little shy. Lucky for me, though, we were seated alphabetically, which put me right next to David Biedrzycki (pronounced beh-DRICK-key). David doesn’t really allow shy. He forced me to practice my schmoozing techniques. I am not kidding. He whispered talking points into my ear as I signed books. He even drew this little cartoon to cheer me on:
Drawing by David Biedrzycki!
Can I just say for the record that it is hard to schmooze when you are sitting next to an Ace Schmoozer and he is drawing funny things on the tablecloth, making children giggle, and signing books by the stack all at the same time?
It was a pleasure to meet so many young book lovers, reconnect with fellow book creators, and make a new friend or two. Thank you to the entire town of Winchester, and most especially to Ceci Cordeiro and the many, many parent volunteers who made this celebration totally rock.
Happy reading!
P.S. #1
You can see some photos from the massive Authorfest sighing over at Barbara O’Connor’s blog.
P.S. #2
If you book school visits in the Massachusetts area, the list above would be a great place to begin your search for talented local authors and illustrators.