INDEPENDENT BOOKSTORE DAY

by Louise Erdrich — the internationally recognized author of many novels, poems, short stories and children’s books) carries books by Native authors along with a selection of other carefully selected titles, Native art and jewelry.
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INDEPENDENT BOOK PUBLISHERS ASSOCIATION UNIVERSITY 2019: RACCAH SPILLS SECRETS TO INDIE PUBLISHING SUCCESS

W. Nikola-Lisa of Gyroscope Books, an author-publisher in Chicago, praised (Dominique) Raccah’s talk afterwards, describing her as “a visionary from day one who understood that she needed a niche and understood from the beginning that she had to stand out.” Citing her “energy and passion for what she does,” Nikola-Lisa noted, “It’s passion that inspires people…”
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AUTHOR TALK WITH MELISSA OTIS: RURAL INDIGENOUSNESS: A HISTORY OF IROQUOIAN AND ALGONQUIAN PEOPLES OF THE ADIRONDACKS

(Panelists include) Joseph Bruchac – author, poet, novelist, storyteller and scholar of Native American culture.
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HOW LIANE MORIARTY, KATE DICAMILLO AND JACQUELINE WOODSON GOT THEIR STARTS

Jacqueline Woodson admits that she “wrote on everything and everywhere. I remember my uncle catching me writing my name in graffiti on the side of a building. (It was not pretty for me when my mother found out.) I wrote on paper bags and my shoes and denim binders. I chalked stories across sidewalks and penciled tiny tales in notebook margins.”
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NOTES FROM BOOMERANG CREEK: A PREVIEW OF THE 2019 UNBOUND BOOK FESTIVAL
Jacqueline Woodson, one of the most beloved and celebrated writers of children’s literature working today, will be speaking Friday morning at the Missouri Theatre to an audience of middle school students from across CPS.
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ILLUSTRATOR EB LEWIS VISITS VENTNOR SCHOOL

Most of his (E.B. Lewis) books have a common theme — confidence and love. His message to the students was “find your passion” no matter your age. A natural born teacher, Lewis captivated students in kindergarten through eighth grade at three assemblies throughout the day.
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EPIPHANIES DRIVE ASTON’S WRITING

Children’s author Dianna Hutts Aston has a tattoo on her left wrist of a heart with wings and above it the words “epiphania” — what her friends in Mexico call her.
Aston earned that nickname because her writing is inspired by epiphanies she has “for things we all know or things that are hidden in plain sight,” she said.
Aston sent a manuscript to a publisher with a no unsolicited manuscript policy and got published. That book was “When You Were Born” with illustrations by E.B. Lewis.
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CHILDREN’S POETRY, SPOKEN WORD, AND OTHER OUTLETS FOR YOUNG CREATIVES

On today’s show, we review new selections of children’s poetry with two local book authors. And we explore the world of spoken word and the possibilities it opens up for young adults.
(Among the author’s interviewed) Eloise Greenfield, Author, “Thinker: My Puppy Poet And Me”
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THREE CHILDREN’S AUTHORS ON THE IMPORTANCE OF TOUGH TOPICS IN YOUNG PEOPLE’S LITERATURE

Children’s literature has a long history of engaging tough topics in small and large ways and wrapping them up in adventure. Books as beloved as Katherine Paterson’s “Bridge to Terabithia,” all the way up through recent stories such as Patrick Ness’s “A Monster Calls” and “Amal, Unbound,” by Aisha Saeed, engage and entertain on many levels while doing important work. For me, and for many readers and the authors who write for them, there isn’t always a divide between issue books and adventure or escape. Often books that fall on the lighter side of “just for fun” literature have a serious point at their core, while many books regularly address tough topics with magic and wonder.
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AUTHOR KWAME ALEXANDER WANTS TO HELP YOUNG PEOPLE IMAGINE A BETTER WORLD

Author Kwame Alexander doesn’t talk down to kids. Instead, he finds new ways to engage them, often through poetry.
His newest work, “The Undefeated,” is a picture book with illustrations by artist Kadir Nelson. It features a poem that Alexander first started writing over ten years ago, inspired by the birth of his second daughter and the presidency of Barack Obama.