The first-ever Seattle Children’s Book Festival will be held on September 28, 2019 from 11am to 3pm at the Greenwood Elementary School campus located at 144 NW 80 Street in Seattle, WA.
Author Beth Bacon spoke with Asia Citro, the leader of the Seattle Children’s Book Festival to find out how this event can benefit members of the SCBWI.
This festival is free of charge and open to the public. The event offers opportunities to meet award-winning children’s book authors and illustrators. Attendees can purchase signed books, participate in activities, and experience presentations by authors and illustrators.
The idea for this event arose when publisher Asia Citro visited the Princeton Children’s Book Festival. Her experience there was “fabulous and amazing and I just wanted something as cool as that in our own backyard,” said Citro.
Event leader, Asia Citro, smiling with a young reader.
The lineup of authors and illustrators includes some of the most influential creators in the industry today. “We have a ton of New York Times Bestsellers, we have State Book Award winners, we have some of the best-of-the-best, popular books here,” said Citro. For authors and illustrators who are members of SCBWI, Citro said “it’s a great way to find inspiration and to get a sense for what readers want.”
BRINGING TOGETHER READERS, AUTHORS AND ILLUSTRATORS
Book festivals bring readers together with authors and illustrators. Citro is an author as well as the publisher of The Innovation Press. She describes the Seattle Children’s Book Festival as an “event full of amazing authors and beautiful books.” Tables full of books will be set up throughout the venue. Illustrators and authors are present to meet and greet the attendees.
The attendees will include kids, caregivers, teachers, librarians, other authors, and book fans of all kinds. They are free to roam around, meet the authors and illustrators, and purchase signed books.
WHAT MAKES THIS FESTIVAL DIFFERENT
In addition to the author tables that are common at many book festivals around the country, the Seattle Children’s Book Festival will offers a few additional elements for attendees—and even for people who cannot attend the festival.
Events for Attendees
Crafting Stations
There will be seven hands-on crafting stations in which authors or illustrators providea craft, project or activity inspired by their book at their tables. The following kidlit creators are offering activities:
Presentations
Throughout the day, visitors can attend presentations delivered by authors and illustrators.
Presentation Schedule
11:10 – 11:50 AM GRAPHIC NOVEL PANEL moderated by Dr. Celeste Trimble featuring Kazu Kibuishi, Tui T. Sutherland, Dana Simpson, and Marissa Meyer
12:30 – 12:50 PM THE BEST BOOK EVER with Ben Clanton
1:00 – 1:20 PM MAKING HEROES ON THE PAGE with LeUyen Pham
1:30 – 1:50 PM MONSTER MASHUP with Troy Cummings
2:00 – 2:40 PM MIDDLE GRADE PANEL moderated by Dr. Celeste Trimble featuring Suzanne Selfors, Varian Johnson, Dan Gemeinhart, and J. Anderson Coats
Benefits for those who can’t attend
When creating this event, Citro put a lot of thought into who can and cannot attend. Some families and kidlit fans have no problem finding the transportation, time, and energy to come to an event like this. But for others, getting out to a festival of books simply isn’t available. They may have to work. Or have no convenient way of getting there. Or they may be dealing with any number of challenges.
Even so, Citro believes it important that the benefits of the event are accessible to everyone in the community. As she brainstormed ways to reach more kids, Citro spoke with librarians in the Seattle Public Schools. The librarians reported a shortage of books in the schools that don’t get the PTA funding for books.
So Citro set up ways for people who attend the festival to donate. They can donate money directly. With that money, Citro’s team will send a new copy of their favorite author’s book to a Seattle Public School. For the books earmarked for donation, Citro negotiated with the publishers for lower pricing. “We are getting them basically at wholesale,” said Citro. “That means that the attendee pays less, while the author and illustrator still get full royalties. So it’s not going to cost you as much as buying a full price book, but creators still get income, publishers still get money. And kids get a new book!”
Donations are a great way to help children grow their literacy skills and foster a love of reading.
Citro has set up a Pre-sale Form you can access online from now until the date of the event. Here you can buy personalized books and pick them up at a Third Place Books (or have them shipped to you) after the event. When you use this link, 20% of sales still come back to the nonprofit’s book donation fund. Here is the link: https://www.thirdplacebooks.com/seattle-childrens-book-festival
“If you don’t have kids at home and you don’t have a use for children’s books yourself, we would love to have you purchase them to donate to the kids in the Seattle schools who can’t afford them,” said Citro. “It’s a way help support the community while you’re out taking a look at all of these books.”
FOR SCBWI MEMBERS: NETWORKING & CRAFT INFO
So why should SBCBWI members attend the event? You can network, see what themes are current in the industry, and learn about craft for the authors and illustrators will be making presentations. “It’s a nice way to hear about the New York Times Bestselling author or illustrator’s point of view,” said Citro. “That person might not be from around here, and you wouldn’t normally get to hear from them.”
FUN FOR SEATTLE BOOK LOVERS
For Asia Citro, the experience of a book fair is exhilarating. Thinking back to her experience at the Princeton festival Citro said, “It was just such a blast, I wanted that for me and for my kids and for everyone who lives around Seattle.”