young writers read from their work

Activities for children and families are an important part of the Southern Festival of Books: A Celebration of the Written WordSM. At the Festival, in addition to the many children's and young adult authors, the Children's Stage operates Saturday and Sunday during the event and features special activities for children of all ages. Musicians, poets, songwriters and storytellers encourage children to read, share stories and sing songs.

Birthday parties are held each year on the stage for the anniversaries of major children's books, with special appearances by the book's characters.

The Festival program features more than 200 authors each year, and approximately forty are children's authors and illustrators. Each participates in a panel discussion or offers a solo presentation, and each has a book signing immediately following his/her session.

2009 Children's and Young Adult events

This year's children's and young adult schedule is provided here. The official event program will be available at the event.
All numbered rooms are in the Legislative Plaza.

NOTE: This schedule will change. Please do not print it for use at the event.

For a list of events taking place on the Youth Stage, visit the schedule of stage events.

Saturday, October 10, 2009

9:00-10:00 am, Room 30 : Life, Love, and the Scientific Method : Deborah Heiligman, Jacqueline Kelly

9:00-10:00 am, Old Supreme Court Room : The Mysterious Benedict Society and the Prisoner's Dilemma : Trenton Lee Stewart

9:00-10:00 am, Senate Chambers : My Read and Rhyme Bible Storybook : Cindy Kenney

9:30-10:30 am, Room 16 : The Seems: The Lost Train of Thought : John Hulme, Michael Wexler

9:30-10:30 am, Children's Stage : Anytime, Anywhere: A Little Boy's Prayer : Marcus Hummon

10:00-11:00 am, War Memorial Auditorium : The Magician's Elephant : Kate DiCamillo

10:45AM-11:45AM, Children's Stage : The Belly Button Fairy : Bobbie Hinman

11:00-12:00 noon, Room 30 : Blood Brothers and Drug Smugglers : G. Neri, Andrew Smith

11:00-12:00 noon, Old Supreme Court Room : Innocence Lost - Two Novels : Sara Zarr, Kathryn Williams

11:30-12:30 pm, Room 16 : Momma Loves Her Little Son : John Carter Cash

12:00-1:00 pm, Room 30 : Words and White Space - Wearing the hat of author and illustrator : Alex Beard, Elizabeth Dulemba

12:00-1:30 pm, Children's Stage : Every Heart: A Peace Dragon Tale and Memorial March :

12:30-2:00 pm, Room 16 : It's Eating At You - Authors Tell All About Fat Camp and Loving Your Body : Stephanie Klein, Susan Vaught, Abby Ellin

1:00-2:00 pm, Room 30 : The Secret World of Walter Anderson : Hester Bass

01:45PM-02:45PM, Children's Stage : The Great Dog Wash : Shellie Braeuner

2:00-3:00 pm, Room 30 : Auntie Claus, Home for the Holidays : Elise Primavera

2:00-3:00 pm, House Chambers : 12 Brown Boys : Omar Tyree

2:00-3:00 pm, Room 16 : Liar : Justine Larbalestier

3:00-4:30 pm, Room 30 : The Trouble I've Seen - Middle Grade Novels : Peter Huggins, Billy Moore, Donny Bailey Seagraves

3:00-4:00 pm, Children's Stage : Youth Speaks Nashville

04:15PM-05:15PM, Children's Stage : The Secret Life of Walter Anderson : Hester Bass

4:30-5:30 pm, Room 30 : Brains or Brawn? How a Hero is Born : Ronald Kidd, Marc Tyler Nobleman

Sunday, October 11, 2009

12:00-1:00 pm, Children's Stage : Soap, Soap, Soap : Elizabeth Dulemba

1:00-2:00 pm, Capitol Library : Wagging Tales: Every Animal Has A Tale : Tim Link

01:15PM-02:15PM, Children's Stage : Tennessee Young Writers' Workshop Readings

1:30-2:30 pm, Room 30 : Wild Things and Mockingbirds--Young Adult Novels of Finding One's Place : Loretta Ellsworth, Clay Carmichael

2:00-3:00 pm, Room 16 : Coming of Age in the South - Exploring the Complexities of Adolescence in Fiction : Silas House, Martin Wilson

2:30-4:00 pm, Room 30 : Young, Fanged, and Undead: Novels Teens Can Sink Their Teeth Into : Melissa dela Cruz, Daniel Waters, David Macinnis Gill

2:30-3:30 pm, Children's Stage : First Look at Aircraft , First Look at Trucks : Susan Eaddy

03:45PM-4:00 pm, Children's Stage : The Lorax

4:00-4:30 pm, Children's Stage : Tina Tickle-ini : Kirsti Manna

4:30-5:00 pm, Children's Stage : Birthday Party for Lyle Crocodile

These children's and young adult authors are confirmed to attend the 2009 Southern Festival of Books:

  • Hester Bass is an author who uses her experiences as an actress, singer, and game show winner to bring words to life for children. Her book, So Many Houses is a colorful trip around the world, and her new picture book chronicles the life of Mississippi Gulf Coast artist, Walter Anderson, and his legendary journeys to Horn Island. She lives at the foot of a mountain in Alabama. See a picture of her on Millionaire at www.hesterbass.com. The Secret World of Walter Anderson
  • Alex Beard is a painter whose work has been shown in New Orleans, Los Angeles, New York, and Hong Kong among other cities. Alex grew up among some of the world's most interesting and influential people. Andy Warhol, Truman Capote, and their Pop World cohorts were familiar faces in the Beard household. His extensive travels through Africa inspired this book. He lives with his wife and son in New York City, New York. Visit his website at alexbeardstudio.com. The Jungle Grapevine
  • John Carter Cash is a singer, songwriter and music producer. He is the only child of Johnny and June Carter Cash. He was executive producer of the film Walk the Line. He lives in Hendersonville, Tennessee with his wife and three children. This is his first children's book. Momma Loves Her Little Son
  • Melissa de la Cruz is the author of the best-selling "Au Pairs" novels for teens and the coauthor of the popular adult title The Fashionista Files: Adventures in Four-Inch Heels and Faux Pas. She lives in Los Angeles, California with her husband and daughter. The Van Alen Legacy
  • Kate DiCamillo is the author of Because of Winn-Dixie (a Newbery Honor Book), The Tiger Rising (a National Book Award finalist), The Tale of Despereaux (winner of the 2003 Newbery Medal), and The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane (winner of the Boston Globe Horn Book Award). She lives and writes in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Magician's Elephant
  • Elizabeth Dulemba is an award-winning illustrator of several children's books. She received a B.F.A. in graphic design from the University of Georgia. She drew a portrait of Master Storyteller Ray Hicks one year while listening to him share some "Jack Tales," and that experience solidified her love for all things Appalachian and Jack Tales in particular. She also enjoys teaching at the John C. Campbell Folk School. Soap, Soap, Soap
  • Susan Eaddy's delightful illustrations are 3D relief sculptures created entirely out of plasticine or polymer clay. Susan was an Art Director for fifteen years, during which time she has illustrated over eighty books in the educational market, won international 3D illustration awards and a Grammy nomination. Her clay illustrated trade books include Papa Fish's Lullaby, and her newest board books licensed by the Smithsonian Institution, First Look at Aircraft and First Look at Trucks. Author website: www.susaneaddy.com.
  • Abby Ellin is a journalist and former fat-camper whose parents' attempts to "save" her from fatness proved counterproductive. In Teenage Waistland, she shares the story of her adolescent struggle with food and weight. She currently lives, works and eats in New York City, New York. Teenage Waistland
  • Loretta Ellsworth is the author of the acclaimed middle-grade novel, The Shrouding Woman. A former schoolteacher and mother of four grown children, Loretta lives in Lakeville, Minnesota. In Search of Mockingbird
    • Reading to kids
  • David Macinnis Gill's stories have appeared in several magazines, and his biography of Graham Salisbury was published by Scarecrow Press. He holds a bachelor's in English and a doctorate in Education from the University of Tennessee. He is the president of ALAN (The Assembly on Literature for Adolescents) and an Associate Professor at the University of North Carolina, Wilmington. Soul Enchilada
  • Deborah Heiligman has written more than twenty books for children, most of them nonfiction, including three other biographies. She is married to Jonathan Weiner, who won a Pulitzer Prize in 1994 for The Beak of the Finch. Charles and Emma: The Darwins' Leap of Faith
  • Silas House is the recipient of the Kentucky Book of the Year Award and the James Still Award, from the Fellowship of Southern Writers. A Parchment of Leaves was a BookSense Top Ten pick and a citywide reader's pick in four cities. House is a frequent contributor on National Public Radio and lives with his wife and two daughters in Eastern Kentucky. Eli the Good and Something's Rising: Appalachians Fighting Mountaintop Removal
  • Peter Huggins is an award-winning poet and children's author. He won a literature fellowship in poetry from the Alabama State Council on the Arts in 2006; his picture book Trosclair and the Alligator was selected for the PBS show Between the Lions and was chosen as one of the best children's books of the year in 2007 by the Cooperative Children's Book Center and the Bank Street College of Education. He is a professor in the English Department at Auburn University. In the Company of Owls
  • John Hulme is co-editor of Voices of the Xiled, a short story collection for adults. He has authored works of adult non-fiction and books for young readers. He lives in New York City, New York. The Seems: The Lost Train of Thought
  • Jacqueline Kelly was born in New Zealand and raised in Canada. She now makes her home with her husband and various cats and dogs in Austin and Fentress, Texas. She is a practicing physician. This is her first novel. The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate
  • Ronald Kidd is the author of the highly acclaimed Monkey Town. His novels of adventure, comedy, and mystery have received the Children's Choice Award, an Edgar Award nomination, and honors from the American Library Association, the Library of Congress, and the New York Public Library. He is a two-time O'Neill playwright who lives in Nashville. The Year of the Bomb
  • Daniel Kirk has illustrated a number of popular and bestselling books for children, including Library Mouse, a Parenting magazine Best Book. Daniel lives in Glen Ridge, New Jersey with his wife and three children. Elf Realm: The High Road
  • Stephanie Klein is a foodie who sometimes abuses hair care products, and writes about love, relationships, fashion, family, and strength of self. She is also a photographer and lifestyle connoisseur living in Austin, Texas. Moose
  • Justine Larbalestier is the author of the award-winning "Magic or Madness" trilogy. She wishes she had a clothes shopping fairy instead of the procrastination fairy she battles with almost every day. She is married to author Scott Westerfeld and divides her time between Sydney and New York City. Liar
  • Tim Link is president and CEO of Wagging Tales and is a practicing animal communicator. As part of his passion for helping animals, Tim also has mastered Reiki — an ancient art of energy healing — which he uses on animals. Tim enjoys spending time at home with his wife and their many pets in Cumming, Georgia. Wagging Tales: Every Animal Has A Tale
  • Billy Moore has a BA in History from Mississippi State University and a MAT in history from Rice University, where he also studied novel writing and served as assistant football coach. Mr. Moore currently teaches for the Walton County, FL School district and Okaloosa-Walton Community College. He and his wife live in DeFuniak Springs, Florida. He is active in the South Walton Three Arts Alliance, the Paradise Writers of Grayton Beach, Florida, and the local folk-life play, Grit and Grace. Little Brother Real Snake
  • G. Neri is the ALA Notable author of Chess Rumble and the just released Surf Mules. He is an award-winning filmmaker, illustrator, and new media producer who was one of the founding members of The Truth anti-smoking campaign. He currently lives on the Gulf coast of Florida with his wife and daughter. Surf Mules
  • Elise Primavera has illustrated more than twenty books for children, several of which she also wrote, including the New York Times bestselling Auntie Claus and Auntie Claus and the Key to Christmas. She illustrated Raising Dragons by Jerdine Nolen which received a 1999 Christopher Award, the 1999 Irma S. and James H. Black Award for Excellence in Children's Literature from the Bank Street College of Education, and an Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Platinum Award. Auntie Claus, Home for the Holidays
  • Jenni Schaefer is an ambassador for the National Eating Disorders Association and appears reguarly on television and national radio to raise awareness about eating disorders and recovery. A singer/songwriter living in Nashville, she writes for publications nationwide. Goodbye Ed, Hello Me: Recover from Your Eating Disorder and Fall in Love with Life
    • a performance on the children's stage
  • Donny Bailey Seagraves is a children's book author and freelance writer living in Winterville, Georgia, with her husband. Before becoming a full-time writer Seagraves owned and operated Junebug Books, an out-of-print book business on the Internet. Her hobbies include reading, collecting books, and walking in the woods near her rural Georgia home. Gone From These Woods
  • Andrew Smith lives in the mountains above Los Angeles on a ranch where he keeps horses. In addition to writing, he teaches high school advanced placement classes and coaches rugby. In The Path of Falling Objects
  • Trenton Lee Stewart, graduate of the Iowa Writers' Workshop and author of The Mysterious Benedict Society, lives in Arkansas with his wife and two sons. The Mysterious Benedict Society and the Prisoner's Dilemma
  • Omar Tyree, a New York Times best-selling author, a 2001 NAACP Image Award recipient for Outstanding Literature in Fiction, and a 2006 Phillis Wheatley Literary Award winner for Body of Work in Urban Fiction, has published sixteen books. With a degree in Print Journalism from Howard University, and his entrepreneurial savvy, Tyree has started the Urban Literacy Project to inspire reading, writing, thinking and financial literacy skills among disadvantaged youth and adults. The Equation and 12 Brown Boys
  • Susan Vaught is the author of many award-winning books including Stormwitch, Trigger and Big Fat Manifesto. She is a practicing neuropsychologist and lives in Tennessee. Big Fat Manifesto
  • Daniel Waters is the author of the "Generation Dead" series. He lives with his family in Connecticut. You can visit his website at danielwaters.com. Kiss of Life
  • Michael Wexler is the co-editor of Voices of the Xiled, a short story collection for adults, and has authored young adult books and adult non-fiction books. He lives in New York City, New York. The Seems: The Lost Train of Thought
  • Kathryn Williams's work has appeared in The New York Observer, Newsweek, NewYorkMag.com, and Shecky's among other publications. She is a freelance project editor for Sideshow Media. She is also a strong believer in the healing power of butter, bacon, and Southern rock. The Lost Summer
  • Martin Wilson, a native of Tuscaloose, Alabama, currently lives in New York City and is a publicist in the book publishing industry. He earned his B.A. at Vanderbilt University and an M.F.A. from the University of Florida, where he won a Henfield/Transatlantic Review Award. His work has been published in Virgin Fiction 2, Pieces: A Collection of New Voices, Rebel Yell 2, Rush Hour, and Tin House, among other publications. What They Always Tell Us
  • Sara Zarr was raised in San Francisco, went to high school in Pacifica, California, and now lives with her husband in Salt Lake City, Utah. She is the author of Sweethearts and the National Book Award finalist, Story of a Girl and can be found on the web at www.sarazarr.com. Once Was Lost

This list was last updated 01 October 2009
For more information, contact Lacey Cook at 615-770-0006, ext. 19 or lacey@humanitiestennessee.org

- back to top -