EBR Library celebrating Author/Illustrator Program

• Advocate News Features staff
• Published: Oct 25, 2009

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The East Baton Rouge Parish Library will celebrate its 32nd annual Author/Illustrator Program Thursday-Friday, Oct. 29-30.

This year’s special guest is popular children’s book illustrator James E. Ransome.

The Children’s Book Council has named Ransome one of 75 authors and illustrators everyone should know. Ransome has received both the Coretta Scott King Award for Illustration and the IBBY honor for The Creation. He has also received a Coretta Scott King Honor Award for Illustration for Uncle Jed’s Barbershop, which was selected an ALA Notable Book.

Ransome has exhibited works in group and solo shows throughout the country and received the Simon Wiesenthal Museum of Tolerance Award for The Wagon.

In 1999, Let My People Go received the NAACP Image Award for Illustration. In 2001, Ransome received the Rip Van Winkle Award from the School Library Media Specialists of Southeast New York for the body of his work.

How Animals Saved the People received the SEBA (Southeast Book Association) Best Book of the Year Award in 2002 and Vermont Center for the Book chose Visiting Day as one of the top 10 diversity books of 2002.

All ages are invited to attend the 7 p.m. Thursday program at the Bluebonnet Regional Branch Library, 9200 Bluebonnet Blvd., where Ransome will discuss “From Crayons to Children’s Books: How You or Your Child Can Become An Illustrator.” A reception, book sale and autograph session will follow. Admission is free.

Ransome will conduct a special workshop for teachers, librarians, writers and other interested adults 8 a.m.-12:45 p.m. Friday at the Bluebonnet Branch Library. Registration fee for the workshop is $25 per person and $10 for college students with school identification. A book sale and autograph session will follow.

For more information, call (225) 231-3760.

Festival of Words

The 2nd Annual Festival of Words takes place Tuesday-Saturday, Oct. 27-31, in Grand Coteau, Sunset and Arnaudville. The event celebrates the written and spoken word with workshops and performances. The featured writers include Louisiana Poet Laureate Darrell Bourque, Cornelius Eady, Ravi Howard, Saddi Khali, Jessica Powers and Mona Lisa Saloy.

The events begin with a poetry workshop by Darrell Bourque, and throughout the week will be an awards ceremony for winners of the Festival of Words Student Creative Writing Contest, a community potluck to welcome the authors, public readings, and lots of writing workshops. The festival will also bring writers to the local schools to conduct creative writing workshops. Participating schools include MACA, Sunset Elementary, Grand Coteau Elementary and Beau Chene High School.

Find a compete schedule at festivalofwords.homestead.