Children’s Alley to Offer Storytelling & Readings, Arts & Crafts, Street Fair weekend, Nov. 17-19; Book Fair runs Nov. 12-19!
Miami, Oct. 12, 2017 – Whether you are the parent of a child looking for their next favorite book or a teenager obsessed with the latest fantasy series, Miami Dade College’s (MDC) acclaimed Miami Book Fair (MBF), the nation’s finest and largest literary gathering, has something to offer, and it’s committed to fostering literacy within the community and nurture the next generation of engaged world citizens.
Generation Genius gathers the Fair’s literacy and learning programs for children and teens and brings them all under one banner. All year long, MBF’s Generation Genius programs such as Read to Learn Books for Free distribute thousands of children’s books around Miami-Dade County and the Generation Genius Authors program at the MBF is no different.
MBF’s celebrated Generation Genius Authors program in Children’s Alley continues its promise to engage thousands of young minds with author presentations, live music, performances, and much more! Children of all ages can enjoy:
- Generation Genius School Field Trips will bring nearly 10,000 school kids from all over Miami-Dade County to the Fair to meet their favorite authors and most will leave with free books!
- Tweens and Teens will find a lineup of authors of fantasy, adventure and thriller books, as well as graphic novels including: Jason Segel (Otherworld); Ambassador for Young People’s Literature, Gene Yang; Newbery Award Winner Kelly Barnhill (The Girl Who Drank the Moon), 2017 National Book Award finalist Ibi Zoboi (American Streets); Mercedes Lackey (Apex); Barry Lyga (Bang); Nathan Hale (Nathan Hale’s Hazardous Tales); Mariko Tamaki (Lumberjanes); Peter Lerangis (Max Tilt: Fire the Depths ); George O’Connor (Olympians series) Maggie Trash (Strange Lies); to name a few.
- Mr. Wembly Wordsmith returns to his Author Tent in Children’s Alley to present non-stop author readings with some of the best writers in children’s literature, including: Michael Buckley (The Sister Grimm Series); Nidhi Chanani (Pashmina); Faith Erin Hicks (The Adventures of Superhero Girl); Michael Fry (How to be a Supervillain); Jennifer George and illustrator Ed Steckley (Rube Goldberg’s Simply Humdrum School Day); David Barclay Moore (The Starts Beneath Our Feet); Ruth Behar (Lucky Broken Girl); and much more.
At Children’s Alley, imagination takes center stage with six Fun Rooms: Tot Time Play and Learn; Tinker, Make, Innovate!; The Rhythm Factory; Healthy Bodies, Happy Kids; The Paintbox; and One World Many Stories. At the Fun Rooms, children will learn how to build battle robots, explore digital worlds through virtual reality, sing-a-long, dance, play instruments, make healthy choices, enjoy interactive story readings and performances, explore diverse cultures, and much more.
This year, MBF teams up with National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature, Gene Luen Yang, to encourage students and people of all ages to read more diversely with his Reading Without Walls (RWW) challenge. RWW invites you to step out of your comfort zone and expand your reading horizons in three ways: read a book about a character who doesn’t look or live like you; read a book about a topic you don’t know much about; and read a book in a format you don’t normally read for fun. As part of the effort to bring RWW to the Miami Book Fair, we’ve identified presentations for kids and adults that resonate with its mission. Just look for highlighted events in the Fairgoer’s Guide to find a presentation that will help you break down a reading wall, and inspire you to learn something new.
On-going roving and pop-up performances will be taking place throughout Children’s Alley. Cirko Teatro presents the hilarious local favorite El Show de Enriqueta y Agapito, Pavilion Productions will treat fairgoers to bilingual renditions of Dr. Seuss’s classics, and Juana La Iguana will perform popular children songs, to name a few.
The Teenager Block will take place Friday, Nov. 17 at the Porch, teens will hear from South Florida high school student writers and editors during the annual issue of Orange Island Review, and will be able to enjoy PATH, South Florida’s pioneering Hip Hop education organization specializing in history, philosophy and the four-main artistic elements of Hip Hop.
For over three decades the Fair has been committed to fostering a love of reading in children. Children’s Alley will kick off on Friday, Nov. 17, at 9 a.m. and will continue through Sunday, Nov. 19.
Generation Genius Authors, Read to Lean and Children’s Alley is made possible by the generous support of Abe Holtz Children Hospital, Early Learning Coalition, Children Trust, Meredyth Ann Dasburg Foundation, Peacock Foundation, Royal Caribbean, Simkins Family Foundation, Staples Foundation and Well Fargo.
Visit MiamiBookFair.com for complete schedule and more information. #MiamiReads
Miami Book Fair
Founded in 1984 by Miami Dade College and partners, Miami Book Fair engages the community through inclusive, accessible programs that promote reading and support writers year round. The annual eight-day festival has grown into the largest and most comprehensive community-rooted literary gathering in the United States. The Fair features readings and discussions with the world’s most renowned authors, generating discourse on contemporary literature and current issues of international importance. The Fair also include culinary presentations; live music and interdisciplinary performances; interactive, educational activities for children; and more than 200 booksellers and publishers during the Street Fair. Events take place in English, Spanish, Haitian Creole, and French. In addition to the annual festival, the Miami Book Fair responds to community needs with a year-round schedule of activities, including The Little Haiti Book Festival, highlighting Haiti’s literary acumen; creative writing and publishing workshops; author presentations; reading campaigns and Read to Learn Books for Free, a partnership with The Children’s Trust that distributes more than 150,000 free books a year to children in Miami-Dade County.
Miami Book Fair is made possible through the generous support of the State of Florida and the National Endowment for the Arts; the City of Miami; Miami-Dade County Department of Cultural Affairs and the Cultural Affairs Council, the Miami-Dade County Mayor and Board of County Commissioners; Miami-Dade County Public Schools; the Greater Miami Convention and Visitors Bureau; the Miami Downtown Development Authority; and the Friends of the Fair; as well as many corporate partners. Miami Book Fair: Building community, one reader at a time.
Miami Book Fair media contacts: Lisa Palley, 305-642-3132 lpalley@bellsouth.net or Deyanira Navarrette, 305-495-7168, deyanavarrette@gmail.com