Children’s Alley returns with interactive storytelling, virtual workshops, live concerts, museum magic, and more during the entire Miami Book Fair online, Nov. 15-22. For the most current schedule, please sign up for alerts at MiamiBookFairOnline.com.
Miami, Nov. 5, 2020 — Offered for the first time in virtual form, this year’s Miami Book Fair (MBF), the largest and most comprehensive community-rooted literary gathering in the country presented by Miami Dade College (MDC), offers more opportunities for children of all ages to nurture their love of reading.
Children and youth-related activities, traditionally only held during the weekend Street Fair, will be available throughout the eight days of the Fair with an exciting lineup of experiences, including interactive storytelling, storytime with authors, virtual workshops, live concerts and museum magic, which will be readily accessible either live or streaming on demand.
In addition, the Fair will also introduce Afterschool Live Workshop, an extra-curricular activity for the curious and experimental makers out there. Available every day at 4 p.m., Afterschool Live offers brand-new live workshops on spoken word and electronic music-making with Guitars Over Guns; Tinker CAD and video-game building with Maker Faire Miami, and hip-hop lessons from Secret Agent 23 Skidoo.
This year’s assortment of books and authors carefully curated by age and school grade will include the following:
Livestream storytime with award-winning children’s book author and illustrator Dan Santat, creator of this year’s commemorative poster. He will introduce The Alphabet’s Alphabet, an illustrated book for children from preschool to the 3rd grade that presents a twisted take on the alphabet, inviting readers to look at it in a whole new way on Sunday, Nov. 15.
Kwame Alexander returns to the Fair with Becoming Muhammad Ali, a biography for children in grades 5 to 9. Authorized by and written in collaboration with the Muhammad Ali estate and coauthored with James Patterson, this book vividly depicts Ali’s life up to age 17, including his childhood friends, struggles in school, the racism he faced, and his discovery of boxing. Event participants will view a conversation with Kwame, Punching the Air author Ibi Zoboi and MBF Program Coordinator and book reviewer Ismery Pavon on Sunday, Nov. 15. This event includes a free bonus download of Becoming Muhammad Ali Educator’s Guide on MiamiBoofFairOnline.com
Nelson Dellis, a four-time USA Memory Champion, reveals the secrets to his phenomenal ability to remember almost anything in his book for children in grades 5 to 9, Memory Superpowers! An Adventurous Guide to Remembering What You Don’t Want to Forget. This session includes a reading and memory exercise on Tuesday, Nov. 17.
Journalist Candy J. Cooper and writer-editor Marc Aronson will participate in a conversation and livestream event on Wednesday, Nov. 18, to discuss Poisoned Water: How the Citizens of Flint, Michigan, Fought for Their Lives and Warned the Nation, the first book for young adults on the topic. Through interviews with residents and intensive research into legal records and news accounts, the book reveals not just how this crisis unfolded in 2014 but also the history of racism and segregation that led up to it.
On Friday, Nov. 20, Lyla Lee, author of I’ll Be the One, and Stephan Lee, who wrote K-Pop Confidential, discuss with the Fair’s Program Coordinator and book reviewer Ismery Pavon these two popular novels for young adults about two heroines who wonder if they have what it takes to be a K-Pop star.
A storytime for children from preschool to the 3rd grade will reveal Natalie Portman’s Fables, the latest story and picture book by the Academy Award-winning actress, director, producer, and activist. In her book, Natalie Portman retells three classic stories, The Tortoise and the Hare, The Three Little Pigs, and Country Mouse and City Mouse. Saturday, Nov. 21.
In a conversation and science demo with educator, TV host, and New York Times–bestselling author Bill Nye and co-author Gregory Mone participants will discover Bill Nye’s Great Big World of Science, a book for students in grades 5 to 9, that will help them understand and appreciate the science that makes the world work, presenting the most complicated theories and facts in an easy-to-comprehend, humorous way. Saturday, Nov. 21.
Storytellers, an iconic and anticipated element of Children’s Ally, will be found in the same section as the authors. This year’s ensemble of narrators and performers includes bilingual storytelling with Carrie Sue Ayvar; folk tales from Brazil with Antonio Rocha; comedic storytelling with Bill Lepp and poetic/folktale storytelling with Oba William King.
Generation Genius gathers the Fair’s literacy and learning programs for children and teens and presents 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.
In 2020, the Fair’s celebrated Generation Genius Authors program in Children’s Alley will be transformed into Wembly Wordsmith’s Storytorium, an island on the Internet featuring the wonders of music, science, art, storytelling, world cultures, and health. Highlights include:
Tinker, Make, Innovate! with the Phillip and Patricia Frost Museum of Science, an invitation to explore the wonders of polymers, surface tension, friction, and biodiversity with at-home experiments and other exhibits.
One World, Many Stories with HistoryMiami Museum, tales from Caribbean immigrants on how they made Miami home through archeological treasures, recipes, and poetry.
Maker Faire Miami – Invent & Experiment!, an opportunity to build a video game and use TinkerCAD to design unique structures, readings and live Q&As of B is for Battle Bots with Battle Bot Captain Andrea Gellatly; Miss Pamela of Bubbles & Mango TV and I Didn’t Ask to be Creative and author Dontavious Pittman.
Healthy Bodies, Happy Kids with UHealth Jackson Children’s Care, a series of videos and activities the whole family can watch and use to get fit and happy.
The Rhythm Factory, global music makers and artists will offer workshops on writing electronic music, spoken word pieces, and hip-hop songs. Activities include learning different drum styles, kid yoga and mindfulness classes, and a live concert with Haitian American multidisciplinary artist Inez Barlatier.
The Paintbox with ProjectART and Miami Artists will give participants a chance to meet New Orleans-based artist duo Milagros to create an abstract mural using their signature style of mark-making, repetition, and color; and follow Miami-based street artists Didi and Luis Berros as they take elementary to high school age artists step-by-step through creating some of their characters and more.
Taptap Krik? Krak! An interactive trip in English and Haitian Creole to explore Haitian and Caribbean stories, music, dance, and more.
Picnic de Libros, activities to charm and engage the younger family members with storytime, mime, and circus performances, music, arts and crafts tutorials, and theater, presented by a bilingual English-Spanish cast of hosts and characters.
In addition, the Fair, in partnership with the National Book Foundation, will present The National Book Awards Teen Press Conference online. This activity allows New York City and Miami-Dade County middle and high school students to pose questions to the nominees for the 2020 National Book Award in Young People’s Literature, considered the most prestigious literary award in the country. This event will be hosted by New York Times best-selling author Jason Reynolds on Monday, Nov. 16, and is for students in grades 6 to 12.
Children’s Alley activities will be available throughout the Fair starting Nov. 15, and are free and open to the public. To purchase books of presenting authors, visit the Fair’s partner bookstore BooksandBooks.com.
Generation Genius Authors, Read to Learn Books for Free, and Children’s Alley are made possible by the generous support of The Batchelor Foundation, Meredyth Anne Dasburg Foundation, Peacock Foundation, UHealth Jackson Children’s Care, Publix Super Markets Charities, FPL, The Cowles Charitable Trust, Miami Kids, Art Works, National Endowment for the Arts and Miami Moms Blog.
For more information, please visit www.miamibookfair.com call 305-237-3528, or email wbookfair@mdc.edu.
Follow the Miami Book Fair on social media @miamibookfair.
#MiamiBookFair2020 #MBF2020 #MiamiBookFairOnline
About 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 generating discourse on contemporary literature and current issues of international importance. Throughout the rest of the year, Miami Book Fair responds hosts an ongoing schedule of activities, including The Little Haiti Book Festival; 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 programming is made possible through generous support from the State of Florida and the National Endowment for the Arts; City of Miami; Miami-Dade County Department of Cultural Affairs and the Cultural Affairs Council; Miami-Dade County Mayor and Board of County Commissioners; Miami-Dade County Public Schools; Greater Miami Convention and Visitors Bureau; Miami Downtown Development Authority; and Friends of the Fair; as well as many corporate partners. Miami Book Fair: Building community, one reader at a time.
About Miami Dade College
Miami Dade College is the most diverse institution in the nation. There are 174 nations and 69 languages represented in its student body. The college’s eight campuses and outreach centers offer more than 300 distinct degree pathways including associate and baccalaureate degrees, career certificates and apprenticeships. Baccalaureate degree offerings include biological sciences, engineering, data analytics, information systems technology, education, public safety, supervision and management, nursing, physician assistant studies, film and others. MDC is the recipient of many top national awards including the Aspen Prize. As Democracy’s College, MDC changes lives through accessible, high quality-teaching and learning experiences. It is the home of the Miami Culinary Institute, the Miami Animation & Gaming International Complex, the Miami Fashion Institute, the Eig-Watson School of Aviation, The Idea Center, the Cybersecurity Center of the Americas, the Cloud Computing Center, the Center for Learning, Innovation and Simulation, the School for Advanced Studies, and the New World School of the Arts, to name a few of its most innovative programs. MDC has been named among the nation’s “Great Colleges to Work For” since the program’s inception. The College embraces its responsibility to serve as an economic, cultural, and civic leader for the advancement of our diverse global community. Its alumni and employees contribute more than $3 billion annually to the local economy, and MDC graduates occupy top leadership positions in every major industry. MDC is renowned for its rich cultural programming. It is the home of the Miami Book Fair, Miami Film Festival, the National Historic Landmark Miami Freedom Tower, the Tower Theater, Dyer Building, Koubek Center Mansion and Gardens, Live Arts Miami at MDC, the Lynn and Louis Wolfson II Florida Moving Image Archives, the Museum of Art and Design, a sculpture park and a large campus art gallery and theater system. MDC has admitted more than 2,000,000 students and counting, since it opened its doors in 1960. More than 120,000 students are currently enrolled. For more information, visit www.mdc.edu.
Miami Book Fair contact: Lisa Palley, Palley Promotes, 305-642-3132 lpalley@bellsouth.net.