Free Workshops for Children Led by Top Authors and Illustrators Featured at 10th Annual Gaithersburg Book Festival
Gaithersburg, Md. – April 5, 2019 – Children of all ages can explore their creativity through writing, journaling, developing characters and illustrating during the 10th Annual Gaithersburg Book Festival. A full day of free workshops—designed for elementary, middle and high school students—will be led by some of today’s top authors and illustrators in the Children’s Workshop Tent. The Festival is held on Saturday, May 18, 2019, between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. on the grounds of Gaithersburg City Hall, 31 S. Summit Ave., Gaithersburg, MD 20877.
The children’s workshops include:
Let’s Create Fabulous Fishes! – Susan Stockdale
Elementary School
10:15 a.m. – 11 a.m.
Author/illustrator Susan Stockdale will read her picture book, “Fabulous Fishes.” She will then guide children in exploring different fish shapes, colors and patterns to create their own fish using oil pastels on black paper and title for their artwork.
Creating Characters with Character – Jonathan Roth and Paul Noth
Elementary School
11:15 a.m. – 11:45 a.m.
Stories begin with characters. And the best characters have…character. Author and illustrators Jonathan Roth and Paul Noth help kids come up with characters that are fun, interesting and have meaning to the creator. Participants will brainstorm ideas, draw figures, and come up with meaningful motivations and, of course, cool character names.
The Story of a Name – Dawn Little
Ages 9-14
12:15 p.m. – 1 p.m.
Names influence who we are and how others view us. Children will craft individual explanations of the personal or traditional meaning, importance, or origin of their names. They will then create a name card and illustrate the symbolic meaning behind the name.
A Thousand Words in a Picture – Henry N. Caballero
Middle to High School
1:15 p.m. – 2 p.m.
You’ve heard the expression “a picture is worth a thousand words.” In this workshop, participants work with photos to develop the use of details to improve their creative writing. Participants learn how to use photos to develop their critical thinking, organize their ideas, develop detailed fictional characters, scenes and dialogue, and base their story or poem on the details of a photo.
Journal Writing for Young Sports Fans – Fred Bowen
Ages 8-15
2:15 p.m. – 3 p.m.
Be a sportswriter. Cover your own team or even a pro team. Participants can discover more about their sport, themselves and the joy of writing, and create a memory book they’ll want to have their whole life. Fred Bowen – sports columnist for The Washington Post and KidsPost and author of “Quarterback Season” (about a kid who keeps a journal) – provides tips and advice. Participants learn what to put in their journal (rosters, game schedules and more) and how to think and write in new ways about the games they play and love.
Comics Collider: A Drawing Game Show! – Dave Roman
Ages 6-15
3:15 p.m. – 4 p.m.
Author and illustrator Dave Roman (“Astronaut Academy,” “Teen Boat”) will lead this fast-paced game show where kid cartoonists face off in a series of fun-filled drawing challenges. Audience members will provide suggestions and add to the creation of totally improvised epic drawings.
Make the Story Yours – Robin Stevens Payes
Middle to High School
4:15 p.m. – 5 p.m.
This interactive workshop is designed for young writers to learn how to envision and share their dreams for the future. Robin Stevens Payes guides young dreamers through exercises to create and share their own selfie-storytelling moment through prompts, improvisation, doodling and exercising their imaginations.
No pre-registration is required for these free workshops. Participants should plan to show up at the time their preferred workshop is scheduled to start. Workshops are generally limited to 20 participants, but individual presenters can expand the workshop at their discretion.
For more information about children’s workshops, the presenters and the schedule, including additional workshops geared for adults and older teens, please visit the Workshop pages of the GBF website.
About the Gaithersburg Book Festival
The Gaithersburg Book Festival is an annual all-day celebration of books, writers and literary excellence. One of the premier literary events in the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area, the 2019 Festival is scheduled for Saturday, May 18, on the grounds of Gaithersburg City Hall, in Olde Towne Gaithersburg, Md. Activities include author appearances, discussions and book signings; writing workshops; a Children’s Village; onsite sales of new and used books; literary exhibitors and food, drink, ice cream and more. FREE admission and accessible shuttle will be available from Shady Grove Metro and Lakeforest Mall. The Gaithersburg Book Festival also hosts author events in Montgomery County throughout the year as a way to encourage continued appreciation for all things literary. For more information please visit www.gaithersburgbookfestival.org or follow on Twitter @GburgBookFest.
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