Tag: books

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Event

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE March 2, 2025

Contact:  Martha Swan, Executive Director

518-744-7112

mswan12993@gmail.com

CELEBRATING THE JOY OF READING AND THE FREEDOM TO READ

Adirondack Family Book Festival Turns Four

(Westport, NY) — The Adirondack Family Book Festival (AFBF) returns to the John Brown Farm State Historic Site on August 16, 2025, with sixteen rock stars of children’s and Young Adult (YA)
literature.

Now in its fourth year, AFBF is a cherished community event presented by John Brown Lives! (JBL!), numerous community partners, an amazing volunteer team and the staff at the John Brown Farm.
Free and open to all, the daylong event is made possible with generous support from local sponsors, foundation funders, the Office of Assemblyman Billy Jones and the New York State Office of Parks,
Recreation and Historic Preservation.

“We are excited to reveal this year’s roster of acclaimed and beloved authors and illustrators at the start of Read Across America Week, March 2-6,” said Martha Swan, JBL! Executive Director. “The
National Education Association (NEA) launched Read Across America in 1998 to celebrate reading. Our goals of promoting the joy of reading and celebrating the freedom to read diverse and powerful
stories that reflect the fullness of history and culture are aligned with this popular nationwide program.”

New York Times bestselling author Kate Messner, one of the festival founders, agrees, adding, “What I love most about the Adirondack Family Book Festival is the team’s commitment to inclusion and representation. It’s an event where authors from all backgrounds know they’ll be welcomed by kind, enthusiastic readers who are excited to see themselves in stories and build empathy as they explore the stories of people whose lives are different from theirs.

Messner will be joined by fellow North Country authors Maxwell Eaton III, Amy Guglielmo, Linda Marshall and Loree Griffin Burns. The 2025 roster also features Tracey Baptiste, Kyle Lukoff,
Meg Medina, Traci Sorell, Eliot Schrefer, Olugbemisola Rhuday-Perkovich, Andrea Davis Pinkney, Brian Pinkney, Andrea Wang, Jason Chin and Saadia Faruqi.

“Stories are the threads that have always connected us as humans, and I’m especially grateful for them now,” Messner said. 
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For author bios and a festival schedule, go to https://adirondackfamilybookfestival.com/

To listen to authors from the 2023 and 2024 festivals talk about their craft, go to
https://www.freedomstoryproject.org/adirondack-family-book-festival

To learn more about Read Across America resources and activities, go to
https://www.nea.org/professional-excellence/student-engagement/read-across-america

Contact John Brown Lives! at info@johnbrownlives.org or 518-744-7112 about joining the AFBF planning committee or becoming a business sponsorship or individual contributor in support of the festival.

Categories
Author Event Illustrator

2024!

February 14, 2024
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact:
Martha Swan, Exec. Director
mswan12993@gmail.com
518-744-7112

ADIRONDACK FAMILY BOOK FESTIVAL BOASTS STELLAR LINEUP, RECEIVES AWARD OF DISTINCTION

(Westport, NY) — The Adirondack Family Book Festival (AFBF) returns to the John Brown Farm State Historic Site on August 17, 2024, with a stellar lineup of award-winning children’s and YA authors and illustrators again this year. 

Now in its third year, the Adirondack Family Book Festival is a cherished community event, presented by John Brown Lives! (JBL!) and numerous community partners, that cultivates an expansive sense of belonging and safety, of well-being, connectedness, and the joy of reading. In the unhurried natural setting of the John Brown Farm, readers of all ages hear from and mingle with beloved authors and artists.

The festival has also garnered statewide recognition by the Museum Association of New York (MANY) for engaging the community and building new audiences.

“We are thrilled to once again be a part of this wonderful community event. The list of authors is diverse and very impressive,” said Bambi Pedu, Director of Lake Placid Public Library. “I am looking forward to hearing their stories.”

Local author Kate Messner is also thrilled with this year’s lineup, noting that the festival “already has a reputation among authors and illustrators, thanks to our organizing team’s care and enthusiasm and Lake Placid’s warm summer welcome.”

Excited to have five new titles for this year’s events, Messner will be joined by fellow North Country authors Maxwell Eaton III, Amy Guglielmo, and Loree Griffin Burns. They will be joined by authors and illustrators from all over the country, including New York Times bestsellers, prestigious award winners, and family favorites.

The 2024 roster also features Jason Chin, Brian Floca, Meredith Ireland, Rajani LaRocca, Kelly Starling Lyons, Kekla Magoon, Kayla Miller, Sharee Miller, Raúl The Third, Cynthia Leitich Smith, Lauren Tarshis, and Jasmine Warga.

For author bios and a festival schedule, go to https://adirondackfamilybookfestival.com/

“We are doubly-honored this year to host these amazing authors and to receive the MANY Engaging Communities Award of Distinction for the festival itself,” said JBL! Executive Director Martha Swan. 

“We couldn’t do it without the best festival volunteers, partners and sponsors one could hope for or without the support of the NYS Office of Parks, Recreation, and Historic Preservation and the site staff at the John Brown Farm.”

The Engaging Community award celebrates organizations across New York State that use exceptional and resourceful methods to engage their communities and build new audiences. One of fifteen Awards of Distinction recognizing unique leadership, dedicated community service, and transformational visitor experiences and innovative programs, it will be presented at MANY’s 2024 annual conference “Giving Voice to Value” in Albany in April. 

To learn more about MANY and the Awards of Distinction, visit: https://nysmuseums.org/annualconference