Johnstown, PA (March 1, 2016) – When Marc Brown and his sisters were growing up near Erie, Pennsylvania, his grandmother used to tell them the most wonderful stories. Back then, Brown never dreamed he would one day make a living telling stories of his own. Marc Brown is the author/illustrator of the wildly popular “Arthur” children’s book and PBS animated series. On Saturday, April 9, 2016, Brown will share details of his journey to becoming an award-winning author/illustrator with aspiring authors and fans of children’s literature at The Learning Lamp’s 8th Annual Children’s Book Festival of Johnstown.
Brown will deliver the keynote address The Aardvark Was My Warm-Up Act at the festival’s inaugural Saturday Night Author Talk. The program is designed to provide aspiring and promising children’s authors from throughout Western Pennsylvania with insight into how to successfully navigate the highly competitive children’s publishing industry. In addition to Brown, the panel includes 2016 PA One Book Author/Illustrator Will Hillenbrand, who has published more than 50 children’s books, and Karen Boss, associate editor of Charlesbridge Publishing, an independent publishing house in Watertown, Massachusetts.
“The Children’s Book Festival has become a great opportunity for parents and teachers to get children excited about reading by introducing them to the authors and illustrators who bring stories to life,” explained Ingrid Kloss, director of development at The Learning Lamp. “We knew at some point we wanted to expand the festival as a resource for local people interested in creating children’s books of their own. We thought who better to start us off than Marc Brown.”
The Saturday Night Author Talk will be held at BOTTLE WORKS in Johnstown’s historic Cambria City neighborhood. Doors open at 5:15 p.m. Tickets are $25 and include light hors d’oeuvres followed by the program from 6 to 8 p.m. There will be time for questions/answers and book signings after the formal presentations. Proceeds from the Author Talk help offset costs of the festival, which is free to the public.
To reserve a seat for the Saturday Night Author Talk, visit https://cbfsaturdaynightauthortalk.eventbrite.com.To take advantage of reduced hotel rates at the Holiday Inn Johnstown, overnight guests must book rooms by noon on March 9. For more information about the Saturday Night Author Talk, call Ingrid at 814-262-0732 extension 242.
The Author Talk is just part of a weekend full of family fun at the 8th Annual Children’s Book Festival of Johnstown, April 8-10, 2016. Activities include author/illustrator presentations, storytellers, puppet show, folk circus featuring festival favorite Zany Umbrella Circus, writers/illustrators workshops for children, hands-on arts and crafts, new and used book sales and bookmark contest. Every child who attends the festival also receives a free book courtesy of The Learning Lamp and First Book. Admission to the festival is free!
The Festival and Saturday Night Author Talk are sponsored by The Learning Lamp, BOTTLE WORKS, PA Council on the Arts and Grable Foundation in collaboration with the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators, Western PA Region. For more information about Marc Brown, visit www.prhspeakers.com.
The Learning Lamp is a nonprofit organization with a mission to engage all children in the support they need to succeed. We deliver high quality programs that are affordable and accessible to families of all income levels. The Learning Lamp served 30,711 children from 57 school districts and 53 non-public and private schools and other organizations in 17 Pennsylvania counties and one county in Maryland in 2015.
Our programs include: one-to-one tutoring; before/after school programs; portable classrooms aimed at building math and science skills; alternative education programs for at-risk students; evidence-based prevention programs; online learning and credit recovery; SAT preparation; educationally-focused child care; literacy-based preschool programs; and grant writing and project consulting for schools.
@thelearninglamp:Ready to make a positive impact in the classroom? Ignite Education Solutions is hiring a part-time Substitute Personal Care Aide to work in the Greater Johnstown Area School District. Benefits include training and development opportunities and more! When school is off, you're off! Candidates must have a high school diploma and the ability to pass clearances. Apply online today at http://tiny.cc/4v3avz
#igniteeducationsolutions #JobOpening #jobs #jobopportunities #johnstownpa
Brown will deliver the keynote address The Aardvark Was My Warm-Up Act at the festival’s inaugural Saturday Night Author Talk. The program is designed to provide aspiring and promising children’s authors from throughout Western Pennsylvania with insight into how to successfully navigate the highly competitive children’s publishing industry. In addition to Brown, the panel includes 2016 PA One Book Author/Illustrator Will Hillenbrand, who has published more than 50 children’s books, and Karen Boss, associate editor of Charlesbridge Publishing, an independent publishing house in Watertown, Massachusetts.
