The event will be held on Saturday, Nov. 15, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and feature various activities, including some on the following day.
The Moorestown library’s fourth annual local author fest will feature 28 nonfiction/fiction, teen, adult and children’s book authors and illustrators on Saturday, Nov. 15, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
“It’s nice that we get to meet local authors and it’s nice that community members get to meet folks that are local or fairly local and just learn about their work and what’s out there,” said Caitlin Hawe-Ndrio, head of the library’s adult services. She helped plan the event with youth services librarian Emily Baldassano and adult services librarian Erin Oswald.
Author fest will also include activities for all ages. Roll a Story with Miss Donna will be held from 10:30 to 11:30 a.m. in the Collab Lab. Children from 5 to 10 years old will create a story using dice and a Roll-a-Story board. A roll-a-story is a creative writing activity where children use dice to randomly generate story elements like a character, setting and problem.
Players roll the dice to get different components and then combine them to write or tell a unique story. Each participant will be given their own journal to create a story. An adult must remain in the library with children under 10. Registration isn’t required but supplies and space are limited.
Beginner short-story writing will take place from noon to 1 p.m. also in the Collab Lab. It will focus on the two essential ingredients that make up the short story: character and conflict. Short examples of the form will be read and a craft discussion will follow. The program is for adults and requires no registration.
A scavenger hunt will be held on Saturday and Sunday, Nov. 16. Patrons can visit the library from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. for an author-themed scavenger hunt. Instructions will be available at the library’s info desk and families can visit the library’s youth services department. This activity is for all ages and registration isn’t required.
Last year, Hawe-Ndrio saw the event’s authors and illustrators not only connect with the residents but also network with each other. It’s wonderful, she noted, to see that grow every year.
“This drums up a lot of interest from people that may not have known this many authors or illustrators existed in their local or semi-local community, so it’s really nice to see,” she observed. “It’s nice to meet new faces and meet new authors every year, and you get to talk to them a little bit about maybe why they started writing or what their new book is about, so I always enjoy doing that.”
Author fest is sponsored by the Friends of the Moorestown Library. Signings and book sales will take place at each table. Authors will accept payment in Venmo, cash, etc.
For updates, visit the library website or its social media.
