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ASHLAND – Once Upon A BookFest… A Clocktown Festival For The Young At Heart, is being planned by the Ashland Public Library and Arts Ashland Alliance.
Originally planned for May 2020, this event was postponed because of the pandemic. The Festival will now be held at the Ashland Public Library on Saturday, May 14, 2022 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and will celebrate children’s books, authors and readers ranging from Picture Books to Middle Grade, to YA, and Comics.
Once Upon A Book Fest… is a free one of a kind book festival devoted to kids, tweens, teens, and their families. The day will be spent in workshops, meeting the authors, and hangingout with fellow book lovers.
“We are excited to be able to present Ashland’s first Children’s Book Festival that will allow children of all reading levels to meet and interact with a diverse selection of authors and illustrators,” said Bonnie Mitchell of the Arts Ashland Alliance.
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“At this free day-long event, local families will have an opportunity to ask questions about the creative process, participate in activities, and be exposed to various cultures represented in stories and illustrations. The event will reinforce the value of reading, inspire children to write and/or illustrate their own stories and create a greater awareness of resources available at the Library,” said Mitchell.
The library will be hosting authors and illustrators including Nandini Bajpai, LJ Baptiste, (Ashlander) Jonathan Follett, Josh Funk, (Ashlander) Daphne Garcia, Jannie Ho, Kelly Light, Lois McAuliffe (APL’s children’s librarian), Debbi Michiko Florence, Mark Parisi, Ganesh Ramachandran and Smitha Radhakrishnan, and Tak Toyoshima at the First Annual Once Upon A BookFest Children’s Book Festival!
“The Ashland Public Library is thrilled to be on the forefront of connecting children with authors, illustrators, their library, and with art!” said Meena Jain, Director of the Ashland Public Library. “We bring this unique opportunity to the community and area, fully cognizant of the fact that children and families have had a difficult two years and it is our hope that they will join us for what will be an educational and fun day.”
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The Book Festival will include a day full of hands-on workshops, author presentations, book selling and signing, food trucks, and more! Escape Into Fiction, will be the bookseller on site. Food vendors, Sethjis and Dulce De Leche will set up tents in the front lawn of the library with family friendly food options. Brochures and maps will be available at the event to help attendees navigate the programs and signings.
Once Upon a Book Fest is presented by Arts! Ashland Alliance and the Ashland Public Library. The sponsors include the Friends of the Ashland Public Library, Mass Cultural Council, Ashland Cultural Council, Ashland Mom’s Club, Ashland Select Board (BAA grant), the Metrowest Visitor’s Bureau, and Erica’s Ristorante.
The Book Festival organizing committee includes, Bonnie Mitchell (Arts Ashland Alliance), Lois McAuliffe (APL Children’s Librarian), Meena Jain (Director, APL) and Visi Tilak (Writer, Storyteller, and Owner of Visi’s Creations).
The organizers have set up an eventbrite registration for attendees to register before the event. This is to plan how many chairs to put out, how many markers to buy, and how much food to have on hand. The organizers are excited to have the Ashland and neighboring communities participate in this event and foster the love of reading and writing among children of all ages.
The registration link is at – https://www.eventbrite.com/e/290885114207
Question? Email info@onceuponabookfest.com
Visit www.onceuponabookfest.com
Facebook: @onceuponabookfest
Twitter: @onceuponabookfest
Instagram: @onceuponabookfest
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In full transparency, the report above and photo were submitted to SOURCE media for publication.
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