FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 18, 2020
The Everywhere Book Fest: Bringing the Festival Experience to Everyone, Everywhere!
The Everywhere Book Fest announces its first online children’s book festival scheduled for May 1 and May 2, 2020. Founded by authors Melanie Conklin, Ellen Oh, and Christina Soontornvat, the aim is to bring the celebration and joy of the book festival experience directly into the homes of readers everywhere. Authors Gene Luen Yang and Nic Stone are the keynote speakers for the inaugural festival. Panel submissions will open on March 18, 2020.
The idea for Everywhere Book Fest came about when the founders watched as dozens of book festivals and events were canceled all over the world. They wanted to give disappointed attendees and authors a way to connect. The vision for the virtual book festival quickly took shape: an online event that would bring kidlit creators and readers together, even while they are isolated. Streaming technology will allow attendees to ask questions during live sessions, while the virtual nature of the event opens up new possibilities. “We want this to be really engaging because we know that so many people watching have been stuck at home and would love to see something fun and uplifting,” said Soontornvat.
The event will be viewable from the Everywhere Book Fest website and YouTube channel. Everywhere Book Fest will direct online sales from its expected 10,000 attendees to independent bookstores, particularly those hard hit by the event cancellations. The festival will also be partnering with We Need Diverse Books to distribute books to schools, libraries and community-based literacy programs in need around the country. To donate books, click here.
About We Need Diverse Books. We Need Diverse Books is a grassroots organization of children’s book lovers that advocates essential changes in the publishing industry to produce and promote literature that reflects and honors the lives of all young people. www.wndb.local
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Press Contact: Alaina Lavoie, alainalavoie@wndb.local
