Louisiana Book Festival: Programs

Ceremonies

Louisiana Young Readers’ Choice Award
Honoring Two Bobbies
by Jean Cassels, Kirby Larson and Mary Nethery
With Lt. Governor Jay Dardenne
Rebecca Hamilton, Presiding

Louisiana Writes!
The Louisiana Writing Project recognizes the winners of their statewide Louisiana Writes writing contest.

Readings and Book Talks

Dianne de Las Casas, The House that Witchy Built
Catherine Gourley,
The Horrors of Andersonville: Life and Death Inside a Civil War Prison
John and Joanna Haynes, Ole War Skule: The Story of Saturday Night
Katherine and John Paterson, The Flint Heart
Spelile Rivas, No Time for Monsters/No Tiempo para Monstruos
Rose Anne St. Romain, Monsieur Durand’s Grosse Affaire
Ed Shankman and Dave O’Neill, The Bourbon Street Band Is Back

Demonstrations

Eliana Marisol, Eliana Cooks!: Recipes for Creative Kids

Discussions

Beyond Two Bobbies: A Discussion of LYRC Award Winning Authors’ New Books
Jean Cassels, The Cajun Nutcracker
Kirby Larson, The Friendship Doll
Mary Nethery,
The Famous Nini: A Mostly True Story of How a Plain White Cat Became a Star

Blue Dogs, a Cajun Beagle, Kids' Books and Collaborations
George Rodrigue and Ken Wells discuss their evolution into the world of children's books and young adult literature.

Children Writing Books for Children
Dee Scallan and Fifth Graders from Dufrocq Elementary School
With Lt. Gov. Jay Dardenne

Girls in Charge: Three Feisty YA Heroines
In their first novels written for the YA audience, mystery writer, Julie Smith, novelist, Judy Christie, and debut YA novelist, Jen Violi, each created a teenage girl facing a most unusual life challenge. The three authors will discuss the fascinating stories of these strong female protagonists with moderator, Marigny Dupuy, a book columnist for the New Orleans Times-Picayune.

Superhero Surtain: Future President of the United States Combats Katrina
Author James Michalik and illustrator Scott Smith will co-present an entertaining and interactive demonstration of how this story was developed and published. They will also discuss the utilization of Superhero Surtain: Future President of the United States Combats Katrina as a vehicle which has assisted students from fifth through eleventh grades to express their experiences, memories, and emotions concerning Hurricane Katrina.

Sword Fighting Santas, Warrior Eggs and Flying Books!
How William Joyce and Moonbot Studios’ new book series is making Louisiana the next center of movies, apps and book publishing.