Wind down Saturday with a Page to Screen Celebration featuring The Wild Robot, the beloved book-turned-film about a robot learning to survive and belong in the wild. Enjoy robot-themed activities and giveaways that celebrate the Wild Robot series. A cozy, family-friendly way to close out the day and a great conversation starter for educators and parents about linking STEM learning to literature.
Day: Saturday September 19th
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Color, Craft, Create with The Creative Representation Empire
Not every story needs words. The Creative Representation Empire (TCRE) brings a hands-on art activity to the stage, giving young readers a chance to build their own story through color and imagination. It’s a perfect midday reset for families at the festival – no experience necessary, just a willingness to imagine. Educators, come see creative expression in action; families, come make something to take home. A joyful, low-key way to keep the momentum going all afternoon.
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From Sketch to Storytime: Illustrator’s Way
Every picture book starts as a scribble in a sketchpad. Go behind the page with author-illustrator Meghana Narayan and illustrator Seo Kim for a hands-on look at how picture books go from rough sketch to storytime favorite. Educators and parents will pick up new ways to talk about art and storytelling with young readers, while kids get a firsthand peek at the creative process. Bring your curiosity (and maybe a sketchbook for this behind-the-scenes look at how illustrators bring stories to life, one drawing at a time.
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Growing Hearts & Community in Picture Books
Some of the best lessons in community and kindness come in 32 pages or less. Join award-winning authors Carole Boston Weatherford, Shadra Strickland, and B. Sharise Moore for a conversation about picture books that build empathy, belonging, and connection in young readers. Educators and parents will walk away with fresh titles for the classroom and living room shelf, plus real talk about writing stories that help kids see themselves — and their neighbors — with open hearts. A can’t-miss session for anyone building a more compassionate reading list.
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Spooky Season Starts Here: Tiffany D. Jackson on “Ghost in the Night”
Stories live here — and this one comes with ghosts. Calling all mystery lovers and ghost hunters: bestselling author Tiffany D. Jackson is spilling the secrets behind her spooky new book, Ghost in the Night — follow-up to her middle-grade debut Blood in the Water. Grab a booklover and join the conversation with co-moderators Amber O’Neal Johnston and Desira Stewart. Ask your burning questions, get the goosebumps, and find your next favorite read.
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African Storytelling with Grandma Edna
The day kicks off with a beat you can feel in your heart. African Griot and Drumming with Grandma Edna is a lively, participatory performance rooted in oral storytelling traditions that go beyond the written word. Little ones and grown-ups alike will clap, sing, and move together as Grandma Edna weaves rhythm, call-and-response, and history into every beat. It’s the perfect on-ramp into a full day of stories — proof that community storytelling has always carried our histories forward. Show up ready to move.
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Snug Books Presents: The Family Secrets We Inherit
A propulsive, never-before-told story of one family’s shocking involvement as Nazi and Japanese spies during WWII and the pivotal role they played in the bombing of Pearl Harbor. It began with a letter from a screenwriter, asking about a story. Your family. World War II. Nazi spies. Christine Kuehn was shocked and confused. When she asked her seventy-year-old father, Eberhard, what this could possibly be about, he stalled, deflected, demurred, and then wept. He knew this day would come. Jumping back and forth between Christine discovering her family’s secret and the untold past of the spies in Germany, Japan, and Hawaii, Family of Spies is fast-paced history at its finest and will rewrite the narrative of December 7, 1941.
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Snug Books Presents: Kat Stoddard in Conversation with Emily J. Smith
A modern retelling of The Philadelphia Story, Wasp’s Nest is a witty, gripping love triangle unfolding over the course of seven chaotic days at a Cape Cod wedding – a fast-paced, humorous, and heartfelt exploration of the shape of our affections that proves real love triangles connect on all sides.
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Queering Baltimore Lit, featuring The Workshop Prince, Alison Lubar, T. Mae Moll, Aldrin Badiola, & Ashley Elizabeth
Baltimore’s queer and trans artists are a huge part of the city’s literary brilliance. Join two Baltimore-based publishers for a live reading showcasing queer dynamos, featuring authors, editorial board members, and contributors to fifth wheel press anthologies and Mason Jar Press‘ Jarnal. Featured readers include writer and drag king Zoe Leonard, The Workshop Prince and a Kundiman fellow, who will also serve as the moderator: Alison Lubar, queer, biracial Nikkei poet, educator and author of two full-length poetry books, The Other Tree and Metamourphosis: T. Mae Moll, the Lambda Literary Award winner for Out of Step: A Memoir and the executive poetry editor for Mason Jar Press: Filipino poet and author of Patrilineal and Prey, Aldrin Badiola (he/him) who is also the editor-in-chief of Artists from Maryland: Ashley Elizabeth (she/her), teacher and a Pushcart-nominated author of the full-length collection A Family Thing and four chapbooks, including red line and CHARM(ed). Co-produced by Sarah Daniels, the new publisher and executive director of Mason Jar Press who writes fiction under the pseudonym Persephone King, and nat raum—editor-in-chief of fifth wheel press and author of origin trilogy and this book will not save you—this reading highlights some of Baltimore’s best queer and trans writers who will read work spanning a variety of topics such as LGBTQ+ issues, family and legacy, and identity.
fifth wheel press is an independent community-focused publisher of art and writing by queer, trans, and gender variant creators. Mason Jar Press is an independent publisher of fiction, poetry, nonfiction, and literary art that mixes it up. They amplify fresh voices and promote bold work that pushes the boundaries of literary norms, and they believe literature should not only sustain readers but also inspire their curiosity to examine the status quo.