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Keynote Speaker:
Jason Reynolds
Jason is a #1 New York Times bestselling author of novels and poetry for young adult and middle-grade audiences. His latest release, Twenty-Four Seconds from Now, tackles the topic of a young boy’s “first time” in an unfiltered and undeniably sweet stream of consciousness story. Some of his other works include National Book Award, Finalist Look Both Ways, Caldecott Honor There Was a Party for Langston, and Ain’t Burned All The Bright, a Caldecott Honor winner. In his works, Jason aims to depict the rich inner lives of kids of color and ensure that they see themselves and their communities in literature.
Welcome to Delaware, Festival of Words and Woodbridge High School Jason Reynolds!
Adriana Camacho-Church is a bilingual children’s book author. Her first book
Grandma, Where Will Your Love Go?/¿Abuela adónde irá tu amor? was published in 2023 and her second book Grandma’s Hair is Ankle Length/El Cabello de abuela le llega hasta los tobillos was published in 2024. She was born in Colombia where her grandmother helped raise her and her brothers and sisters. After Adriana and her immediate family moved to the United States, she never saw her grandmother again, but never forgot her grandma’s strong and compassionate character. Adriana grew up in Chicago and Los Angeles where she learned to integrate two cultures and languages. She currently lives in Delaware, where she works as a freelance writer and as a paraprofessional in Delaware’s public libraries. Adriana Camacho-Church’s bilingual picture books are for ages 4-8 and are rich with inspiration.
Her audiences attract ESL and bilingual children through her powerfully meaningful stories. Her interactive book presentation consists of: singing and a presentation of her award winning books and highlights about her as an author.
A Webster Award winner and three-time Dragon Award finalist, Chris Kennedy is a Science Fiction/Fantasy author, speaker, and small-press publisher who has written over 70 books and published more than 500 others. Get his free book, “Shattered Crucible,” at his website, https://chriskennedypublishing.com. A retired naval aviator, he uses his experience to give authenticity to his military science fiction stories.
Called “fantastic” and “a great speaker,” he has coached hundreds of beginning authors and budding novelists on how to self-publish their stories at a variety of conferences, conventions, and writing guild presentations. He is the author of the award-winning #1 bestseller, “Self-Publishing for Profit: How to Get Your Book Out of Your Head and Into the Stores.”
Chris lives in Coinjock, North Carolina, with his wife, Sheellah, and is the holder of a doctorate in educational leadership and master’s degrees in both business and public administration. Follow Chris on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/ckpublishing/.
Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/ChrisKennedy110
Author: https://www.amazon.com/default/e/B00E4MIJA8/
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/ChrisKennedyPublishing
Student/Author Podcast with Madison
Note: Thorir (pronounce like Thor – it’s easier)
The award-winning authors, Victoria Pannell and Thorir Sigfusson, are a husband-and-wife team. Thorir was born and raised in Iceland until the age of twelve, when his family relocated to the United States. Victoria was born in Wilmington, Delaware, and raised in the small town of Pleasantville, New Jersey. She has a degree in English and education and an MBA. The writing team met while working on the major renovation of the Reagan National Airport more than thirty-five years ago.
Their backgrounds are as diverse as their stories. Thorir is a retired architect who discovered his passion for writing later in life, finding joy in translating his artistic inclinations into words. Victoria, with her extensive experience in teaching and public relations, brings a nuanced understanding of young readers’ minds to their collaborative works. Together, they draw inspiration from their rich life experiences and four grandchildren, who spark their creativity and drive their storytelling. The couple enjoys living with their three neon tetras named Shakespear, Aristotle, and Stephen King. They’re thrilled to bring young readers their series, The Crow’s Tales, with The Bird Caper, The Big Dream, and more to come!
Victoria E. Pannell & Thorir Sigfusson
Instagram.com/pannellsigfusson
Facebook.com/pannellsigfusson
https://Amazon.com/author/pannellsigfusson.com
Dr. Eugene D. Hayes is a highly accomplished professional with over 24 years of experience in the Public Health Service. He holds a Ph.D. in Health Sciences/Health Care Administration, an MBA in Healthcare Management, and a Bachelor's in Health Services Administration. Dr. Hayes has made significant contributions to public health, healthcare administration, and substance abuse prevention throughout his career.
As the founder of Hayes Family Enterprises, LLC, and Future First, Inc., Dr. Hayes is dedicated to empowering families and guiding children toward success. He continues to apply his expertise as a senior project officer/consultant for the Department of Health and Human Services, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.
Dr. Hayes' passion for teaching and sharing knowledge extends to his role as an adjunct professor at South College for Health Administration. He is committed to making a positive impact on the healthcare industry and empowering others to achieve their full potential.
Quote from Author:
"The Doors of Opportunity Are Marked Push and Pull, Choose One." – Dr. Eugene D. Hayes
Aggie L Jae is not a stranger to Festival of Words OR to experiences that stem from her life to her storietelling. As Ms. Jae tells,
"I was born and given the name Linda June – Aggie L. Jae is my pen name, given to me by my two grandsons — on a pretty, rain-showery day in the month of April, 1955 in Pottstown Pennsylvania. I was my parents first child and remained so until my first sister was born four years later.
During my first four years, I had my parents to myself, especially my father who did everything with me. Dad and I would play games, listen to music and sing songs. He would take me on adventures through the woods and teach me things about the different animals and how to respect the environment. He taught me how to identify the many kinds of trees and plants. He taught me to listen to and remember all the beautifully unique bird songs. He also taught me how to find my way in the woods by looking at the sun to know what direction I needed to go to find my way home. Dad was amazing."
That is not all- there is so much more that will draw you into Ms. Aggie Jae's storytelling. Don't hesitate to take these rich experiences in!
As a child Timothy Young always wondered who made the toys he played with, who wrote and illustrated the books he read and who made the cartoons he watched. He grew up to be someone who has done creative work in all of those fields. Tim is the author/illustrator of 16 books including I Hate Picture Books!, The Angry Little Puffin, Do Not Open The Box! and the unusually titled untitled. He recently published his first middle grade, Mac and the Millstone of Time. He has designed toys, worked in animation and done other creative jobs including working on the Penny cartoons for Pee-Wee’s Playhouse, building Muppets and sculpting the very first Simpsons toys. He also created the pool toy The Chicken Fight Game.
facebook.com/timothy.young.author
instagram.com/timothyyoungauthor
Kelly Lidji is the author of The Haunting Clarity books. A series bringing to life the tales of lesser known Delaware ghosts and haunted places. Kelly grew up in Delaware. She spent many years as both a teacher and Children’s Librarian. Spending her summers doing musical theater in Ocean City, Md. She spent her life reading scary stories and even now is reading a spooky book, I guarantee it. Being a part of the 2023 Festival of Words, she is no stranger to the fascination of YA and local lore. The collections of conjured local stories that she is able to share help define Delaware in mysterious ways to many readers.
Angelo K Menefee's primer reflects on meeting parents, guardians, high school, middle school, elementary school, and pre-school students. He finds that every child is very special in their own way. That's why Billy will introduce you to his special friends that do special workouts. These books show you that you can also participate with your kids at home and have fun. All four Menefee books ("With the Help of Love, I Can Do Anything", "Billy's First Summer Vacation", "Billy's First Job", and "Let's Meet Billy's Special Olympian Friends" are multicultural.
See Angelo Menefee's Harrington Article
Lina Miller is a wife, mother of two boys, and an educator. She has 20+ years of experience as an elementary school teacher in Delaware. She always thought of herself as a "math person," but ever since she taught first graders, she fell in love with teaching children how to read.
Decode by Heart came as a result of teaching students the foundations of reading, but then noticing a lack of general trade books appropriate for her students. Lina decided she could help children be successful readers by publishing a series of books that focuses on what new and struggling readers need: simple, decodable sentences paired with a few story words that build with each story. She wanted to do this, but also give the young readers lovable characters that they could follow on various adventures.
This exciting author brings science fiction into teality for YA audiences. Chris Maddox started reading science fiction and fantasy as soon as he could read. He's been looking up to the stars ever since. When he's not writing, he works as an electronics technician in the Aerospace Industry. He lives in Delaware with his wife, Christine and their two dogs.
Visit Christopher Maddox's World!
Gavin Thomas was born in Salisbury, MD and raised in Ocean View, DE. Growing up, he was sometimes bullied because other students and teachers didn't understand him, due to him having autism.
Despite this, he treated them with kindness and made friends with many of his classmates, mostly girls, as a result. He's enjoyed creative writing since he was a child and would write stories with action and/or romance, but never thought it would go anywhere until he came up with the idea of Tomboy And Tomgirl, a story about a tomboyish girl and a girly boy who became superheroes thanks to the archangels and had a roles-reversed romantic relationship founded on true love and respect. The story later became a trilogy with a passing-the-torch theme, meaning each book features a different set of main characters, but follows the same storyline.
Connect with Gavin:
Facebook profile: https://www.facebook.com/gavinthomas219?mibextid=ZbWKwL
A link to purchase the series: https://www.amazon.com/Tomboy-And-Tomgirl-3-book-series/dp/B0CGPFY7D9
Interview with CoastLife https://youtu.be/Sbd_Kx9VLEo?si=5jxVSZrkMZhvIeEF
Article from Coastal Point: https://www.coastalpoint.com/lifestyle/arts_entertainment/laurel-author-thomas-pens-superhero-trilogy/article_0f665656-b8bb-11ef-bb31-5b3e3291aa8f.html
A personality quiz made about some of the characters in his books! https://www.buzzfeed.com/fluffydog445/tomboy-and-tomgirl-first-two-books-personality-qu-g9drah9ww1
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