The Chelsea District Library will hold its 4th annual Authors in Chelsea event on Wednesday, March 20.
This daylong event first brings three nationally known authors to Chelsea schools to present workshops, free of charge. Then, children and their families are invited to the library that night from 6:30-8 p.m. to meet the authors and get books signed.
“In all small communities the schools and the district library need to have a strong relationship,” Marcus Kaemming, principal of North Creek Elementary said in a press release.
“We have students, staff, and families using both our building library and the Chelsea District Library to enrich our mutual goals,” he said, adding, “One great way in which North Creek Elementary and the Chelsea District Library foster this relationship is bringing in relevant authors to support our students’ efforts.”
He said the children thrive on making real life connections and these authors assist with this.
So, this year’s line-up includes:
- Dori Hillestad Butler, author of the chapter book series, The Buddy Files and 2011’s Edgar Award winner for Best Juvenile Mystery
- Tim Smith, Michigan author of the Buck Wilder series
- Kenneth Oppel, author of many adventure/fantasy books for middle grade readers, including the popular trilogy Silverwing, Sunwing and Firewing, and the novel Airborn, and its sequels, Skybreaker and Stairclimber.
“Authors in Chelsea has been an annual event for four years, and this year is going to be the best yet,” Karen Persello, head of Youth and Teen Services at the library said.
“I am particularly thrilled about the new Authors in Chelsea website we are building, which will offer students new ways to get engaged with the authors, through podcasts, games and other features,” Persello said.
Through intensive workshops with the authors, students will work to improve their creative writing and reading abilities, and the library donated books by each author to the participating school classrooms.
“It’s exciting to see our students reading Kenneth Oppel’s books and then seeking out more books by him in our Media Center,” said Nick Angel, Beach Middle School principal.
Each author will visit Chelsea schools to teach writing workshops in the morning and afternoon for students in 2nd, 4th and 6th grades.
Everyone is invited to the library in the evening to hear a brief presentation from each author, ask questions, and then get book(s) signed. Books by each author will be available for purchase at the library, courtesy of Chelsea’s Just Imagine bookstore.
Authors in Chelsea is a joint venture of the library and the schools. It’s made possible with grants from the Chelsea Education Foundation, the Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs, and the National Endowment for the Arts, and with funding from the Friends of Chelsea District Library.
