2013 Children / Teens Participants

Listed in alphabetical order

David Biedrzycki

Imagine It So: The Art of Digitized Illustrations — Saturday 10:00 AM

David Biedrzycki has been drawing since the tender age of four. Over fifty years! Growing up he wrote illustrated and illustrated his own books for family and friends. A commercial artist since 1980 his art has appeared in magazines, book covers, billboards, juice bottles, and even ice cream boxes. He illustrated his first children’s book in 1996. He is the author and illustrator of the award winning Ace Lacewing Bug Detective series. Now David has returned to his first love of writing and illustrating his own books. He also visits over 70 schools a year all over the world sharing his passion with aspiring writers, illustrators, and readers.
You can visit David’s website at: www.davidbiedrzycki.com

Christine Brodien-Jones

Fantasy and the Power of Place — Saturday 11:00 AM

Christine Brodien-Jones is the author of middle-grade fantasy novels The Owl Keeper (2010), The Scorpions of Zahir (2012) and The Glass Puzzle (July 2013), all published by Delacorte Press/Random House. The Scorpions of Zahir, called “a wild ride indeed” by Kirkus, has been compared to Indiana Jones (Booklist) and Treasure Island (VOYA). Christine studied creative writing at Emerson College and has worked as a journalist, editor and teacher. She began writing children’s books in graduate school, drawn into the world of fantasy while reading to her two young sons. Christine and her husband Peter divide their time between Gloucester, Massachusetts and Deer Isle, Maine and can be found most winters in Buenos Aires.  http://www.cbrodien-jones.com/

Ann McCrea

Clay Creations Sculpting Workshop — Saturday 9:00 AM

Ann McCrea’s work has been displayed at galleries in New England, including the McCoy Gallery, the Robert Lehman Art Center, The Center for the Arts at the Newburyport Firehouse, the Newburyport Art Association, Maudslay State Park, the Carl Youngman Gallery, and the Gallery Della-Piana. Her CLAY•WORKS program is based on the belief that story telling and art making are common and valuable parts of our humanity. For more than 20 years, Ann has engaged children in programs designed to enliven reading themes and complement school curriculum. http://www.amcreatingart.com/

Linda Snow McLoon

Calling All Horse Lovers — Saturday 1:00 PM

After retiring from careers as a maritime museum director and director of a living facility for retired women, Linda Snow McLoon finally had time for a writing project that was conceived back in her “horsey days.” Her interest in horses had continued from a horse-loving girl to, as an adult, competing in horse competitions, instructing young riders, and rescuing Thoroughbred race horses from the racetrack. Her first two young adult books for horse lovers, Crown Prince and Crown Prince Challenged, were published in 2012 by Trafalgar Square Books. They have been well received by horse lovers of all ages, and Linda hopes her late entry into the world of publishing will serve as an inspiration for other “late blooming” authors. She grew up in Maine’s Belgrade Lakes Region, and minored in writing at the University of Southern Maine. Linda and her husband, Richard McLoon, live in Portland, Maine with their Arkansas rescue dog, Brandy.

Matthew Quick

Opening Ceremony – Friday 6:00 PM

The Writer's Perspective: An Honest Conversation About Mental Health
— Saturday 2:30 PM

Matthew Quick (aka Q) is the New York Times bestselling author of several novels, including THE SILVER LININGS PLAYBOOK, which was made into an Academy Award-nominated film. His work has been translated into more than twenty languages and has received a PEN/Hemingway Award Honorable Mention, among other accolades.
Q lives in Massachusetts with his wife, novelist/pianist Alicia Bessette.
www.matthewquickwriter.com

Evan Roskos

The Writer's Perspective: An Honest Conversation About Mental Health
— Saturday 2:30 PM

Evan Roskos was born and raised in New Jersey, a state often maligned for its air and politics but rightly praised for its produce. One of Narrative’s Best New Writers, Roskos’s short fiction has appeared in Granta’s New Voices online feature, as well as in journals such as Story Quarterly, The Hummingbird Review, and BestFiction.org. His debut novel Dr. Bird’s Advice for Sad Poets (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt) releases in March 2013.

Irene Smalls

Set Imaginations Moving — Saturday 11:30 AM

"As a former Miss Black New York State, Young Ambassador to Europe, and a student activist, I have had a lot of jobs, ranging from model, actress and radio reporter, to running my own business, establishing a networking group for business professionals, and working in the government,”says Irene Smalls. “But the job I really like is writing children’s books. I write very simple stories about my children (Dawn, Kevin Logan, and Jonathan) and my childhood. I grew up in Harlem in the 1950’s. Back then, Harlem was a small, southern black community that just happened to be in the North. The dialect, the foods, the morals and values were Southern. Harlem was a ghetto of softness and strength, a community of open doors and open hearts that loved it’s children.” Irene Smalls captures these sentiments in each of her books. From her first children’s book Irene and the Big Fine Nickel, inspired by her fond memories of Harlem, to Kevin and his Dad, about a boy and his father spending a special day together, to her latest double dutching, Don’t Say Ain’t, Smalls’ writing stresses “softness and strength.” Her straight forward stories expose the strong emotions of families and communities, and the joyful effects these things have on life. Irene Smalls graduated from Cornell University with a B.A. and has an M.B.A. from NYU. She currently lives in Boston, MA.

Jane Sutton

The Name Game — Saturday 10:30 AM

Jane Sutton is the author of seven children's books, with an eighth due out this fall. Growing up (although she never completely grew up) on Long Island, she wrote stories and essays and developed a sense of humor to deal with the indignities of childhood. At Brandeis University, Jane majored in Comparative Literature, and as a result of a sociology class assignment to try something new, discovered a passion for writing for children. Her published titles include The Trouble With Cauliflower (picture book), Me and the Weirdos (middle grade novel), and Definitely Not Sexy (YA novel). Jane is also a writing tutor for elementary through college students, teaches a community education class on writing for kids, and gives author talks in schools, bookstores and libraries. Her presentations are designed to inform, entertain, and inspire children to want to write themselves. Jane and her husband, Alan Ticotsky, an educator and science author, live in Lexington, Massachusetts and have two grown children who live in the Boston area. Jane’s child-friendly website: www.jane-sutton.com