Writing for Children - Kingston Library

Writing for Children:

A Discussion Panel with Local Children’s Book Authors

In celebration of Children’s Authors & Illustrators Week, we’ll be holding a panel discussion with four local children’s book authors to talk about the art of writing for a young audience.

This event is a great way for aspiring writers to get insider tips and for fans of the genre to take a peek behind the curtain to see how beloved stories come to life.

Authors will have books for sale and be available for signings after the discussion.

All ages welcome.

Author	About
	Gabrielle Balkan is best known for non-fiction books that delight readers ages 5 - 12 with curious and essential facts about the United States and animal record-breakers. Her books include four titles in The 50 States series, three titles in the Book of Bones series. Megafauna: Discover the Giant Animals That Once Roamed the Earth and The Met: Georgia O’Keefe: She Saw the World in a Flower. She lives, works, and rides bikes in the Hudson Valley with her twins and a writer husband.
	Jennifer Castle is the author of sixteen books for children and teens, including the novels for "Blaire Wilson," American Girl's Girl of the Year 2019. Her YA novels published by HarperCollins include "The Beginning of After," which was an American Library Association Best Fiction for Young Adults selection, "You Look Different in Real Life," "What Happens Now," and "Together at Midnight." Her four-book middle grade fantasy series from Bloomsbury USA is "Butterfly Wishes." She’s also the co-author of two non-fiction books: "Famous Friends" and "Friends and Frenemies: The Good, The Bad, and The Awkward." Her "Aristokittens" chapter book series, a sequel to Disney's iconic animated film "The Aristocats," is forthcoming this April. Jennifer lives in New Paltz with one husband, two kids, and five cats.
	Dan Poblocki is an author of mystery and horror novels for young people. He was born in Providence, Rhode Island. During his pre-teen years, his family moved to Basking Ridge, New Jersey. His books have been translated into French, Greek, Russian, German, Polish, and Farsi. Dan currently lives in Saugerties, NY with two scaredy cats. He graduated from Syracuse University with a degree in theater. Subsequently, he toured the United States playing ultra-challenging roles such as Ichabod Crane in The Legend of Sleepy Hollow and the Shoemaker in The Shoemaker and the Elves to packed houses filled with literally thousands of screaming children. (He hopes they weren’t screaming in fear.) Dan now writes full time. He's probably working on something new this very minute!
	Aileen Weintraub is the author of the middle-grade social justice book WE GOT GAME! 35 Female Athletes Who Changed the World and the best-selling Never Too Young: 50 Unstoppable Kids Who Made a Difference, which won a Parents’ Choice Award. Working in collaboration with the American Museum of Natural History, her book Secrets of the American Museum of Natural History was released in 2019. Inspired by the athletes in WE GOT GAME! Aileen has taken up boxing. She lives in New York with her family, and her dog Monte, who sits beside her while she writes. She pronounces her name with a long A, like the first letter of the alphabet. She has also written numerous essays and articles for The Washington Post, HuffPost, NBC, AARP, Glamour, and other publications. Her newest book, Knocked Down: A High-Risk Memoir, which is releasing on March 1st!
	Brian James will host the panel discussion. In addition to being a librarian here at Kingston, he has written numerous children's books, including the Pirate School, Catkid, and SuperTwins series. He's also the author of several YA novels including Pure Sunshine, Zombie Blondes, and Life is But a Dream