Behind the Books: Five NC Creators Talk Writing and Illustrating for Kids
Monday, May 3, 2021 - 7:00 pm (click here to register via Crowdcast)
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If you’ve ever thought of writing a children’s book, this event’s for you. Join this year’s Piedmont Laureate, Kelly Starling Lyons, for a conversation with nationally acclaimed North Carolina children’s book creators John Claude Bemis, Clay Carmichael, Jacqueline Ogburn, and Donna Washington about the whole children’s book creation process. These five writers, illustrators, storytellers, educators, and editors will share their publishing journeys, tips on creating for children, and insight into the children's literature field.
This event is part of the Piedmont Laureate program, and is co-sponsored by the Orange County Arts Commission, the Chapel Hill Public Library, the Orange County Public Library, and Flyleaf Books.
Kelly Starling Lyons is a teaching artist and award-winning children's book author whose mission is to transform moments, memories and history into stories of discovery. Her more than a dozen titles span picture books, easy readers and chapter books, fiction and nonfiction, standalone and series. She counts starred reviews, Junior Library Guild and Bank Street Best selections, National Trade Books in the Field of Social Studies and Scholastic Reading Club picks among the accolades her books have received. Titles include Sing a Song: How Lift Every Voice & Sing Inspired Generations, Going Down Home with Daddy, the Jada Jones chapter book series, One More Dino on the Floor, Hope's Gift, Ellen's Broom, Tea Cakes for Tosh and One Million Men and Me.
John Claude Bemis is the award-winning author of seven books for young readers including The Wooden Prince (Disney-Hyperion) and The Nine Pound Hammer (Random House). He was selected as North Carolina’s Piedmont Laureate for Children’s Literature in 2013 and received the Excellence in Teaching Award from UNC-Chapel Hill for his work as an author-educator. He leads writing workshops and story consultations. John lives in Hillsborough, NC. Visit him at johnclaudebemis.com.
Donna Washington is an internationally known master storyteller, artist educator, and published author who has been performing for audiences of all ages for over thirty-three years. She is renowned for her storytelling for both children & adults from poignant & funny fables about the human condition to racy relationship stories to spine-tingling tales of terror. She has been featured at numerous festivals, schools, libraries, theaters, and other venues around the world. Donna's eleven storytelling CDs have garnered thirty national awards. She has authored numerous articles about storytelling and education, including her very popular blog, Language, Literacy & Storytelling. She is also the author of four children’s books: Li’l Rabbit’s Kwanzaa, A Pride of African Tales, The Story of Kwanzaa, and A Big Spooky House. Her fifth, Boo Stew, will be out in fall of 2021. She travels all over the world performing and giving workshops, but she lives with her husband and two cats in Durham, NC. 
Clay Carmichael is the author-Illustrator of the picture books Bear at the Beach, Used-Up Bear and Lonesome Bear (bound together as Bear at the Beach and Other Adventures) and the MG and YA novels Wild Things and Brother, Brother. Her books have been published in many languages. She lives with her sculptor-husband Mike Roig in Carrboro, NC. www.claycarmichael.com
Jacqueline K. Ogburn is the author of ten picture books and a middle-grade novel for children, The Unicorn in the Barn. Her books have earned starred reviews and have been translated into Korean, French, Greek and Japanese. Jacqueline grew up in Winston-Salem, N.C. and worked in New York in book publishing for ten years. She and her husband live in a suddenly hip neighborhood in Durham, N.C., where she writes and works at a local major university.
Preorder for September 2021 release!
