In-Person Children’s Events at S2G’s Montclair Literary Festival October 2 – Baristanet

Montclair, NJ – The fifth annual Succeed2gether’s Montclair Literary Festival will host five free and in-person children’s and YA events this coming Saturday October 2.

Kicking off the day at 10am will be ‘The Fonz’ Henry Winkler in conversation with co-author Lin Oliver in a free online/hybrid event live from Hollywood! Henry will talk about his journey as a dyslexic student to a Hollywood superstar to a children’s author of the “Hank Zipzer” & “Alien Nation” series. The audience will be in-person in the Montclair Public Library Auditorium. The first 50 families through the door will receive a copy of Henry Winkler’s most recent children’s book Hollywood vs. The Galaxy: Alien Superstar #3, thanks to Stanton Realtors. A great event for the entire family!

Also at 10am will be a YA/Teen talk with local author Hayley Krischer, exploring the complexities of girls’ relationships, with poet and professor Nicole Cooley. Hayley’s new book The Falling Girls is an intoxicating thriller about the dark paths female friendships can take, set against the backdrop of a high school cheerleading squad. For ages 12+.

Storyteller Shirley Johnson, of Sankofa Stories, will bring to life African stories through words and music, including Frog and Centipede (a story from Tanzania), Kulu (story from Mashsona Bantu People of Southern Africa), and Brer Opossum (African American traditional folktale).
Shirley will be accompanied by drummer Chris White III. This event is at 10am in the tent outside the Montclair Public Library and for children ages 4-12.

Following this event will be two author-illustrators who will combine readings with an interactive drawing activity. At 11am, author Lori Richmond will read her picture book Bunny’s Staycation, and then at 12:15pm, Glen Rudge author Daniel Kirk, who has written over 40 books for children including the Library Mouse series, will read, draw and lead a sing-a-long.

All four talks are free and will be held live, in person, in tents outside the Montclair Public Library and the First Congregational Church, both on South Fullerton Ave in downtown Montclair. All
in-person events will follow CDC and state Covid-safety guidelines including mandatory masking, social distancing, and Covid-19 vaccinations (children under 12 exempt from the latter). More details can be found online at www.succeed2gether.org/mlfoct21/.

The festival organizing committee wishes to thank event partners Montclair Public Library, Watchung Booksellers, and festival sponsors Rao’s, West of Hudson Realty Group, Jill Williams (Ameriprise Financial), Ferguson Dental, the County of Essex, and community members.