2024 Family-friendly Schedule
Loads of activities to choose from!
PANEL
KidNote: Master Storyteller Kate DiCamillo
Presented by The Eudora Welty Foundation
Children’s literature expert Ellen Hunter Ruffin speaks with two-time Newbery Medalist Kate DiCamillo about the author’s latest story of a plucky young girl, her quirky family, and a not-so-scary ghost that longs for adventure.
- Ellen Hunter Ruffin (moderator)
- Kate DiCamillo, Ferris
This panel will be live-streamed from the homepage.
Galloway Sanctuary
Workshop
Turn the Page Workshop with Marshall Ramsey
Presented by Atmos Energy
Join beloved cartoonist and picture book author Marshall Ramsey for story time with his latest book, Saving Sam!: A Banjo the Dog Story. Then, enjoy a storyboarding workshop with Marshall as he teaches budding storytellers how to illustrate a story from start to finish. All participants will walk away with a copy of Marshall’s new book thanks to Atmos Energy and their support of the Mississippi Book Festival’s year-round student initiative, Turn the Page.
- Marshall Ramsey – Saving Sam!: A Banjo the Dog Story
Galloway Tween Room
PANEL
Ezra Jack Keats Award-Winners & Honorees
Presented by Fay B. Kaigler Children’s Book Festival; University of Southern Mississippi de Grummond Children’s Literature Collection
Picture book authors and illustrators honor and delight in family, food, and nature in this panel of 2024 Ezra Jack Keats Award-winners and honorees.
- Ellen Hunter Ruffin (moderator)
- Anne Wynter, Nell Plants a Tree
- Sarah Gonzales, The Only Way to Make Bread
- Kim Rogers, Just Like Grandma
- Helena Ku Rhee, Sora's Seashells
Galloway Fellowship Center
WORKSHOP
Youth Poetry Writing Workshop with Catherine Pierce
Join Mississippi Poet Laureate Catherine Pierce, creator of the Mississippi Youth Poetry Project, as she instructs the youngest poets on how to express themselves in verse.
- Catherine Pierce – Danger Days: Poems
Stop by State Capitol 201 A at 2:45 pm to hear award-winning poems from various winners across the state!
Galloway Tween Room
PANEL
Middle Grade Dreams
Presented by Beard + Riser Architects; Terry Hunt & Dick Molpus
Four middle grade authors celebrate determined young characters who defy odds, hunt for treasure, and find magic.
- Sami Thomason-Fyke (moderator)
- Taryn Souders, The Mystery of the Radcliffe Riddle
- Angie Thomas, Nic Blake and the Remarkables: The Manifestor Prophecy
- Sarah-SoonLing Blackburn, Exclusion and the Chinese American Story
- Julian Randall, The Chainbreakers
State Capitol Room 103
WORKSHOP
Bookmaking Workshop with the Mississippi Museum of Art
Presented by Mississippi Museumof Art
Round out a morning of creativity with Anna Lyons, an art educator at MMA, learning how to craft your own book! For ages 8-12 and space is limited to 25 participants.
- Anna Lyons
Note: This is a two-hour workshop.
Galloway Tween Room
PANEL
Picture This!
Presented by Sara & Bill Ray; The Ragland Company
Families are invited to join the authors and illustrators of picture books for an incredible learning experience about animals, music, and nature.
- Sarah Frances Hardy, One Mississippi (moderator)
- Mary Annaïse Heglar, The World is Ours to Cherish: A Letter to a Child
- Heather C. Morris, Trunk Goes Thunk!: A Woodland Tale of Opposites
- Allen R. Wells, Danté Plays His Blues
- Marshall Ramsey, Saving Sam!: A Banjo the Dog Story
Galloway Fellowship Center
PANEL
Mississippi Youth Poetry Project
Presented by Mississippi Humanities Council; Mississippi State University Department of English
K-12 student poets from across the state share their award-winning poems in this celebratory panel hosted by Mississippi Poet Laureate Catherine Pierce.
- Catherine Pierce, Danger Days: Poems (moderator)
- Various winners from around the state
State Capitol 201 A