2014 Children / Teens Participants

Listed in alphabetical order

M.T. Anderson

M. T. Anderson reads from The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing:
Traitor to the Nation — Saturday 9:00 AM
Not Just for Teens:
The Growing Popularity of the Young Adult Novel — Saturday 10:30 AM

M.T. Anderson has written stories for adults, picture books for children, adventure novels for young readers, and several books for older readers (both teens and adults). His satirical book, Feed, was a finalist for the National Book Award and was the winner of the L.A. Times Book Prize. The first volume of his Octavian Nothing saga won the National Book Award and the Boston Globe/Horn Book Prize. Both the first and second volumes of that two-part series were Printz Honor Books. He has published stories for adults in literary journals like The Northwest Review, The Colorado Review, and Conjunctions.

David Biedrzycki

The Art of Digital Book Illustration — Saturday 10:00 AM

The moment his brother showed him how to draw a face when he was 4 years old, David Biedrzycki has been drawing ever since. In his early years he created stories for his parents and friends. A commercial artist since 1980 his work has appeared in magazines and newspapers and on book covers, billboards and even ice cream boxes. The supermarket is like a gallery of his work. Now he has now returned to his first love of picture book storytelling. He has illustrated over 24 books including self- authored Ace Lacewing, Bug Detective series, Me and My Dragon series and his newest Breaking News Bear Alert along with Dory Story and Who Will Guide My Sleigh Tonight? David travels the world to over 70 schools a year sharing his digital work with aspiring young writers, illustrators and readers. You can visit David’s website at: www.davidbiedrzycki.com

Pat Lowery Collins

Turning Memories into Stories — Saturday 9:00 AM

Pat is the author of many books for children, including the young adult novels, The Fattening Hut (Houghton Mifflin), and the recent historical novels, Hidden Voices, the Orphan Musicians of Venice, and Daughter of Winter (both with Candlewick Press). The Deer Watch, a new picture book, received a starred review from Booklist and has been featured in the Wall Street Journal and the Boston Globe. A painter as well as a writer, Pat operates a working studio, Pen & Brush, in Dock Square, Rockport, MA. She has won numerous awards for her art and writing, and teaches in the creative writing MFA program at Lesley University.

David A. Kelly

The Ballpark Mysteries — Saturday 1:00 PM

David A. Kelly is an established children's book author, travel writer and technology analyst. He's the author of the Ballpark Mysteries series from Random House, in which cousins Kate and Mike solve mysteries at different major league ballparks. Mr. Kelly is also the author of the early reader, Babe Ruth and the Baseball Curse and the picture book Miracle Mud: Lena Blackburne and Secret Mud that Changed Baseball. He has written about travel and technology for the New York Times, the Boston Globe, the Chicago Sun Times, and many other publications. He's currently the business travel expert for About.com. Mr. Kelly lives in Newton, MA, with his wife and two teenage boys. More information about Mr. Kelly and his books can be found at www.davidakelly.com

Deborah Noyes

Not Just for Teens:
The Growing Popularity of the Young Adult Novel — Saturday 10:30 AM

Deborah Noyes is the author of several books for teens and adults, including Plague In the Mirror, The Ghosts of Kerfol, One Kingdom, Captivity, and Angel and Apostle. She also edited three anthologies of original horror stories: Gothic!, The Restless Dead, and Sideshow. Find her at www.deborahnoyes.com and @deborahnoyes on Twitter.

Amy Schmidt

Paws and Poetry — Saturday 11:30 AM

Amy has been writing children’s poetry and short stories for many years. To her, creating a poem is like doing a jigsaw puzzle - finding just the right words to fit into her rhyme. Although her past includes working for large companies in Boston and New York City, her current job as writer/dog wrangler is her favorite. Most days, you can find Amy in the studio with her husband, photographer Ron Schmidt, assisting with a new image or creating new poems. Her most recent book, Dog-Gone School, a collaboration between her and her husband, is the follow-up title to their first book Loose Leashes (Random House 2009). Amy lives in Newburyport with Ron, their two children and rescue dog, Sam. To see more of the Schmidt’s work, please visit www.looseleashes.com

Ron Schmidt

Paws and Poetry — Saturday 11:30 AM

Ron’s love of photography started at age 9 with an old camera that his Uncle Russ gave him for Christmas. That day, he snapped his first dog photo of his collie Nicki and hasn’t stopped taking pictures since (but now he has a way better camera)! Ron’s whimsical photos have captured the hearts of dog lovers worldwide. His images can be found on stationary, calendars, home décor and apparel products. His most recent children’s book, Dog-Gone School (Random House 2013), co-created with his wife, author Amy Schmidt, is the follow-up to their first book children’s book Loose Leashes (Random House 2009). Ron lives in Newburyport with his wife Amy, their two children and giant white rescue dog, Sam. To see more of Ron’s work, please visit www.looseleashes.com

Kate Sullivan

Kate Sullivan’s On Linden Square — Saturday 10:30 AM

Kate Sullivan likes to play around with words, music and pictures. She is a storyteller who uses a multi-media approach to touch audiences. A linguist by training (BS in French and Latin), she is also an award-winning composer and performer. Her one-woman theatre piece about Lotte Lenya and Kurt Weill won the Independent Reviewers of New England prize and her Fugitum Est, a fleeting fugue for strings, was premiered by The Kremlin Chamber Orchestra at Carnegie Hall. Her setting of Pinocchio for string quartet, narrator, hammer and chisel has been performed in Providence, Boston and Durham, NC. She has also given many solo performances, from Sculler’s Jazz Club in Boston to Madame Tussaud’s Wax Museum in New York, always singing and playing, anything from the piano to the musical saw. Kate has been painting for many years, everything from portraits and landscapes to cartoons. Her writings include a travel memoir, a screenplay, short stories and poetry. Kate lives with her husband in Newburyport, MA, a little city on the ocean, where they enjoy a country mouse-city mouse life. Between them, they have eight children and a growing gaggle of grandchildren. She has written and illustrated a picture book, On Linden Square, published by Sleeping Bear Press, Ann Arbor, MI.

Bianca Turetsky

The Time-Traveling Fashionista — Saturday 11:00 AM

Bianca Turetsky is the author of the stylish Time-Traveling Fashionista series, which has been translated into nine languages. After graduating from Tufts University, Bianca began working for artist/filmmaker Julian Schnabel. She managed his studio for the past 11 years and was his assistant on the Academy Award-nominated film The Diving Bell and the Butterfly. She lives in a cozy studio apartment in Brooklyn, New York, that houses her very extensive and much-loved vintage collection.