Cindy Zamora, Author Hospitality Chair, and Heather Gallant, Executive Director, draw a the name of a school that will get to select their author or illustrator.
The Author Visit program has been in place for eight years. Each May, during the week leading up to the Claire’s Day family book festival, the Claire’s Day authors and illustrators visit classrooms around the region as a way to enhance the studentsʼ literary experience. These school visits include entertaining, experiential, educational presentations and story telling that encourage students to use their imagination, enjoy literature, and to pursue reading as a regular activity. Since the authors and illustrators describe their creative writing process and the process of publishing a childrenʼs book, students also get an understanding of how a book arrives completed in their hands. In 2012, an estimated 10,000 students participated in an authorʼs visit at 20 schools.
Claire’s Day, Inc., strives to obtain a paid school visit for every participating author and illustrator on Friday, May 17, 2013, the day prior to Claire’s Day. Once all Friday school visits are selected, earlier slots in the week can be filled, based on author and illustrator availability. Schools are responsible for the cost of the authors’ honorarium, while Claire’s Day covers other expenses. In partnership with Barnes and Noble, Claire’s Day also offers twenty grants of either $200 cash to help defray the cost of the visit or $300 in books.
The Author Selection Gala is Claire’s Day’s method of facilitating a fair way for schools to book an author. Schools were encouraged to send up to three representatives, and at the reception each received an entry in the author/illustrator drawing. School entries were randomly drawn by Claire’s Day volunteer Cindy Zamora, read aloud by Executive Director Heather Gallant, and the school representatives had a few moments select their author or illustrator. As the authors and illustrators are booked, the pool of choices is reduced. Luckily, all of the author and illustrator choices are great!
School representatives anxiously wait for their names to be called at the Author Selection Gala.
If you weren’t able to make it to the Gala but are interested in having an author visit, you’re in luck! While all of the Friday visits are booked for Friday, May 17, we do still have some author visits available for schools earlier in that week. There are also several grants still available for schools. Contact us at schools@clairesday.org for more information!
Click here for more information about the author visits.
Click here to read more about the 2013 Claire’s Day authors and illustrators.
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