Authorfest Brings Authors and Illustrators to the Classroom

More than 20 authors and illustrators visited with and presented their works to students of every grade at each school in Winchester last Thursday. Each author or illustrator spoke about what drives them to write or draw, as well as the importance of pursuing creativity and inspiration. 

“This is something that is so uniquely Winchester,” Caren Connelly of the Winchester Foundation for Educational Excellence (WFEE) said. “WFEE raises $7,500 a year for Authorfest. An author in every classroom to inspire the kids is something that we can truly support.”

At , Heather Panahi spoke to kindergarten and pre-k classrooms about her book, “The Bebop Express.” The story follows musicians through all of the notorious jazz cities. We meet a saxophonist from New York, a drummer from Philly, a bassist from Chicago and a singer from St. Louis as they climb aboard the Bebop Express with rhythmic verses and choruses of “chug-a chug-a chug-a Choo! Choo!” The students drummed on their knees to the beat and cheered the chorus loudly as Panahi discussed both the craft of writing and the love of jazz music.

“I started with an idea,” Panahi told the children. “I knew I liked jazz and I knew I liked trains. It took me about five years to get it published. But I first started writing stories when I was about five-years-old.” A few children gasped and one burst out, “I’m five!”

At , Karen Day spoke to students in the auditorium about her books, “Tall Tales,” “No Cream Puffs” and “A Million Miles from Boston.” Each of these fictional stories are geared towards middle school/young adult readers that focus on real life issues like rough school years, parents dating new people after a divorce, finding a true friends, and trusting themselves. 

She told students that much of what she wrote about came from her life experiences while not being autobiographical. “You can’t just take stories from life and throw them into a story at random, they have to matter, they have to mean something,” Day said.

Next to speak was Mark Peter Hughes, whose book, “Lemonade Mouth,” was made into a Disney Channel Movie. Hughes drove a neon-yellow Honda with the “Lemonade Mouth” book cover painted on it 13,000 miles to more than 60 bookstores to promote his book. “Writers out there, come out of closet,” he told the students. His other books, “I Am The Wallpaper” and “A Crack In The Sky” have all so received praise from critics.

He told a group of students that he had entered a story into a competition and had earned praise, but didn’t win. He missed opportunity to resubmit his edits then, but capitalized on another opportunity years later with another story. This was his moment of inspiration. “I never want to write a story that teaches a lesson. That isn’t my style at all.”

And these are just three stories from the all-day Authorfest.

From 3-5 p.m., the auditorium at opened up to a book sale and signing. Authors and illustrators sat at a long table and signed their works for children.