Coming up June 10-12, 2016, hundreds of authors will appear at Barnes & Noble stores nationwide for B-Fest™, a three-day event celebrating the best books for teens. This will be the biggest weekend of author events in B&N history, plus trivia, sweepstakes, giveaways (while supplies last), and more. Participants will the first to sample upcoming teen novels, take part in games, and discover great new reads.

Check out Lone Star Literary Life’s GO pag for B-Fest events around Texas.

Friday June 10, 7pm

Festivities kick off with Trivia Blast, created by Penguin Teen and Random House’s First in Line. One winner in each store will win advance reader’s copies of the most anticipated new books for teens.

Saturday June 11,  11am

Giveaways start early on Saturday, plus sneak peeks of new stories from favorite authors, including James Dashner, Ransom Riggs, and Veronica Roth.

Saturday June 11,  2pm

Bookish games and giveaways, including a spelling showdown, story ball, and a chance to win prize packs, swag, and more!

Sunday June 12, 2pm

So you want to be a YA author? Take part in a story development workshop created by Adaptive Studios, and learn how to make your ideas soar.

Follow along with the fun at #BFestBuzz!

(Information from organization’s website)

CALF Celebrates 5th Year in Storybook Capital of Texas

Abilene, the Storybook Capital of Texas, has many literary events throughout the year, but the largest collaboration in the region is the CALF festival. The CALF draws thousands of people from Texas and beyond. The CALF was started by the Abilene Cultural Affairs Council, along with other community leaders, which realized that Abilene needed an event that would emphasize the importance the city places on families, art and literacy, as well as to involve many of the great art and community organizations located in downtown Abilene.

The idea of a family-friendly festival came to life in 2012. The National Center for Children’s Illustrated Literature (NCCIL) was sponsoring an exhibition of the original illustrations from “The Lorax.” This exhibit, along with “The Art of Dr. Seuss – A Retrospective” at the Center for Contemporary Arts and the Dr. Seuss Traveling Sculpture Garden, created a unique platform for a downtown festival.

With the help of local artists, cultural organizations, businesses and volunteers, the festival was a great success and has become an annual event each June.

The festival has a mascot, Mini Moo the Zebu (a miniature cow), who makes an appearance at the festival. Each year, the CALF will host a new children’s book illustrator in conjunction with the NCCIL’s summer exhibition.

A portion of the proceeds from CALF benefit the HeARTS for the ARTS program.

2012 honoree: Dr. Seuss

2013 honoree: Walter Wick

2014 honoree: William Joyce

2015 honoree: David Shannon

2016 honoree: Mark Teague

(Information from organization’s press release)

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