Big Fun at Fort Bend ISD Bookapalooza

I had big fun at Houston’s Fort Bend Independent School District’s Bookapalooza. The free one day event included incredible author presentations, cosplay, and all kinds of other bookish activities. I was assigned two presentations, and in-between, had a great time networking with new and old author friends.

The festivities kicked off with an author dinner the day prior, where we socialized and talked about the state of children’s literature and the publishing industry. I was thrilled to meet and get an autograph from award winning author, Derrick Barnes. His NYT bestseller, I Am Every Good Thing, is one of favorite picture books. I also met poet Van Garrett, author of the picture book, Kicks, and several other talented authors and our FBISD librarian hosts.

The next morning got off to a great start when I ran into my mentor, author Crystal Allen (The Magnificent Mya Tibbs), in the hospitality room, and saw other author friends, including Cathey Nickell (Arthur Zarr’s Amazing Art Car), Liara Tamani (All the Things We Never Knew, Calling My Name) and Varsha Bajaj (Thirst, Count Me In).

Derrick Barnes gave an inspiring keynote that touched on how he began writing books for children and his incredible rise after years of waiting for his big break with his Newbery award-winning book, Crown.

In my breakout room I shared my author journey and gave information about my Sophie Washington chapter book series and upcoming picture book, They Built Me for Freedom (HarperCollins Balzer+Bray, 2024). A few who stopped by were familiar with my series, and a couple fans said they have Sophie Washington tee shirts!

Afterwards, I stuck around for Van Garret’s presentation and was amazed to see the intricate details in his picture book, Kicks, and excited to learn about his upcoming release, Juneteenth, that includes images of an amazing Galveston, TX mural of the holiday’s history. I visited the site last year and remarked that a book needed to be written about the mural, which is located on the site where enslaved people learned they were free. Van and I plan to partner on marketing activities once They Built Me for Freedom releases in 2024, since my book also talks about the history of Juneteenth.

From the time the Bookapalooza started visitors seemed to be having a ball throughout the bustling school. I was giddy myself and felt so grateful to be included in this amazing event. Until next year!