A Noble Cause

2022 Humboldt County Children’s Author Festival

Authors/Illustrators for the 2022 Humboldt County Children’s Author Festival

One of the perks of retirement is I can devote my energy to those causes I’m most passionate about. As a retired educator, I’ll always do whatever I can to promote literacy and writing. I saw many students blossom after they fell in love with reading. One of my favorite daily activities was reading to children, regardless of what grade I taught. (I was a teacher in grades 2-6 during my career.)

Reading to children is one of the best ways I know to build vocabulary, comprehension, and critical thinking skills. Equally important is when children observe how much fun teachers/adults have reading to them. Children develop a desire to want to become better readers themselves. I constantly recommended favorite authors and titles based on a student’s interests, so I could help foster a love for reading as they began to read more independently. It was the most natural means of reinforcement.

I am enjoying nearly all aspects of retirement, though aging is not for the faint of heart. I miss reading to kids, and I’m still working on opportunities to continue that passion. I’ve read to seniors in assisted living twice a week for the past several months. Literature has been the vehicle that connects us. Regardless of age, everyone loves a good story.

Photo Credit to Los Muertos Crew on Pexels

While I taught, one of my favorite events was a visit from a children’s author to our school. I didn’t know much about the Humboldt County Children’s Author Festival in those days, other than they escorted children’s authors to our school every two years. The authors’ talks inspired me as I watched children’s eyes come alive as writers shared how their ideas and books came to fruition. What I liked most was that their visits helped children understand that writing was something to enjoy, not fear. After each presentation, we’d return to class, and a student would inevitably say, “I’m going to be a writer.” How great was that?

Last week, I volunteered on that same committee as we hosted 21 authors (2 of them local) who attended approximately 50 schools in the county. It was initially supposed to be 25 authors, but two authors dropped out in the days leading up to the festival for health reasons. Two others ran into travel issues (see below).

List of Authors/Illustrators from 2022 Author Festival

Caroline Arnold                 Sudipta Bardhan-Quallen         Bob Barner

Larry Brimner                    Erik Brooks                                 Judy Cox

Barry Deutsch                    Dan Gemeinhart                         Kelly Milner-Halls

Valerie Hobbs                     Jenny Sue Kostecki-Shaw          Kirby Larson

Connie McLennan             Rowan Mallory                           Bethanie Murguia

Alexis O’Neill                     Lisa Papp                                    Rosanne Parry

Carrie Pearson                   Carlene Meredith Cogliati          Lori R. Snyder

Greg Trine                           Jasmine Warga

Author Valerie Hobbs shared this early photo with the kids when she began writing.

Author Valerie Hobbs speaking to kids today.

(Special thanks to author Caroline Arnold for the author photos seen below.)

Caroline Arnold, Bob Barner, and Bethanie Murguia

Sudipta Bardhan-Quallen and Erik Brooks

Judy Cox and Greg Trine

Barry Deutsch and Rosanne Parry

Lori R. Snyder and Rowan Mallory

Jasmine Warga and Carlene Meredith Cogliati

Alexis O’Neill and Valerie Hobbs

Connie McLennan and Carrie Pearson

Kelly Milner Halls and Larry Brimner

Jenny Sue Kostecki-Shaw and Lisa Papp

Since 1975, the Humboldt County Children’s Author Festival has brought 25 authors from around the country to Humboldt County every two years. It is no small feat to gather these fabulous writers and illustrators together. The authors choose whether to fly or drive (paid for by the committee), and we put them up at one of the classiest hotels in town for four nights while they are here.

When I tell people about the Children’s Author Festival, they typically ask, “How do you pay for all this?” The answer is we have some fabulous fundraisers on our committee, and our community and local businesses make this event possible. One of our most significant regular contributors is the Humboldt Area Foundation, but many local businesses also donate.

Each committee member takes on several roles. My primary function was to serve as the Travel Coordinator. That meant working closely with a travel agent to ensure the authors could fly into our little regional airport on the Pacific coast in northern California. Four separate flights were supposed to come in on Wednesday. Two were from San Francisco, one from Los Angeles, and another from Denver. It was way more convenient when Portland was a connecting city to the north, but that service went away several years ago.

We occasionally have fog in our area, but that is usually for only brief periods. For three weeks leading up to the festival, the fog persisted. As our event drew nearer, I worried that some authors might be unable to get here.  

As each flight arrived that day, drivers waited at the airport to escort the authors to the Carter House, a Victorian-style hotel in town. We held an opening reception on Wednesday night at the Morris Graves Museum. The gathering is typically an opportunity for the authors to meet one another and us, but that’s when things went off the rails. I was supposed to leave during the evening to pick up the last two authors flying in from San Francisco. That’s when I got the first notification on my phone that the aircraft was experiencing delays due to fog. No! The festival is incredibly well-organized from start to finish, but unexpected events can throw everything out of sync. Each author/illustrator had designated school presentations for Thursday and Friday. How could they do that if they didn’t make it to town?

That evening the flight eventually got canceled. We put the two authors up in a hotel in San Francisco (a five-hour drive from Eureka), understanding that they’d fly in the next day, though they’d likely have to miss one of their school visits. The next day was more of the same. Imagine not having one flight leave or arrive the entire day because of the near-constant fog. Maybe the authors could rent a car and drive here. It was a huge ask, but they were willing to do that. Unfortunately, given the circumstances, no rental cars were available. We felt terrible for the authors and the schools they were supposed to attend. I can’t begin to describe how gracious, patient, and understanding these two authors (Dan Gemeinhart and Kirby Larson) were throughout the process. After two days of trying to get here, they finally flew home. Both have since ZOOMED with their schools which further speaks of their character.

Author Kirby Larson

Author Dan Gemeinhart

Thankfully, the rest of the four days went much smoother. We put on a catered dinner for the authors one night with a local high school group providing the entertainment with excerpts from one of the author’s books. One new feature this year included escorting the authors to the Redwood Sky Walk, located inside the Sequoia Park Zoo, for a guided tour of the redwood forest. That same evening, we held a banquet at the historic Carson Mansion, where we enjoyed a delicious dinner and listened to three-minute speeches from each author. To say I felt inspired is a vast understatement.

Authors crossing a suspension bridge at the Redwood Sky Walk. Photo Credit to Peter Santino

Author Caroline Arnold in front of the Carson Mansion

The festival’s conclusion was the Book Sale at the Humboldt County Library. Children and their parents met the authors, got autographs, took photographs, and purchased some of their books. Since many children had an author attend their school, it added to the level of excitement for the kids.

I’m incredibly proud of our community for promoting such a worthwhile cause. This year 33 volunteers served on the committee. I was the token male, but as I like to say, “There are far worse things in life than working with a bunch of great ladies committed to literacy.” Events like this don’t happen without the efforts of many. I commend the Humboldt County Children’s Author Festival for its sustained efforts to promote literacy and writing.    

Our fabulous coordinators (Linda, Becky, and Joan)

Photo of part of the 2019 Author’s Festival Committee (I’m in the middle of the back row.)