Hello all, 
This email goes out especially to all the public librarians and school librarians/media specialists on the list, but also to any of you with elementary school-aged children or elementary teachers in your life! 

We need your help to spread the word about the Young Authors' Festival and its writing contest to kids, parents, and teachers in southeast Michigan!

YAF_Logo_noyear.jpg
This year will mark the 7th annual Young Authors' Festival at the University of Michigan-Dearborn's Mardigian Library. The festival is completely FREE and open to students in grades 3-5, their families, and their teachers. We feature an author visit and fun writing breakout sessions led by our pre-service education students, while parents and teachers learn literacy strategies. We also have a writing contest, and present awards and prizes (Barnes & Noble gift certificates) at the festival. 
  • 2019 Writing Contest deadline: October 11
  • 2019 Festival: November 9 (Registration opens October 14)
More info at: https://library.umd.umich.edu/yaf/

Here's how you can help: 
(1) Post the flyer or put it into the hands of someone who should have it. 
(2) Send out the info in a newsletter or share it on your blog. Have a social media feed? Share our Facebook event or give the posts in the Mardigian Library's social media content about the YAF a boost. 
(3) Encourage kids to read the featured book this summer, before they come to the festival this fall. It is Jean Alicia Elster's The Colored Car. There are lots of copies available through MeLCat!
(4) Do you have some young writers in your library or run any writing programming? Encourage kids (directly, or through parents and teachers) to enter our writing contest
(5) If you have any questions, please email yaf-contact@umich.edu

Really and truly, thank you for helping us to spread the word and bring kids from all over the metro-Detroit/southeastern Michigan region to this FREE event to promote literacy and a love of writing. 

Thank you, 

Raya Samet 
Prounouns: she/her
Education, Health & Human Services Librarian
University of Michigan - Dearborn
Mardigian Library, Room 1252, AND 
Fairlane Campus South, Suite C, C6
313-593-4936