Plum Creek Literacy Festival 2015

“This was my first time attending the Plum Creek Literacy Festival and I loved it!  They had many good authors speaking, among them was Eric Litwin- the author of Pete the Cat.  He was fantastic and really got me excited for books all over again.  I will definitely be attending for many years to come!” ~Mackenzie Faris

 

On Saturday, October 3, Gina Bitner, Peggy Groff, and I drove vans to Concordia University to enjoy the 20th Annual Plum Creek Children's Literature Festival.  


As we did last year, Gina and I wrote a student engagement grant to give PSC English and Education majors the opportunity to meet with and learn from some of the leading authors and illustrators in the field, from Andrew Clements and Carmen Deedy to Jerry Pallota and Janet Stevens.



I will eventually add comments from students to the page, for they all enjoyed a wonderful experience, both edifying and entertaining.  

I took special pleasure from photographing students when they got photographs with favorite authors and illustrators, including Jerry Pallota, Andrew Clements, Carmen Deedy, and the rather electrifying Eric Litwin, one of Gina Bitner's favorites, the "Pete the Cat" author.

I also talked with Ted Kooser and hope that in the spring he will give Peru State College a return visit.

Give the photographs from the day to get a feel for this special event.

 

It was definitely what you call serendipity to be ale to meet and get the autograph Janet Stevens, the very woman who wrote and illustrated a book my mother used to teach me how to read!  Amazing and inspiring event [the engagement grant] made possible.  Astrid Moore.

 

Overall, my thoughts on Plum Creek are very favorable. The aspect of the conference which I enjoyed the most was seeing the passion all of the different teachers had for their job, a noticeable sentiment among them that always was for the good of their students.

Richard Peck and Andrew Clements were also very fun to listen to; Richard for his humor and seemingly infinite knowledge and Andrew Clements for his amiable personality and intimate reading for the people present during his session.

It was definitely time well spent.

Ryan Christensen

I found it to be a fruitful experience.  I've never been to a conference like that; it was incredibly refreshing to see literacy celebrated. My favorite part of the whole conference was listening to Richard Peck.  He offered plenty of insight into the educational system and ho it evolved in his lifetime.  In particular, I remembered his story about his high school English teacher and her influence on his writing.  His story really made me contemplate what it means to really be a good teacher.  From an educational standpoint, this conference was eye opening and highly informational.   Liz Snider.

The literacy festival was a wonderful experience for me. It introduced me to new ways of reading and writing.  Janet Stephens portrayed her lively characters and shared a demonstration with us.. In particular, Peck had also a lot to say on the quality of writing. One of the things he said that I will not forget is how a reader can become a writer. 

Sincerely,

Roxanne Shires