- Saturday: 10th Annual Arkansas Literary Festival features a slew of free activities for kids and teens at the Main Library and new Children’s Library and Learning Center. Click here to read our blog post for more details.
- Saturday: Arkansas Earth Day Festival on the grounds of Heifer International. This free event features food, music and family activities. 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Details here.
- Saturday: Archery on the Lawn at the Witt Stephens Jr. Central Arkansas Nature Center for ages 10 and up. This is a drop-in activity, from noon until 2 p.m. For more information, call (501) 907-0636.
- Saturday: Central Arkansas Heart Walk includes a family friendly 5K fun walk, kid zone, red cap cafe, vendor expo and live music. Burns Park in North Little Rock. Registration begins at 8 a.m. Details here.
- Sunday: Celebrate Earth Day at Pinnacle Mountain, with an array of “green” activities. Free. Details here.
Tag Archives: Arkansas Literary Festival
Saturday: Family Events at the Arkansas Literary Festival
The 10th Annual Arkansas Literary Festival officially kicks of Thursday, April 18, with lots of workshops, panel discussions and activities for the whole family.
Saturday, April 20 is full of activities and fun for kids and teens. All events are free, and will be held at the new Children’s Library and Learning Center (4800 W. 10th St.) or a the Main Library downtown. Teen events are on the Fourth Floor Teen Center of the Main Library, except for the Zombie Survival Activity
Here’s an overview of Saturday’s happenings. For the most up-to-date information, download a full schedule here.
Events for Kids:
- All Day, Children’s Library – Artmobile, featuring the “Weird and Wonderful,” a selection of unique works of original art.
- 10 a.m., Children’s Library – “Just So Stories” with Arkansas Arts Center’s Tell a Tale Troupe.
- 11 a.m., Children’s Library – Book Fiesta, featuring award-winning authors Carla Killough McClafferty, Darcy Pattison, Steven Teske, Duncan Tonatiuh and Rita Williams-Garcia.
- 11 a.m., Main Library, 3rd floor – The Kinders perform.
- 12 p.m., Main Library, 3rd floor – Fancy Nancy Party, with dress up, crown-making, snacks and photo opportunities.
- 1 p.m., Children’s Library – Even More Mora, with Pat Mora, author of “A Birthday Basket for Tia.”
- 1 p.m., Main Library, 3rd floor – Superhero Activity Afternoon, with cape-building and mask-making. Kids are encouraged to come dressed as their favorite superhero.
- 2:30 p.m., Children’s Library – Shakespeare Asian Fusion, Arkansas Shakespeare Theatre’s presentation of the Bard’s scenes performed with an Asian flair.
Teen Events, aka ComiCALS:
- 10 a.m. – Right2Write, with Heather Sutherlin, author of “A Light in the Darkness.”
- 11 a.m. – Spine Shuffle, with presentations from authors and illustrators.
- 1 p.m. – Light Saber Combat, learn to wield a light saber and use your skills in combat.
- 2 p.m. – Cosplay (costume play) competition, come dressed as a character from your favorite anime, manga, video game or comic book.
- 3 p.m. – Video Game Tournament, with prizes for the top winner at “Super Smash Bros. Brawl.”
- 4 p.m. – Ask an Artist: Graphic Novel Drawing, with festival illustrator Dusty Higgins.
- Cover to Cover: Understanding Comics – Learn about the ins and outs of comic books during this discussion panel.
- Zombie Transformations – Become one of the undead to prep yourself for the Zombie Survival Activity.
- 5 p.m., Main Library Garden – Zombie Survival Activity
Will you survive the Zombie Apocalypse? Collect survival goods and try to make your way to safety without becoming one of the undead.
The Selfish Giant, Wacky Magic, and more at the Arkansas Literary Festival this weekend!
Tommy Terrific's Wacky Magic Show visits the Arkansas Literary Festival.
Yesterday we highlighted just a few of the kid friendly events taking place at the Arkansas Literary Festival this Saturday. We’ll continue our coverage today with a few more of our favorites! To see a full schedule, please visit the Arkansas Literary Festival here.
9:00. Performance: The Selfish Giant. “Dan Goeller wrote a new adaptation of Oscar Wilde’s The Selfish Giant, including a full musical score. Students will hear Goeller narrate, as they see projected illustrations from the book and hear the score. Takes place at the William J. Clinton Presidential Center.
12:00. Session: You Can Do a Graphic Novel. For your older kids who are interested in graphic novels, Barbara Slate’s book, You Can Do A Graphic Novel, provides creative tips and the knowledge to begin the journey. She’ll talk about her book as well as the history of her career creating characters for Marvel and DC Comics, and writing 300 comic books.
1:00. Wolfe at the Door Puppet Show. This is a great option for little ones! “Be it a standard fairy tale or a story created for the specific group, this lively and energetic hand puppet performance is sure to delight. Led by master puppeteer Jan Wolfe, this show will keep the wee ones rapt.” Main Library, third floor.
2:00 Wacky Magic. Here’s another one for the younger kids. ”Tommy Terrific is a big kid who shows up to watch his Uncle Frumpernutter perform a magic show. When no one can find his uncle, Tommy must take over. Unfortunately, Tommy has never done magic before, but with the help of the kids and the Magician’s Handbook, everyone has a great time.” Main Library Third Floor.
Will you be attending the festival? Upload your photos from the event on our facebook page and tell us what you loved! Have a great weekend!
“All This Angst,” Tail Waggin’ Tutors, and more at the Arkansas Literary Festival.
The Tail Waggin' Tutors will visit the Arkansas Literary Festival this weekend.
The Arkansas Literary Festival begins today, and there are a several kid friendly events taking place on Saturday throughout the city. So for the next two days we’ll be highlighting just a few of them. The range from workshops for teen writers to puppet shows for the little ones.
If you’re trying to plan your day, please see the full list of family-friendly events by clicking here.
We’d love to hear your thoughts on the festival. Which events do you hope to attend?
As we we said, most of the events are happening on Saturday. But there is one event today.
6:30 PM on Thursday: According to the information from the Arkansas Literary Festival, “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou inspired eighth grade students from eStem Public Charter School to stage a silent protest against child abuse through poetry, music, art, and prose. A video of their day of silence will be presented along with readings from their work. Parental guidance recommended; mature material will be discussed.”
Happening on Saturday:
10:00: Argenta Street Festival, including the Tail Waggin Tutors. Do you children love dogs and reading? This sounds like the event for you! ”Musicians, performers, artists, and activities are interwoven on the block for your enjoyment. Adults will enjoy concerts by Mark Currey, Mark Simpson, Montgomery Trucking, and The Salty Dogs. Artists include Annette Costa, Cathy Burns, Byron Werner, Ed Wade, Erin Lorenzen, Lisa Krannichfeld, Mike Anderson, Nancy Bounds, and Julie Holt. Kids will love meeting the Tail Waggin’ Tutors, making book marks, participating in music activities, playing literary bingo, and more.”
10:00 Goldilocks and Little Red Riding Hood. Arkansas Arts Center Children’s Theatre will present the classic stories Goldilocks and the Three Bears and Little Red Riding Hood in a fun musical performance. For all ages. Arkansas Arts Center Children’s Theatre.
11:00. Literary Fiesta. Do you want tant to encourage your children to read more and/or encourage them in their reading? ”Introduce your kids to 2012 Festival authors Cherie Foster Colburn, Darcy Pattison, Carla Killough McClafferty, Spelile Rivas, and Lori Spencer. Their books feature gardens, prairie storms, titans of technology, monsters, and butterflies. With prizes, refreshments, and even a piñata, the Fiesta is a great way to promote reading.”
11:30: “All This Angst” Teen writing workshop. This sounds like a great opportunity for budding teen writers. ”Susan Gregg Gilmore, author of Looking for Salvation at the Dairy Queen, will be hosting a workshop offering, “helpful insight into how to channel emotions into exciting prose.” Sensory exercises and techniques will help youth explore their writing styles and “hone their voice.” Saturday April 14th at 11:30 Thea Center for the Arts in NLR. Teens only.”
1:00 If your children love hands-on activities, you might want to check out the Children’s Activity Hour at the downtown library. This will includes origami, making books, creating puppets, yarn art, chess, and more. Third floor of Main library downtown.
Author Lori Spencer will discuss the habitat of butterflies.
2:00 Author Session: Lori Spencer. Who doesn’t love butterflies? Author of The Diana Fritillary, Arkansas’s State Butterfly will help kids learn more about this butterfly and its habitat. Witt Stevens Jr. Nature Center.
We will be highlighting more kid-friendly events tomorrow, so check back then! If you attend the festival this weekend, be sure and post some photos on our facebook page!