Welcome to Kerry McManus!

So excited to have Kerry McManus, Marketing Manager at Boyds Mills & Kane, joining us for the NF Fest. With almost 20 years experience in marketing children's books, Kerry is the perfect person to share with us what NF writers should know about marketing our nonfiction. Welcome Kerry!

Welcome Jill Esbaum to NF Fest!

Jill Esbaum writes nonfiction for National Geographic that includes a picture book, Animal Groups, and titles in the following series:  Little Kids Big Book of (4), Angry Birds Playground (4), Picture the Seasons (5), and Explore My World (9). Hot off the press is another picture book with Nat Geo, We Love Babies! Her first historical fiction picture book, Jack Knight’s Brave Flight, will be published by Calkins Creek in 2022.

Jill created a group blog of fellow picture book writers and illustrators called Picture Book Builders (www.picturebookbuilders.com), teaches writing at conferences around the country, and co-hosts (with Linda Skeers) the Whispering Woods Picture Book Writing Workshop each summer. Find more information at her website, www.jillesbaum.com

Meet author Jen Bryant!

Jen Bryant is the award-winning author of numerous picture book biographies, as well as five books of poetry and five novels in verse. You may know that she is a prolific writer and writing instructor, but there's more to Jen than that! She has worked on a road crew, as a bank teller, and a cross-country coach, among other interesting jobs. She is an avid Phillies fan, and loves smaller museums. A favorite is the American Visionary Museum in Baltimore. She will be talking to us about how to strip your story down to its essence. Now that's a good thing to know!

GIVEAWAY FUN!

Here's your chance to win your very own autographed copy of one of the Nonfic Chicks' books!

Just click on the Rafflecopter button on the website and you will be entered to win. Come back each day until December 7 to get more chances to be a winner. 

 Be sure to visit December 1 - 7 when the blog will feature these books and their author's inspiration.

Lucky winners will be announced December 7!

Welcome to author Traci Sorell!

Traci Sorell, author of the Siebert Award Winning book We are Grateful, will join NF Fest to discuss Writing from an Informed Cultural Point of View. Traci will share her passion of writing stories for young people and her mission to add to the canon of literature showing that Native Nations and their citizens still exist and thrive in the world today.

Meet NF Fest Blogger Cynthia Levinson!

Award-winning author Cynthia Levinson was in high school when Audrey Faye Hendricks marched to jail. When Cynthia met Audrey forty-five years later, she knew she had to write The Youngest Marcher. Cynthia spent more than three years interviewing marchers and researching the events. She’s also written nonfiction middle-grade books, including Fault Lines in the Constitution, which are widely researched. We are thrilled that this NF Fest author is sharing her secrets on keeping track of your research.

Meet NF Fest Blogger Donna Janell Bowman!

Donna Janell Bowman is the author of award-winning nonfiction books for young readers, including Step Right Up: How Doc and Jim Key Taught the World About Kindness, Abraham Lincoln’s Dueling Words, and the recently released King of the Tightrope: When the Great Blondin Ruled Niagara. According to Donna, “crafting an irresistible 32-48-page picture book biography is like carving a giant Redwood tree down to an 8×10 picture frame.” Lucky for us, this NF Fest author will be sharing her thoughts on choosing the structure for your picture book biography.

Meet Author Mary Kay Carson!

Mary Kay Carson is an author of nonfiction books for young people. She began her writing career working on the classroom magazine SuperScience at Scholastic in New York City. Carson has been a full-time freelance writer for twenty years and is now the author of more than fifty books for kids and teachers about space, weather, nature, and other science and history topics. Her books include a number of titles in Houghton Mifflin Harcourt’s award-winning SCIENTISTS IN THE FIELD series. We look forward to Mary Kay's tips on doing research in the field during NF Fest!

Meet Editor Nancy Tuminelly!

Nancy Tuminelly enjoys world travel, cooking, gardening, and being with family, friends, and her grand dog, Louie. She has been in the publishing field for over three decades, wearing many hats from product conception to marketing and sales. Nancy is passionate about creating content that makes a difference in young readers’ lives. We look forward to Nancy’s tips on what an editor looks for in a NF book proposal during NF Fest this year!  http://www.mightymediapress.com/