Randall's Island Children's Book Festival

Launching in 2022, the Randall’s Island Children’s Book Festival (RICBF) is a joint venture between Boogie Down Books and the Randall’s Island Park Alliance.

Featuring:

• Readings, discussions, and signings with local authors and illustrators of spectacular books for children and teens.
• A bilingual read-aloud by Bella Noche from Drag Story Hour NYC and a free copy of Hello, Friend!/Hola, Amigo! while supplies last (for readers ages 0-7).
• Doughnut decorating and a free copy of The Doughnut Fix while supplies last (for readers ages 8 and up).
• An on-site pop-up bookshop packed with all of the day's featured books.
• Games and races on the very track where both Jesse Owens and Usain Bolt set world records.
• And more: Festival schedule coming soon!

Please note:

• This event is free and open to readers of all ages.
• School and community groups are welcome.
• The festival will take place rain or shine.
• Register in advance to receive a free book for every young reader in attendance while supplies last.
• Only books purchased on site may be signed by authors at the festival. Please do not bring books from home.
• For inquiries about accessibility, to request an accommodation, or for additional event information, please email [email protected].

Additional information:

• Transportation and Directions
• Randall's Island Map
• Icahn Stadium

Saraciea J. Fennell is a Black Honduran writer and the founder of The Bronx is Reading. She is also a book publicist who has worked with many award-winning and New York Times bestselling authors. Fennell sits on the board for Latinx in Publishing as well as on the Advisory Board of People of Color in Publishing. She lives in the Bronx with her family and dog, Oreo. Her forthcoming anthology WILD TONGUES CAN’T BE TAMED will be published by Flatiron Books in fall 2021. Visit thebronxisreading.com and follow her online @sj_fennell & @thebronxisreading.

Raj Haldar must like words a lot. Under his alter ego, Lushlife, the rapper and multi-instrumentalist has spent close to a decade fitting words together into remarkable rhymes. It comes as no surprise that Raj’s children’s books are all about words too. His first picture book series, which includes the #1 New York Times-bestselling P is for Pterodactyl was an instant smash with word nerds of all ages. Now, Raj’s new chapter book series called Word Travelers follows best friends Eddie and Molly-Jean on their globe-trotting adventures as they discover how common words in the English language come from cultures around the world.

Jessie Janowitz is the author of the middle grade novels, The Doughnut Fix and the sequel The Doughnut King. Both books were JLG Selections and Bank Street Best Children’s Books of the Year. The Doughnut Fix is on seven state lists, a Cybils Finalist, and the winner of the Mississippi Children’s Choice Award. Jessie is a graduate of Princeton University, and holds a J.D. from University of Pennsylvania Law School and an MFA in Writing for Children from Vermont College of Fine Arts.

Shanon Morris is a Registered Dietitian who has been working with communities from children to senior citizens for over a decade with the goal of making nutrition relatable, accessible, and enjoyable for all.

Shanon is a Howard and Columbia University Alumni where she studied both Nutrition and Exercise Science, giving her the tools to influence behavioral change throughout all of New York City. Shanon currently serves as the Executive Director for Edible Schoolyard NYC.

Emma Otheguy is a children’s author who writes about Latin American history and contemporary Latine identity for children. Her books include the award-winning bilingual picture book Martí’s Song for Freedom, the middle-grade novel Silver Meadows Summer and the picture book A Sled for Gabo.

Joshunda Sanders is an author & educator. Her work has appeared in Oprah Daily, TIME Magazine, Poets & Writers, The New York Times, Oxford American and many other publications. She writes a monthly newsletter about the writing life & books you can subscribe to here. She is the creator & host of a BookTube channel, Black Book Stacks.

She has been the recipient of writing residencies, fellowships or awards from the Martha’s Vineyard Institute of Creative Writing, Lambda Literary, Bronx Council on the Arts, Hedgebrook, VONA and the Key West Literary Seminars. In 2018, she was awarded the competitive Bronx Recognizes Its Own (BRIO) Award for excellence in fiction. She has been a speaker at Ohio State University, Princeton, JusticeWorks, NYCPride’s Human Rights Conference, South by Southwest Interactive, Bard and more. She has taught writing and journalism at The School of the New York Times, Lehman College, the University of Texas Austin and The New School.

In Summer 2019, her first children’s book, I Can Write The World, featuring Ava Murray, a Black girl journalist from the Bronx, was published by Six Foot Press. The next book in the series, A Place of Our Own, is scheduled for publication in 2022.

Her previous publications include How Racism and Sexism Killed Traditional Media: Why the Future of Journalism Depends on Women and People of Color and a memoir, The Beautiful Darkness: A Handbook for Orphans. She is working on her first novel and is represented by Elisabeth W**d at The Book Group.

Lauren Semmer | Lor-rehn Sem-mer | is a Manhattan-based creator. She’s the only child of a Black mother and a Canadian father who gifted her the freedom to explore and roam and take chances from an early age, in the Minneapolis suburb where she grew up surrounded by trees. (Also, dual citizenship, ftw!) For much of her youth, Lauren was the only biracial person in her school, though her friend group was wide and varied. An early introduction to art and working artists inspired her passion for all things art-related, whether ballet, painting, music, or creative writing, and she made art from the time she was a small child. Shy but confident, Lauren didn’t thrive in a traditional learning environment; being dyslexic made early reading a challenge, so she spent much of her time daydreaming and drawing imaginary worlds until she attended an alternative arts high school where she flourished.

Vincent Tirado is a nonbinary Afrotlatine born and raised in the Bronx. A lover of all things horror and sci-fi, they've been published in FIYAH Magazine and Desert Rose Lit Mag. They also have been known to write for podcasts with credits in Mnemosyne and Cry Havoc. In their free time, Vincent spends time with their cat and sews their own cosplay for Comic Con.

COVID-19 EXPOSURE: There is a risk of exposure to COVID-19 at all in-person events. Attendees assume all safety risks and agree to hold Boogie Down Books and Randall's Island Park Alliance harmless for all incidents including exposure to COVID-19.

CANCELLATION POLICY: Boogie Down Books and the Randall's Island Park Alliance reserve the right to cancel this event for any reason, including but not limited to inclement weather and safety concerns. If cancellation is required, the event will not be rescheduled, and free book distribution will not take place.

CODE OF CONDUCT: This event provides a harassment-free experience for everyone, regardless of gender, gender identity and expression, age, sexual orientation, disability, physical appearance, body size, race, ethnicity, religion (or lack thereof), or technology choices. We do not tolerate harassment in any form. Sexual language and imagery are not appropriate. Anyone violating these rules will be expelled from the event at the discretion of the organizers.

PHOTOS & RECORDING: This event may be recorded, and video and photos may be posted by Boogie Down Books and the Randall's Island Park Alliance on websites, social media, and elsewhere.

PRIVACY: Registrants will be added to our mailing list. Your contact information will never be shared or sold. You may unsubscribe or update your subscription at any time.

By registering for and attending this event, you are consenting to these policies.

Event Venue & Nearby Stays

Icahn Stadium, 20 Randall's Island Park, New York, United States