By Cynthia Leitich Smith

Last week’s highlight was a readers theater event, featuring authors Kathi Appelt (The True Blue Scouts of Sugar Man Swamp), Susan Fletcher (Falcon in the Glass) and Uma Krishnaswami (The Problem with Being Slightly Heroic, The Girl of the Wish Garden) at the Unitarian Universalist Church in College Station, Texas.

The
event featured cover-art cakes, live music, a readers theater, a book
sale (in conjunction with a local indie seller) and a book signing.

A
readers theater is an excellent alternative to a traditional reading.
It’s lively, engaging and leaves fans clamoring for more. To
prepare, modify the text for the ear and performance, and be sure to
practice in advance! See also Readers Theater Tips from Aaron Shepard.

Austinites Carmen Oliver, Greg Leitich Smith and Frances Hill Yansky study the program.

The band plays during the welcoming reception and, later, during the book signing.

Uma drafts Greg as a special guest reader for The Problem with Being Slightly Heroic.

Featured author Susan with fellow Vermont College of Fine Arts faculty member April Lurie.

Featured authors Kathi and Uma

Greg, Uma, Kathi and Susan perform the readers theater.

Kathi, Uma, and Susan sign for their fans.

I’m celebrating with College Station author-librarian Debbie Leland…

and Houston children’s author Varsha Bajaj!

Cynsational Notes 

The three featured authors are members of the faculty of the Vermont College of Fine Arts program in Writing for Children and Young Adults, and Uma is the faculty chair.

Congratulations to Kathi Appelt on being named to the 2013 National Book Award Longlist for Young People’s Literature.