Pen World Voices Festival 2019 Next Generation Now Events for Families

PEN AMERICA will present NEXT GENERATION NOW, a daylong series of stories and activities for children and families to experience literature as a means to become socially engaged, on Saturday, May 11, 2019 at Town Stages (221 West Broadway, NYC) as part of the 2019 PEN WORLD VOICES FESTIVAL.

Curated by Meg Lemke of Mutha Magazine, this year’s edition of NEXT GENERATION NOW includes the fun and fabulous Drag Queen Story Hour (ages 3-8) featuring Miz Jade; the creative workshop Spellbound Theatre: Today I Will Be Fierce! (for children up to age 8), with Nidhi Chanani (co-creator of I Will Be Fierce!); Finding Your Voice: Comics Carousel, with graphic novel pioneers Molly Ostertag (The Witch Boy), Nidhi Chanani, and Jerry Craft (New Kid), and emcee Robert Sikoryak (The Unquotable Trump) giving dramatic readings and visual presentations of their works (for ages 8-14); Hello, Planet (for kids up to 8) with illustrator Liniers, who will read from his picture book Good Night, Planet and paint a mural based on audience participation; You Kid: A Comics and Graphic Novel Workshop with Jerry Craft (for ages7-14)and Make a Book with 826NYC! (for ages 8-14), both engaging and honing young people’s own storytelling potentials; and more. In Truth or Tales?, acclaimed YA writers Fatima Shaik, Martha Brockenbrough, Susan Kuklin, Torrey Maldonado, and Rita Williams-Garcia will discuss discerning fact from fiction in the digital age. Please see below for details about the events.