Show Me a Story! A Creative Play Space for Children
Ann Arbor Book Festival
June 25, 2011, 10:00-11:30 am
2435 North Quad, 105 S. State Street, Ann Arbor, MI
Join the fun – storytelling, artwork, and lots of white-boards to share ideas and illustrations
Story Tellers
Elizabeth James
Elizabeth James is the Program Associate for the Department for Afroamerican and African Studies at the University of Michigan. She does outreach to the campus community and beyond on behalf of the Center. A native of Detroit, MI who is also a librarian and former journalist, Elizabeth is honored to be a third generation storyteller, following in the tradition of her grandmother and mother.
Laura Pershin Raynor
Laura Pershin Raynor brings to life the colorful cast of characters from her unique and loving family. Her Grandma Dinah, who lived to be 105 years old, raised her on the tales of the Old Country, providing Laura with a landscape for her own stories, told in an animated and intimate style. In 2006 she won the Award of Merit for Children's Librarian of the Year in the State of Michigan. Her storytelling home is in the Ann Arbor District Library where she happily tells tales to enthusiastic listeners every week.
New Book Author/Illustrators
Ben Ellmann
Ben Ellmann is a senior at the University of Michigan studying Screen Arts and Cultures. He aspires to be a screenwriter and is currently producing a film being shot by MSU, Wayne State, and U-M students. His film, Margaret and Izzey, was screened at the Traverse City Film Festival in 2010 and a film he wrote, Work/Study, will be screened at TCFF this July. He has also won writing awards from the Detroit 48 Hour Film competition and the U-M Hopwood Award Program. As a big fan of children's literature in general, writing a children's book was a fantastic experience.
Katherine Ruriko Lebioda
Katherine Ruriko Lebioda graduated from the University of Michigan in December 2010 with a BA in American Culture. She has always loved to read and learned her fairy tales through a collection of books instead of watching their Disney counterparts; the story discrepancies between the two media often led to heated debates among her and her friends. She continues to write and imagine, always inspired by the storytelling of the books and movies she avidly consumes.
This Play Space is also brought to You by
Elizabeth Goodenough
Elizabeth Goodenough, Ph.D., is a children's studies specialist from University of Michigan. A scholar and activist in the emerging field of children's studies, she has published numerous articles on children's literature and culture. Her books include: Secret Spaces of Childhood; Where Do the Children Play: A Study Guide to the Film; A Place for Play; and Under Fire: Childhood in the Shadow of War.
Lisa Makman
Lisa Makman is visiting Assistant Professor of English at the University of Michigan. Her courses on children’s literature and modern childhood explore the popularity of figures such as Peter Pan, Peter Rabbit, Winnie the Pooh, Harry Potter and the Cat in the Hat. Among her publications are, "Child's Work is Child's Play," and "The Right to a Work-Free and Playful Childhood: A Historical Perspective. "
Carol Stepanchuk
Carol Stepanchuk is the Outreach Coordinator for the U-M International Institute. A folklorist and multicultural educator, she is the author of Red Eggs and Dragon Boats: Celebrating Chinese Festivals, and co-author of Mooncakes and Hungry Ghosts: Festivals of China, and Exploring Chinatown: A Children's Guide to Chinese Culture.
Carol Tell
Carol Tell is Director of the Lloyd Hall Scholars Program and faculty member at the Sweetland Center for Writing. Her courses at U-M include, "Stories and Pictures: Re-Envision Children's Literature," in which students explore the relationship between text and images, or stories and pictures, in children's storybooks, fairy tales, and poetry. They also write and illustrate their own children's book.
