For most kids, reading is homework—a chore in the same vein as choking down broccoli before they can get to the chocolate and Nickelodeon. Wordstock seeks to remove any trace of reading drudgery, one literary extravaganza at a time.
As the reigning champion of Northwest literary festivals, Wordstock Festival and Book Fair is a weeklong event that celebrates reading and writing, and encourages everyone to open up a book once in a while. In addition to hundreds of reading and writing experiences for adults, one trademark feature of the Wordstock Book Fair is the Little Word Children’s Stage and Discovery Place. What a way to spend a rainy Portland weekend, especially when children 13 and under get into the Book Fair for free.
Wordstock isn’t just an annual event. It began in 1997 as a Portland area program called Community of Writers, sponsored by the Portland Schools Foundation. Community of Writers placed writers in schools to do weeklong residencies in classrooms. The program has given teachers new approaches to teaching writing, as well as given students a positive application for writing and reading. Residencies ranged in such relevant topics as newspaper layout, poetry and songwriting.
In 2005, the Wordstock Festival was created as a means to fund Community of Writers. Eventually, both organizations combined to offer both educational programming and the beloved festival every fall celebrating the written word. Some of the fun, functional literary programs throughout the year include Wordstock for Teachers, serving over 1,800 teachers across the region, affecting over 40,000 students, with notably improved test scores. Parents as Partners helps parents develop skills to foster their children’s desire to learn and communicate through words. Wordstock’s success in K–8 classrooms has led to the Regional Arts and Culture Council’s Right-Brain Initiative to request them as their sole literary provider.
Wordstock Festival and Book Fair hosts hundreds of authors from around the world, with a week of special partnership events throughout the city, culminating with the Book Fair at the Oregon Convention Center. The Book Fair offers a weekend of workshops, conversations, and readings across nine stages, featuring over 195 authors and over 125 exhibitors.
In addition to plenty of literary enlightenment for parents, the kiddos find numerous hands-on children’s activities in the Little Word children’s stage and discovery place:
Saturday and Sunday include:
Creating collage board books based on Eric Carle’s techniques. Picture book author/illustrator Addie Boswell leads children through the process while showcasing the natural connection between art and the written word.
Charlotte Rodenburg, author of Bronto and the Pterodactyl Eggs, performs the puppet show of her work, complete with book signings.
Klutz Activity Table showcases how-to sessions with the art of “twisted” paper and quilling.
Sunday Only!
One of our favorites- Read to the Dogs, allows kids to practice their reading skills in a fluffy, judgment-free environment. Pet Partners provides kindly service animals and makes this ingenious event possible at Little Word
Wordstock festival takes place at the Convention Center October 13–14, 2012. Book Fair Ticketing: $7 general admission and free tickets for ages 13 and under are available via bewordstock.org or at the OCC box-office.
