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SANTA BARBARA COUNTY, CA - More than 300 fifth through eighth graders from schools throughout Santa Barbara County met with authors and illustrators of children's and young adult books during the 55th annual Author-Go-Round, proudly hosted by the Santa Barbara County Education Office.
Participating authors and illustrators included:
After each celebrity author provided a presentation to the entire audience, students broke into small groups to meet with each published writer to discuss their craft and understand the creative process. To close the event, a few lucky raffle winners walked away with signed books and posters.
"It's really cool to go around and meet different authors and see how they write their stories. It's very inspiring and I'm hoping to use some of the tips they gave us to help write my own stories," said one participating student from Kellogg Elementary in the Goleta Union School District.
Due to popular demand, this beloved event returned to Santa Maria, expanding access for schools and districts in mid- and northern Santa Barbara County. Students from across the Santa Maria Valley and beyond joined the learning and fun at the Abel Maldonado Community Youth Center on Jan. 28 - 29, and students from the southern part of the county gathered on Feb. 4 - 5 at the Santa Barbara County Education Office Auditorium in Santa Barbara.
"It is so wonderful to see so many students from throughout Santa Barbara County participate in the Author-Go-Round. This event sparks creativity and curiosity and deepens students' connections to reading, writing, and illustrations," said County Superintendent of Schools Susan Salcido. "We are grateful to the talented authors who share their time and expertise, inspiring the next generation of storytellers."
Participating students came from the Ballard, Buellton, College, Cuyama, Goleta, Hope, Lompoc, Orcutt, Santa Barbara Unified, Santa Maria-Bonita, and Solvang school districts and Manzanita, Orcutt Academy, Peabody, and Santa Barbara charter schools.