October 20-22, 2022

Humboldt County Children's Author Festival

Starting in 1975, the Humboldt County Children’s Author Festival has brought 25 authors from all

around the country to Humboldt County every two years. These authors inspire, delight, and encourage

a love for books and reading for thousands of children while visiting approximately 60 schools during

their two days in Humboldt County. In addition to providing the school visits, the Author Festival hosts a

popular book sale and author event at the main library on Saturday, where students and their families

can meet the authors and have books signed. The library buzzes with excitement as students interact

with the author celebrities.

Funded primarily by the generous support of local businesses and organizations, the biennial festival is

produced by a dedicated group of librarians, educators, and community members who volunteer their

time, talent, and energies to bring this fun, upbeat event to enrich our local schools.

AWARD WINNERS!

We are pleased to accept the 2019 CATE (California Association of Teachers of English) Award of Merit. This award recognizes outstanding contributions of organizations toward the improvement of teaching English/language arts in California. The statewide award will be presented at the February Annual Convention in Los Angeles!

Welcome! The Humboldt County Children's Author Festival began in 1975 to bring well-known published authors to Humboldt County and arrange visits to schools where they could talk with students about their love of reading, the craft of writing, and to reinforce the idea that people create books, and that children and students can also write and illustrate books.

Though the original goal was to host a one-time festival, its popularity with children, parents, teachers, librarians, and the general public was such that the festival evolved into a biennial event.

Hazel Lee Santino

Hazel Lee Santino was born in New York City where she spent her first two years soaking up its energy and exciting visuals; the second two were spent exploring the stunning hills of Tuscany. Preferring drawing over talking, she illustrated her thoughts before she could speak a full sentence. Moving to the Redwood Coast with her family in 1992, she attended Eureka City Schools; her free time studying nature and constructing unique art.

Hazel returned to NYC in 2007 to attend The New School, earning a BA in Literature from Eugene Lang and a BFA in Illustration from Parsons School of Design, where she now teaches. Her paintings and sculptures have been included in numerous exhibitions. Her work frequently incorporates references to natural objects from Humboldt’s beaches and forests and her family’s rambunctious garden and home near Sequoia Park Zoo. Freelance work includes fabric design, botanical drawings, album covers, magazines, film, and three-dimensional pieces.

Collaborating with the committee from afar, she illustrated the themes for the 2013-2022 Humboldt County Children’s Author Festivals. She feels a deep connection to this place and this remarkable gathering of authors and illustrators and young readers. Her participation honors the hard work of the Festival’s Committee, and the towers of wonder-filled books she checked out and devoured from the Humboldt County Library in her youth.

Emily Gunderson

Emily Gunderson grew up in Billings, Montana, where her dad, Todd, is an attorney and her mother, Ann, is a librarian and Computer Science teacher. Because of her job as the librarian, Ann has been able to attend our Author Festival, where she and Emily were introduced to books and authors from all over the country.

Emily may be the youngest person ever to attend the Humboldt County Children’s Author Festival. She arrived for the first time when she was just six months old, and managed to attend the potluck, book sale, and multiple schools. Of course, her grandmother, Byrd Lochtie, was thrilled to have her visiting, even though her dad sent her with a note saying, ‘Do Not Spoil!’- to no avail.

Emily has attended the Author Festival periodically throughout her life with her mother and grandmother, attending all the fun events and meeting new authors, teachers, and readers.

Emily participated in our Humboldt County Children’s Author Festival until she went off to Montana State University in Bozeman, Montana. Always an artist, Emily studied graphic design at Bozeman, earning several awards in her field. She is now the Lead Graphic Designer and Web Design Project Manager for Big Storm, a design company in Bozeman. She has used her expertise to create an official logo for the Humboldt County Children’s Author Festival. She values the Humboldt community and her continuing connection with the Festival. Emily now lives in Denver with her husband, Dylan, and her fluffy, feline, ankle-biting Momo.

Honoring our Authors!

One way we honor our authors is to host a dinner where they have an opportunity to see their books performed. And now you may enjoy Director Dr. Jean Bazemore and students of the Northcoast Preparatory Academy "Readers Theater" perform a sketch from four of the 25 books from the 25 national authors in attendance.