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.
Proclamation Day
Oct 1, 2019. Proclamation Day @ the city of Eureka. Featuring Committee members and Mayor Susan Seaman.
For Full Proclamation GO HERE
2022 Event Schedule
Oct 20-21
54 Schools throughout Humboldt County receive an author visit!
Friday Oct 21st
Author Banquet
All 25 Authors will be honored at a banquet; a limited number of tickets may be purchased to attend.
Saturday Oct 22nd
Book Sale & Author Signing & Prize Drawing
Humboldt County Library, Eureka.
Authors on site to sign your purchases!
1:30 PRIZE DRAWING. Tickets $1 each
Grand Prize: 25 Autographed Books - one from each author! 10 second prizes: one Autographed Book for each winner!
Would you like to become a Business Sponsor or Adopt An Author?
Click HERE!
Book Clubs can adopt an author, too.
Thanks to our Community of Partners and Sponsors
Our Partners
Friends of the Redwood Libraries
Humboldt County Office of Education
Our 2019 Sponsors
Anderson, Lucas, Somerville & Borges, LLP
The Bear River Band of the Rohnerville Rancheria
Community Credit Union of Southern Humboldt
Central Office—THE COPY CENTER
Leslie M. Kurasaki
MapleService Plumbing & Heating
Redwood Coast Financial Partners
Schmidbauer Family Foundation
Tucker & Tucker Pediatric Dentistry
Tri Counties Bank
GO HERE for our current Volunteer Spotlight.
Author Festival Committee
Becky Giacomini, Linda Lorvig, Joan Williams, Coordinators
Janine Randall, Secretary
Byrd Lochtie, Treasurer
Ann Wieland & Diane Larkin, Fundraising
JoAnn Bauer, Author Selection
Lucy Quinby & Peg Gardner, School Liaisons
Perrin Turney, Web Coordinator
Pat Person & Connie Lefever, Driver Co-Chairs
For full listing of Committee Members, Go HERE