UA News

The Tucson Festival of Books kicks off at the UA on Saturday and features a diverse range of workshops.

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The Tucson Festival of Books, which will be held at the University of Arizona Saturday and Sunday, includes a range of workshops for the public.

Special workshops are being offered for children, teenagers, parents and educators on a range of topics, such as puppeteering, cooking, writing, illustration, how to engage youth in reading and how to get published. 

"We've tried to focus on children's activities and workshops," said Bill Viner, one of the festival's founders. 

"Almost every subject is covered in the festival," said Viner, also chief executive officer of Pepper Viner Homes. "We will continue to grow and to give aspiring writers a chance to hear from the best leaders in the industry." 

Workshops and workshop presenters include:

• Author Chris Eboch will conduct a writing workshop.
• "How to Create a Media Kit" will be held 10 to 11 a.m. Saturday in Room 119 of the UA's Integrated Learning Center with author Lynn Wiese Sneyd.
• "Letting Go of the Words: Writing Web Content that Works," with Janice "Ginny" Redish will be held Saturday from 10 to 11 a.m. in Room 151 of the Integrated Learning Center. 
• David Niecikowski, a local educator, will offer a workshop on ways to use games and books to engage readers. His workshop, "Games + Books = An Engaged Reader," will be held Saturday from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. in Room 308 of the Education Building.
• "Ghostwriting a Story Without Losing Your Mind" with author Allen Kates will be held 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. in Room 151 of the Integrated Learning Center.
• Author Terry Sprouse will lead the workshop, "How to Self-Publish and Promote Your Book, and Enjoy It!" It will be held 1 to 2 p.m. Saturday in Room 141 of the Integrated Learning Center.
• Jana Bradley, a professor in the UA's School of Information Resources and Library Science, will present "Is Self Publishing for You?" The workshop will be held Sunday from 10 to 11 a.m. in Room 151 of the Integrated Learning Center.      

The festival maintains a list of all events on its Web site.

Also, authors and chefs including Marcela Valladolid, Carolyn Niethammer, Scott Uehlein and Barry Infuso are among those who will host culinary workshops covering southwestern, healthy, American Indian and other cuisine. 

"The workshops are an especially standout feature," Viner said. "I do not think there there is another festival with this many workshops with such diverse subjects.