Welcome to the 4th Annual
3000+ Book Giveaway! Live Events Across Maine!
CELEBRATING THE CHILDREN’S LITERATURE
OF THE AFRICAN DIASPORA
September 22 – 24, 2023 & Beyond
In Honor of Ashley Bryan’s 100th Birthday!
Ongoing Events
Beautiful Blackbird! Interactive Exhibit Ongoing
Artists
Ashley Bryan, Pat Cummings, Ken Daley, Ekua Holmes, Daniel Minter, Oge Mora, and others
Location
Children’s Museum & Theatre of Maine
250 Thompson’s Point Road, Portland, ME
Dates
Ongoing, Wednesday to Sunday
Times
9:00 AM – 4:00 PM
About Event
A magical portal to Bryan’s work is open for children and their adult guests at the Children’s Museum and Theatre of Maine. Beautiful Blackbird! is an interactive, multimedia installation; its centerpiece is a giant projection screen animated with bird friends from the pages of his classic picture book Beautiful Blackbird (Atheneum, 2003). Bryan believed in creating experience and meaning through the ear, not just the eye, so he felt that performance is an essential story component. The Exhibit is a place for “flip-flop-flapping” your wings, and “stirring, whirring the air” as you dance with a bird on the screen who dances with you and moves as you move. Visitors can create Bryan-inspired art in the Makerspace and sit down for a musical, movement-filled recording of the artist reading Blackbird for an audience of children. On one large wall, the Artist Gallery features children’s picture book spreads by 14 creators who “emulate the joy Ashley emphasized in his books,” including Pat Cummings, Ken Daley, Ekua Holmes, Daniel Minter, and Oge Mora. The Artist Gallery is curated by Marcia Minter, who also produced the exhibition in collaboration with Daniel Minter, Indigo Arts Alliance, the Ashley Bryan Center, Chris Sullivan Creative Consulting, and Bryan himself.
Past Events
“This event and the magic of books remind us of their ability to create understanding, foster connection, and uplift marginalized voices.” – BBCF 2023 Participant
“A simple woven basket sparked a heartfelt conversation, connecting a mother and a daughter through shared experiences.” – BBCF 2023 Participant
Indigo Dreaming with Dinah Johnson September 23, 2023
Artist
Dinah Johnson
Location
Indigo Arts Alliance
60 Cove Street, Portland, ME
Date & Time
Saturday, September 23 – 1:00 PM
About Event
Free Admission
Dinah Johnson, author of Indigo Dreaming, is coming to Maine as a part of this year’s Beautiful Blackbird Children Festival! Join us for a read-aloud of Indigo Dreaming and hands-on activities for all ages. Guests will be gifted their very own copy of Indigo Dreaming. Be in the studio with us as we explore this beautiful story of family, heritage, and tradition. Sign up now to reserve your spot at IndigoArtsAlliance.me on the Program page.
Beautiful Blackbird Children’s Book Festival
at the Children’s Museum & Theatre of Maine September 23, 2023
Location
Children’s Museum & Theatre of Maine
250 Thompson’s Point Road, Portland, ME
Date
Saturday, September 23
Time
9:00 AM – 4:00 PM
About Event
$1 Admission
The Children’s Museum & Theatre of Maine is proud to partner with Indigo Arts Alliance (IAA) for the 4th annual Beautiful Blackbird Children’s Book Festival, a celebration of children’s book authors and illustrators of the African Diaspora. CMTM will present an in-person schedule of literary and art activities for the whole family, including a Read Aloud with A Feast for Joseph by author OD Bonny, art-making workshops, and theatrical beat-making. The Beautiful Blackbird Children’s Book Festival at CMTM is presented with support from Unum, M&T Bank. The event is also an official Dollar Day$ event. Admission to the Museum & Theatre will be $1 for every visitor, thanks to generous support from WEX, Inc.
Acholi Music! Afrobeat!: OD Bonny Family Performance September 24, 2023
Location
Mayo Street Arts
10 Mayo Street, Portland, ME
Date
Sunday, September 24
Time
1:00 – 2:00 PM
About Event
Free Admission & Books
OD Bonny returns to Maine! Children and adults are welcome for a performance of traditional Acholi music and dancehall/Afrobeat by our own South Sudanese singer, songwriter, and producer! Dance to OD’s traditional hits like Lodongo Acholi, Apoka Poka, Be Mine, and Weng Acholi! Copies of OD’s new children’s book A Feast for Joseph written with Terry Farish will be given away at the event (while supplies last). The book, set in Portland’s Kennedy Park and the Kyangwali Refugee Settlement in Uganda, was inspired by OD’s own journey from South Sudan to Maine. This Beautiful Blackbird Children’s Book Festival event is sponsored by I’m Your Neighbor Books & Mayo Street Arts with special thanks to the Portland Food Co-op.
Beautiful Blackbird Children’s Book Festival in Rockland, Maine September 24, 2023
Location
The Farnsworth Art Museum
16 Museum Street, Rockland, ME
Date
Sunday, September 24
Time
1:00 – 3:00 PM
About Event
Free Admission & Books
Center for Maine Contemporary Art and The Farnsworth Art Museum present the Beautiful Blackbird Children’s Book Festival in Rockland, Maine. Author Dinah Johnson will be reading from her picture book Indigo Dreaming in the Farnsworth Art Museum Library at 1 p.m. The reading will be followed by a collage art-making activity in the Gamble Education Center from 2-3 p.m. where free copies of Indigo Dreaming will be given away. Additionally, tote bags containing Beautiful Blackbird Children’s Book Festival books will be distributed. Admission to Farnsworth is free from 1-3 p.m.
Opening: A Blue: Daniel Minter and the Layered Narrative of Illustration September 29, 2023
Artist
Daniel Minter
Location
LA Arts
168 Lisbon St, Lewiston, ME
Date & Time
September 29 – 5:30–7:00 PM
About Event
Free Admission
Join Coretta Scott King and Caldecott Honor winner, Daniel Minter for the opening of A Blue: Daniel Minter and the Layered Narrative of Illustration, an exploration of Minter’s children’s book artistry. Using a visual vocabulary, Minter not only communicates the arc of the story, but expresses narratives within each layered illustration. Each image invites readers to explore the depth of the Black experience. Referencing the water, the crossing, the land, and desolation, Minter also tells readers how a people retained, remade, reimagined, and reclaimed themselves through their valorization of family, work, and love.
A Blue: Daniel Minter and the Layered Narrative of Illustration September 29 – November 10, 2023
Artist
Daniel Minter
Location
LA Arts
168 Lisbon St, Lewiston, ME
Dates
September 29-November 10
About Event
Free Admission
A Blue: Daniel Minter and the Layered Narrative of Illustration explores the children’s book artistry of Coretta Scott King and Caldecott Honor winner, Daniel Minter. Using a visual vocabulary, Minter not only communicates the arc of the story, but expresses narratives within each layered illustration. Each image invites readers to explore the depth of the Black experience. Referencing the water, the crossing, the land, and desolation, Minter also tells readers how a people retained, remade, reimagined, and reclaimed themselves through their valorization of family, work, and love.
Freedom Over Me: Eleven Slaves, Their Lives and Dreams Brought to Life Written & Illustrated by Ashley Bryan
This gentle yet deeply powerful way goes to the heart of how a slave is given a monetary value by the slave owner, tempering this with the one thing that can’t be bought or sold: dreams. Inspired by the actual will of a plantation owner that lists the worth of each and every one of his “workers,” the author has created collages around that document, and others like it.
Through fierce paintings and expansive poetry, he imagines and interprets each person’s life on the plantation, as well as the life their owner knew nothing about—their dreams and pride in knowing that they were worth far more than an overseer or madam ever would guess. Visually epic, and never before done, this stunning picture book is unlike anything you’ve seen.
Discover this year’s other featured titles!
It’s time for the 4th annual Beautiful Blackbird Children’s Book Festival! This site is your homebase for engaging with all of the wonderful new content we have for you this year. This program celebrates the voices, artistry, and impact of children’s literature created by and featuring Black people.
We’re giving away 3,000 books to children in Maine! Explore the 2023 book collection at your local library or purchase them at PRINT: A Bookstore to support next year’s festival.
REMEMBER www.BeautifulBlackbird.com will be available for EVERYONE to use and enjoy all year long!