PEN World Voices Festival, now in its fifteenth year, is America’s premier international literary festival and offers some wonderful programs for kids at its downtown hub, Town Stages.

Kids' Schedule:

Drag Queen Story Hour
12:30-1:30pm
Ages 3-8
Miz Jade and Brontez Purcell, author of The Nightlife of Jacuzzi Gaskett, read from books, sing songs, and lead their young audience in arts and crafts explorations. Drag Queen Story Hour is designed for children aged three to eight, but all are welcome to join for a joyful celebration of diversity and creativity.
Fee: $5. Register in advance.

You Kid: A Comics and Graphic Novel Workshop with Jerry Craft
12:30-1:30pm
Ages 7-14
Kids explore the critically acclaimed graphic novel New Kid with the book’s creator, renowned artist and Mama’s Boyz cartoonist Jerry Craft. Then, Craft guides young workshop participants through the process of plotting narratives, writing dialog for word balloon format, and creating book covers. All participants leave with a finished graphic novel cover in hand—and inspiration for continued creation.
Fee: $10. Register in advance.

Make a Book with 826 NYC
2-3pm
Ages 8-14
Young participants collaborate with a talented team of writers and artists to brainstorm concepts, craft new characters, write stories, and illustrate adventures. At the end of the day, all newly-minted authors walk away with their very own original books.
Free with advance registration.

Nidhi Chanani and Spellbound Theatre: Today I Will Be Fierce!
2-3pm
Ages 0-8
Spellbound Theatre, New York City’s award-winning “tiny theatre for tiny people,” offers a hands-on creative workshop that celebrates the fierce adventurer in each of us. Families are treated to an interactive storytime featuring Nidhi Chanani, co-creator (with Bea Birdsong) of I Will Be Fierce, an imaginative picture book about courage, confidence, and kindness. Following the storytime reading, young explorers learn to design puppets and take the adventure into their own hands.
Fee: $5. Register in advance.

Hello Planet
3:30-4:30pm
Ages 0-8
Beloved Argentinian cartoonist Ricardo Siri, widely known by the name Liniers, enchants listeners with a reading from his picture book, Good Night, Planet. He then leads a discussion with young audience members and paints a mural on the spot, inspired by the dreams and aspirations of his audience.
Free with advance registration.

Finding Your Voice: Comics Carousel
3:30-4:30pm
Ages 8-14
The creators of award-winning books perform the voices of their characters as artwork appears onscreen and pages turn. Graphic novel pioneers Molly Ostertag (The Witch Boy), Nidhi Chanani (Pashmina), and Jerry Craft (New Kid), with emcee Robert Sikoryak (The Unquotable Trump) combine visual storytelling and live performance during this innovative afternoon of entertainment.
Fee: $15. Register in advance.

Lexington Candy: We Wrote the Book
5pm
All ages
Townsend Harris students read from their century-deep history of Lexington Candy, an immigrant family-run UES mainstay, and discuss the experience of researching the city’s immigrant culinary entrepreneurs. Don’t miss this fascinating discussion, which explores how writing can help preserve NYC’s globally-sourced gastronomic treasures. Hosted by David Kurlander.
Free with advance registration.