Morris Authors Day

Published on April 10, 2024

Join us at the Morris County Library for a celebration of local authors with a day of fun activities! Morris Authors Day begins at 10:00am and ends at 4:00pm. Morris Authors Day is open to all ages. Please note children 12 and under must be accompanied by an adult at all times. 

Morris Authors Day begins with How to Craft a Compelling Query Letter with author Liz Alterman. This program will take place from 10:00am to 11:00am in the public meeting room. During this program, Liz will discuss how to craft a compelling query letter for submission to a literary agent or editor. Attendees can expect practical tips, examples, and advice for writing an effective query letter.

At 11:00am authors Mally Becker, Nev March, and Lori Robbins will lead a panel presentation on How to (and how not to) start a novel. Each of these authors has published mystery novels and will offer top tips to start your novel and, just as importantly, top things to avoid. This panel discussion will take place in the public meeting room. 

From 1:00pm to 2:00pm join author Michelle Cameron in a discussion on historical fiction: How Much is Historical and How Much is Fiction? Michelle will discuss the balance required in historical fiction and the different ways writers address the question: what’s real and what’s imagined? This program will take place in the public meeting room. 

Also taking place from 1:00pm to 2:00pm is Draw-Along with Mike Moran! Children's book illustrator Mike Moran will demonstrate different ways to draw and develop a main character for a story. This program is recommended for children ages 7 and up. This program will take place in the Children's room. 

The final presentation of the day will be a Cartooning Techniques demonstration from Nick Caponi. Nick is an instructor at the Kubert School for cartooning and graphic arts and a freelance illustrator who specializes in comic book coloring and illustrating in the genres of sci-fi, fantasy, role-playing games, and humor.

Drop-in activities will also be available throughout the day. Local authors will have tables set up for book signings, and there will be a drop-in poetry table with activities for all ages. The poetry table will be available from noon to 4:00pm. Children will be able to create their own acrostic poems, pages will be available to make blackout poetry and adults can try creating chip paint poems! 

Please note that while registration is not required for Morris Authors Day events, seating is limited and will be available on a first come, first served basis.  

 For questions or concerns, please contact Marybeth Ginsburg at mginsberg@co.morris.nj.us