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BAM Festival connects young artists with bestselling authors and illustrators
Summary
At the BAM Festival (Books, Art and Music), bestselling authors and illustrators led hands-on workshops and Q&A sessions for children and teens; 18-year-old attendee Eli said the event offered real-world mentorship he could not find online.
At the BAM Festival, authors, illustrators and musicians ran hands-on workshops and Q&A sessions aimed at children and young adults, giving participants opportunities to practice and ask detailed questions of working professionals.
The festival — billed as “books, art and music” — brought award-listed and bestselling creators to lead classroom-style sessions where students worked on arts-and-crafts projects, participated in an “illustrator smackdown” driven by audience suggestions, and attended question-and-answer panels geared to teens preparing to take their work further.
The programming featured authors described in promotional material as New York Times bestsellers and IndieBound bestsellers, and included participants from the Sunshine State Young Reader award list. Local, very young musicians also performed as part of the festival’s music programming.
“I have to illustrate both the pictures and I also have to write the entire script,” said Eli, an 18-year-old attendee and aspiring graphic novelist. He said the Q&A sessions were particularly valuable: “Here, I'm able to, like, actually ask them if I have, like, a very specific question that I cannot find the answer online.”
Reporters observed the events emphasizing mentorship and real-time feedback: illustrators guided students through drawing exercises and allowed audience members to suggest elements for quick sketches, while authors answered writing and publishing questions from teens.
The festival combined performance and workshop elements intended for different age groups, from young children learning crafts to older teens seeking career and craft advice. Coverage of the event was provided by Cheryl Khan of WPB TV.
