events & picture books salon

upcoming events

5

Septemeber 21, 10:30 am
Wild Rumpus event with John Coy

5

September 28, 10:30 am
Storytime Trolley in Stillwater (Valley Bookseller)

5

October 5, 2024
Picture Book Parade at Midtown Farmer’s Market

October 12, 2024, 10:30 am
Red Balloon Bookshop launch for JUST US

upcoming picture book salons:

–

Nature Writing Picture Book Salon at Wood Lake
September 23, 5 – 7 pm
IN PERSON/OUTDOORS at Wood Lake Nature Center in Richfield

Please join picture book authors Aimée Bissonette and Molly Beth Griffin for a discussion of nature writing for kids! We’ll meet IN PERSON at Wood Lake Nature Center in Richfield. We have reserved the picnic shelter; we may move to the amphitheater if weather allows. After a short talk, we’ll take a nature walk together and do a writing/drawing exercise on the trail.

We’ll gather beginning at 5pm and start the presentation portion of the evening around 5:15. (Please note that this IN PERSON/OUTDOOR event begins slightly earlier than our usual start time.) You are welcome to bring a snack or drink to share – but NO alcohol is allowed at Wood Lake. Dress for the weather and bring BUG SPRAY and a notebook or sketchbook.

Details: Please park in the lot and enter through the dragonfly gate. Unfortunately the building will be closed at our meeting time, so the only bathroom is a port-a-potty in the parking lot. Please bring snacks in a closeable container (like a tupperware) due to wildlife!

—

Virtual October Salon: NEW BOOKS
Date: Tuesday, October 8th
Time: 7 – 8:30 pm (central)
Please join us for a virtual celebration of new books by community members. Authors will read their new picture book and share a little bit about it, and we’ll post ordering links and event details as we go. Featured books: Goat’s Boat Won’t Float by Kim A. Larson, Snow Steps by Karen Latchana Kenney, Saturday Morning at the ‘Shop by Keenan Jones, What Lolo Wants by Cristina Oxtra, and Just Us by Molly Beth Griffin. If you have a new book out and would like to show it to the group, please bring it to the zoom. Meeting should run from 7-8pm but I’ll set the end time to 8:30 in case we have lots of people who want to share. Please note that this Salon takes place on a TUESDAY!
—
Picture Book Salon is FREE and public, and generally meets on the first Monday of the month. Please RSVP here or to mollybethgriffin @ gmail.com.

Some recordings of previous Salons can be found on our Facebook group page, or on YouTube with these links:

  • May 2024  (Pat Zietlow Miller: CUT THE FLUFF)
  • March 2024  (Colleen Muske: GROWING A BOOK)
  • February 2024  (Joyce Sidman: WRITING THROUGH WINTER)
  • October 2023  (Kurtis Scaletta: GRANNY REX”: A BOOK SIX(TY MILLION) YEARS IN THE MAKING)
  • May 2023  (Zaynab Abdi: GREEN CARD VOICES)
  • April 2023  (Tasslyn Magnusson: FIGHTING BOOK BANS)
  • March 2023  (Laura Purdie Salas & Yvonne Pearson: CREATING AND PERFORMING LIBRARY STORYTIMES)
  • February 2023  (Cori Doerrfeld: “BENEATH” THE COVER)
  • April 2022  (Dr. Artika Tyner: WRITING FOR JUSTICE)
  • March 2022  (Kayla Harren: STORYTELLING WITH CHARACTER, COLOR, AND LIGHT)
  • November 2021  (Stephen Shaskan:  GRAPHIC CHAPTER BOOKS & SERIES)
  • October 2021  (Phyllis Root, Liza Ketchum, Jackie Briggs Martin & Claudia McGehee: “BEGIN WITH A BEE” COLLABORATION)
  • April 2021  (Angela Whited & Kara Forde: BOOKSTORES & THE PANDEMIC)
  • November 2020  (Carol Hinz (Editor at Lerner): PICTURE BOOKS & THE PANDEMIC)
  • October 2020  (Dara Beevas (Wise Ink): INDIE AUTHOR REVOLUTION)
Picture Book Salon BOOK BASH event, June 2023 – Left to right: Molly Beth Griffin, Loretta Ellsworth, Yvonne Pearson, Billy Thao, Monica Rojas
Picture Book Salon with Lerner Publishing, June 2024 – Speakers left to right: Shaina Olmanson (editor), Ty Chapman (author), Karlyn Coleman (marketing)

upcoming picture book salons:

–

Nature Writing Picture Book Salon at Wood Lake
September 23, 5 – 7 pm
IN PERSON/OUTDOORS at Wood Lake Nature Center in Richfield
 
Please join picture book authors Aimée Bissonette and Molly Beth Griffin for a discussion of nature writing for kids! We’ll meet IN PERSON at Wood Lake Nature Center in Richfield. We have reserved the picnic shelter; we may move to the amphitheater if weather allows. After a short talk, we’ll take a nature walk together and do a writing/drawing exercise on the trail.
 
We’ll gather beginning at 5pm and start the presentation portion of the evening around 5:15. (Please note that this IN PERSON/OUTDOOR event begins slightly earlier than our usual start time.) You are welcome to bring a snack or drink to share – but NO alcohol is allowed at Wood Lake. Dress for the weather and bring BUG SPRAY and a notebook or sketchbook. 

Details: Please park in the lot and enter through the dragonfly gate. Unfortunately the building will be closed at our meeting time, so the only bathroom is a port-a-potty in the parking lot. Please bring snacks in a closeable container (like a tupperware) due to wildlife!

—

 
Virtual October Salon: NEW BOOKS
Date: Tuesday, October 8th
Time: 7 – 8:30 pm (central)

Please join us for a virtual celebration of new books by community members. Authors will read their new picture book and share a little bit about it, and we’ll post ordering links and event details as we go. Featured books: Goat’s Boat Won’t Float by Kim A. Larson, Snow Steps by Karen Latchana Kenney, Saturday Morning at the ‘Shop by Keenan Jones, What Lolo Wants by Cristina Oxtra, and Just Us by Molly Beth Griffin. If you have a new book out and would like to show it to the group, please bring it to the zoom. Meeting should run from 7-8pm but I’ll set the end time to 8:30 in case we have lots of people who want to share. Please note that this Salon takes place on a TUESDAY!
 
—
 Picture Book Salon is FREE and public, and generally meets on the first Monday of the month. Please RSVP here or to mollybethgriffin @ gmail.com.
Some recordings of previous Salons can be found on our Facebook group page, or on YouTube with these links:

 

 

  • May 2024  (Pat Zietlow Miller: CUT THE FLUFF)
  • March 2024  (Colleen Muske: GROWING A BOOK)
  • February 2024  (Joyce Sidman: WRITING THROUGH WINTER)
  • October 2023  (Kurtis Scaletta: GRANNY REX”: A BOOK SIX(TY MILLION) YEARS IN THE MAKING)
  • May 2023  (Zaynab Abdi: GREEN CARD VOICES)
  • April 2023  (Tasslyn Magnusson: FIGHTING BOOK BANS)
  • March 2023  (Laura Purdie Salas & Yvonne Pearson: CREATING AND PERFORMING LIBRARY STORYTIMES)
  • February 2023  (Cori Doerrfeld: “BENEATH” THE COVER)
  • April 2022  (Dr. Artika Tyner: WRITING FOR JUSTICE)
  • March 2022  (Kayla Harren: STORYTELLING WITH CHARACTER, COLOR, AND LIGHT)
  • November 2021  (Stephen Shaskan:  GRAPHIC CHAPTER BOOKS & SERIES)
  • October 2021  (Phyllis Root, Liza Ketchum, Jackie Briggs Martin & Claudia McGehee: “BEGIN WITH A BEE” COLLABORATION)
  • April 2021  (Angela Whited & Kara Forde: BOOKSTORES & THE PANDEMIC)
  • November 2020  (Carol Hinz (Editor at Lerner): PICTURE BOOKS & THE PANDEMIC)
  • October 2020  (Dara Beevas (Wise Ink): INDIE AUTHOR REVOLUTION)
Picture Book Salon BOOK BASH event, June 2023 – Left to right: Molly Beth Griffin, Loretta Ellsworth, Yvonne Pearson, Billy Thao, Monica Rojas
Picture Book Salon with Lerner Publishing, June 2024 – Speakers left to right: Shaina Olmanson (editor), Ty Chapman (author), Karlyn Coleman (marketing)

readings & signings

Yes, I am available for story times! Please contact me for rates and details.

Photos from Star of the North nomination event at Mackin, Children’s Book Week readings at New Brighton and North St. Paul libraries, events which served over 70 children plus their adults and Screen-free Week readings at Kinderberry Hill Child Development centers, Eden Prairie and Edina.