Texas Tech University

Inaugural Lubbock Children's Literature and Film Festival Offers Full Day of Fun

Glenys Young

October 24, 2019

Book of Life

The event is scheduled for Nov. 2.

Looking for something new, engaging and educational to do with your kids? Bring them to the inaugural Lubbock Children's Literature and Film Festival on Nov. 2 for a day of movies, books and fun.

The all-day event starts at 10 a.m. with PBS Kids at the Alamo Drafthouse, 120 W. Loop 289. A $1-$5 donation per ticket is requested to KTTZ, Lubbock's PBS station.

In the afternoon, the festival will move to the Louise Hopkins Underwood Center for the Arts (LHUCA), 511 Ave. K. The rest of the day's events can be attended for $5 per family.

At 2 p.m., graphic designer Bruce Foster, the paper engineer of dozens of pop-up books, including "Harry Potter: A Pop-Up Book" and "Puff the Magic Dragon," will give an entertaining and informative presentation introducing the young and young-at-heart to the math and magic of moveable books. At 3:15 p.m., he will lead a workshop on paper engineering. After the workshop, Foster will be available to sign books. Participants may bring their own copy or purchase one at the event.

At 5 p.m., everyone is welcome to attend a screening of "The Book of Life," a seasonal, kid-friendly movie, in The Christine DeVitt Icehouse Gallery.

The event's organizers hope this event helps bring families together to share their love of reading and watching films.

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Foster

"I have two daughters, ages 9 and 5, and aside from some specialty programming at the Alamo Drafthouse and the summer children's programming at other theaters and the public library, I didn't feel that there was a special event for children – specifically those ages 3-12 – to learn to celebrate and love films shown in a collective setting," said Wyatt Phillips, an assistant professor of film and media studies in the Texas Tech University Department of English. "Additionally, my family went to the Abilene Children's Art and Literacy Festival two summers ago and had a great experience celebrating books with the broader community. My two co-organizers – Katie Cortese and Heather Warren-Crow – also are parents of young children and share my desire to initiate something like this here.

"My hope is we can draw families and children from across the diverse breadth of the population in Lubbock and the South Plains. Spending time with your children is a need that hopefully every parent can relate to, and we're trying to fill that in a way that's low-cost and high-return, in terms of what the parents can get."

Sponsored by the Texas Tech Department of English and co-sponsored by LHUCA, Landmark Arts and Texas Tech Public Media, the festival aims to bring in families from Lubbock and across the South Plains to celebrate children's literature and film and raise awareness about the importance of reading and viewing as a family-centered event.

For more information, visit the event website or email valerie.wayson@ttu.edu.