(ThyBlackMan.com) The words: Be Inspired To Create, To Read, To Write and to Inspire others were the words of the Florida Heritage Book Festival in St. Augustine, Florida. Authors, writers, bloggers, content creators from across the state participated in book reviews, writing critiques, workshops, book signings and in attendance were over 50 book vendors.
The push to increase literacy in students can be seen at events like the Florida Heritage Book Festival because students inspire the creativity of authors that write books for them. These students as early readers will develop into adult readers supporting authors, bloggers and content creators across the state and the country.
The free event encouraged more education in the areas of fiction, 
nonfiction, storytelling, poetry and even spoken word. The St. Augustine Public Library made available the opportunity for children and adults to register for library cards and learn about the unique literary services provided by the library system of St. Johns County http://www.sjcpls.org/
There were events for children that helped inspire them to read, write and embrace creative literature. Peter Meinke and Jeanne Clark Meinke, nationally recognized authors held a workshop “Hands-on Poetry” a session for 8 to 12 year olds and another favorite provided by Andre Frattino, a nationally and internationally recognized author and graphic designer held a “Hands-on Graphic Novel Development” a session for 13 to 18 year olds participated in.
Attending this session was Elisha Taylor a student in DCPS from Jacksonville, he is engaged in technology in the areas of graphic design, robotics and other areas that students are now deeply exploring in school. The initiatives of STEM Science Technology Engineering and Math are the foundations of new careers, so students like Elisha are immersed in hands-on learning projects that encourage collaboration.
Elisha is a reader and loves diverse literature, he had an opportunity to develop several graphic design pieces that can be applied to comics, literary works, cartoons, and other digital platforms. He participated in discussions about how to design storytelling platforms, character development and how to properly design and write a graphic novel. Elisha recently attended the Florida Blogging Conference held at Full Sail University attending with several students from Edward Waters College.
Events like this and others need to be engaged in by students from elementary to high school because of the exposure to professionals and the opportunity to learn how to properly network and collaborate. The growth in global diversity and integration of technology and social engagement with students from various backgrounds means that youth, teens and young adults have to be able to communicate and function in diverse environments in education, business and commerce.
The Florida Heritage Book Festival is just one of many events happening in Northeast Florida that parents and schools should encourage students to attend so they can learn to broaden their social and educational skill sets.
Resources:
Florida Heritage Book Festival: http://fhbookfest.com/
Florida Humanities: https://floridahumanities.org/
Staff Writer; William D. Jackson & Elisha Taylor DCPS Student
Find out more about this talented writer over at; OCS For Education.
