The first Pittsburgh Festival of Books was a grand success.  The predicted rain did not arrive until late in the day and attendees enjoyed sunny skies for readings, story telling, poetry and all things books.

Jessica Betancourt Perez, coauthor of A Thousand White Butterflies,  joined me from York, PA.  She shared her experiences as an immigrant coming to the US from Colombia and read our book to the audience. Jessica’s son Caleb modeled the traditional  Colombian Sombrero and poncho for us.

I shared Spirit of The Cheetah (coauthor Khadra Mohammed) with the audience.  Kids and parents were invited to create with thumbprints and butterflies inspired by the the stories.

This was the first Pittsburgh Book Festival.  Let’s hope it becomes a literary tradition in our city!