Festival 'a gift to the community'

Festival's Exhibitors on the UA Mall

Something for kids of all ages

The Tucson Festival of Books March 10-11 will have something of interest for children of all ages:

Birth-First Grade. Stop by the Tent for Tots: the perfect place for wee ones to fall in love with books. There you'll find kid-friendly puppet shows, stories, activities and music. Yoga for Babies will help little ones and their parents take a pause as they pose for relaxation amidst all the fun.

Elementary-age students. Head for the Red and Blue Activity Tents. There your family can find all kinds of hands-on activities for children provided by various organizations. This includes the Postal History Foundation, Mad Science, Arts for All, the ASDB, Altrusa Puppets, the Tucson Museum of Art, and the Children's Museum.

On the Page and On the Stage. There's always something happening when it's show time on the McDonald's Entertainment Stage.

Drawing a Crowd. Several attending illustrators will be giving drawing workshops for children.

Tell Me a Story. The Storyteller Stage is a great spot to sit and listen as expert storytellers enthrall children with the spoken word. 10 Master Storytellers will be on hand to weave a little magic with their tales.

Story Blanket. A cozy place to hear authors reading from their books.

Young Writers' Awards. 400-500 entries this year have been submitted. Great prizes will be awarded to the winners from the UA BookStores and Bookmans. The UA BookStores will create bound copies of the winning stories. Judging is now taking place.

Teens. The Teens and Author Meeting Place is a special area at the Festival just for teens, where you can enjoy conversations with authors and get books signed.

Watch for more info on the Festival's teen appeal in an upcoming newsletter.

Food Court - a great spot for first-time volunteers

Want to volunteer where the action is during the Festival?

The Food Court is one of the largest hubs of activity. It's not only a place to get great eats from our irresistible food vendors, but a place to sit and talk and share their festival experiences. Authors and participants alike roam in and out of the Food Court.

Due to the high traffic, we need cheerful volunteers to help ensure that the area stays safe and neat. If you have never volunteered at the Festival, this is a perfect place to start - full of activity, yet low-key!

There are other volunteer opportunities available - browse the available jobs and shifts, then sign up at tucsonfestivalofbooks.org/volunteer

Meet the author: Alice Hoffman

Alice Hoffman has written 21 novels, three books of short fiction, and eight books for children and young adults. She has been at work on her latest novel, "The Dovekeepers," for the past five years. It is the story of the survivors of Masada.

Meet the author: Sebastian Junger

Sebastian Junger is the author of four New York Times best-selling books: "The Perfect Storm," "Fire," "A Death in Belmont" and "War." As a contributing editor to Vanity Fair and as a contributor to ABC News, he has covered major international news stories around the world.

Festival links at a glance