At Lowell Bayside Academy tonight, a line-up of creators from publishing, TV and graphic novels will share how they became writers or artists, with the hope of teaching and inspiring others in the process. It happens at the elementary school's fifth annual Authors & Illustrators Night.

The free 5:30 p.m. event, sponsored by the Lowell PTA, amplifies the school district's traditional Author's Day into a dynamic and interactive evening in which children and parents participate under the guidance of several guests.

It began four years ago, with an idea to save money for the PTA and highlight local talent by trying to find a Southern California writer to participate in Authors Day. (Paying the travel costs for writers outside the area seemed uneconomical at a time when school budgets were tightening.)

When no local authors immediately responded to requests to volunteer, the parent team kept asking around. Then suddenly four said that they would participate, so the PTA group came up with a plan to showcase them all.

The dynamic created by putting authors who had not previously worked together on the same stage surprised almost everyone involved. The event also showed not just the students, but teachers and parents, what could be done with $1,000, local resources, and a willingness to try something new.

“The first year we were hoping to get 75 people to show up. We 'sold out' at 150!” said Holland Brown, co-chair of the four-mom team who organized this year's night. She has two daughters at Lowell (and writes Patch's Sustaining the City column).

“Three hundred people have registered for this year’s event, up 20 percent from last year. I was amazed at how many people wanted to spend Friday night at school writing,” said Brown. “The family creates together in a collaborative, supportive setting and at the end of the night, the kids get to take home something they’ve worked on.”

Added co-chair Elizabeth Borsting, a travel author (and Patch contributor), "What this event does is expose children to a talent that they may not know they have.... Authors & Illustrators Night is designed to inspire children.”

The three-hour event kicks off with parents and children being introduced to each author and illustrator in Lowell's auditorium.

The guests--who usually have a writing link--take the stage to talk about what they were like as kids, what inspired them to create and how they got started in their artistic careers. The idea is for children to see that possibility in themselves, and immediately give it a try.

As the assembly ends, students and their parents go to a workshop for which they've pre-registered. The event's six workshops are designed to appeal to different age groups, from pre-K to fifth grade.

This year, Monsters Don't Eat Broccoli author Barbara Jean Hicks, graphic novelist Mike Wellman and comic book writer-illustrator Rafael Navarro (who is also an Emmy-winning Nickelodeon animator) return by popular demand. Joining the line-up is well-known author Lisa Yee, who has written numerous books including So Totally Emily Ebers, the American Girl series, Aloha, Kanani and Good Job, Kanani. and Warp Speed (coming in March). 

Yee travels the country for author visits but lives in Pasadena. The parent team continues to be on the lookout for local Southern California guests for whom travel costs less. They're also usually available to sell and sign their books after the workshops.

The students are not the only attendees who gain fresh ideas and approaches by spending three hours creating with pros. 

“I will encourage my [students] to try the format of two of the workshops geared toward older kids,” said Nancy Schmitt, a Lowell fifth-grade teacher whose twins attended as students at Lowell. “We will use comic-book style to explain a science concept or piece of history, or write a dialogue to tell a story about history. We have the colonies upcoming.”

Schmitt added, "All the kids who attend are there by choice, which guarantees a high level of interest. The fact that the student’s parents can be there, too, for encouragement and feedback, and to buy the book, makes it great.”

As usual, many of the guests' titles will be sold and autographed after the workshops end. The SuperMex Taco Truck also will be on campus from 5 to 5:45 p.m. for anyone who wants to grab a quick bite before the program begins.

(In the Patch spirit of transparency, the founding chair of Author's & Illustrators Night is Nancy Wride, editor of belmontshore.patch.com. She stepped off the team last fall when her son moved schools. She believes 300 people writing on a Friday night in ANY community is a good-news story).

Workshops for January 21, 2011

Dawn Von Flue, illustrator of The Snake Who Would Not Bend, will work with pre-K and first graders to create a community paper-mural. Ms. Von Flue will also read from her book and inspire young ones with her love of art.

Barbara Jean Hicks, award-winning author of Monsters Don’t Eat Broccoli and other tales, returns to help kindergarteners-through-second-graders develop characters and original story ideas.

Kindergarteners through second graders can also join Robb Fulcher, veteran newspaper reporter, comic and author of The Snake Who Would Not Bend, for an interactive workshop of storytelling, drawing and guided writing.

Lisa Yee, author of several children’s books, including So Totally Emily Ebers and Bobby vs. Girls (Accidentally), will humorously show second-through-fourth graders how word choice can make a big difference in their stories.

Returning to show third-through-fifth-graders how to create a super hero character and comic book are graphic novelist and co-owner of Comic Bug in Manhattan Beach Mike Wellman and comic illustrator Rafael Navarro.

Patrick Sean Smith, creator and executive producer of ABC Family’s critically acclaimed show Greek, will teach fourth and fifth graders how to draft a story and develop characters for the small screen.