Bestselling Children's Book Author Gennifer Choldenko To Speak At 2015 San Francisco Writers Conference

A youth writing contest and a free open-to-the-public session geared toward pre-teens will highlight her appearance.

Gennifer Choldenko, author of the bestselling middle-grade trilogy about Al Capone on Alcatraz will speak to her young fans in a special free session during the 12^th San Francisco Writers Conference, 3 p.m., Saturday, February 14^th at the InterContinental Mark Hopkins Hotel in San Francisco. Author of the Newbery Honor book Al Capone Does My Shirts; follow-up books Al Capone Shines My Shoes and Al Capone Does My Homework; and many other favorite novels, Gennifer has well over 2 million copies of her books in print. A book signing and selfie opportunity with the author will follow the talk.

The talk is free and open to the public, but seating is limited. To register, visit www.sfwriters.org by February 12^th.  The talk will be geared to 5^th through 8^th graders, but fans of all ages are welcome to attend. A parent or adult chaperone is required, and a single chaperone may accompany up to ten children.

Ms. Choldenko will also announce the winner of the SFWC Youth Fiction Contest for fifth to eighth graders and she will read the winning short story. The prize will be a tour of Alcatraz for two. Gennifer will judge the entries and read the winning entry aloud at this session. Deadline to enter is February 2.  Rules and information about the contest is at www.sfwriters.org.

            Event coordinator and school librarian Kate Farrell noted that "Gennifer Choldenko's trilogy is one of the most popular middle-grade series, especially for readers in the Bay Area. Gennifer's humorous, informative talk will reveal the inside story of Alcatraz and one of its most notorious inmates."

            Ms. Choldenko is one of the 130+ presenters at the 2015 San Francisco Writers Conference, which will take place February 12-15^th.  The conference is for writers, particularly those interested in getting published, and is dedicated to being "A Celebration of Craft, Commerce and Community."  The event covers traditional and self-publishing, the craft of writing, and book promotion. Keynoters are bestselling authors John Lescroart and Yiyun Li; and Judith Curr, president and publisher of Atria Books, a division of Simon & Schuster. In addition to the main conference, several in-depth classes taught by event presenters on a wide range of subjects will be offered on Thursday and Monday, February 12 and 16. As part of its outreach program, the SFWC offers several free events and access to publishing industry exhibitors—including Blurb, Smashwords, PubSlush, and Book Country—during the conference.  A list of this year's free sessions and exhibitors are on the website. SFWC is a 501(C)3 nonprofit organization, now in its twelfth year. Event information is available at www.sfwriters.org.   

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