Launch Parties
Launch Parties are not for everyone. We agree that every book release deserves a party, but think carefully about whether the money spent on a local event might be better spent on national outreach.
Okay, now that that word of caution is out of the way, let us say that we adore launch parties. We love taking elements of the book and turning them into party activities. Here are some of our favorite Curious City productions or co-productions.
Projects
Gorfman T. Frog Party
Celebrating In Memory of Gorfman T. Frog, the story of a boy who champions a deformed frog and risks all ridicule to find out why the amphibian passed on, involved lots (and lots) of frogs.
We worked frogs, lily pads, and the color green into every aspect of the event, including the cupcake toppings.
The show stopper, though, was our special guest, John Pittman, a member of the Amphibian Ark, who brought a poison dart frog to show. Kids from all over the city as well as the local paper latched onto the dangerous allure of the “poison dart frog.” More than 200 guests attended and author Gail Donovan never left the signing table. Every reader left with a goodie bag that included fab green pencils with the book title emblazoned on them and, of course, plastic poison dart frogs. See Event Album
________________________________________________________
After Gandhi: Book Signing & Art Opening
Curious City launched Anne Sibley O’Brien and Perry Edmond O’Brien’s book, After Gandhi: 100 Years of Non Violent Resistance with a book signing, art opening, postcard writing campaign, and live music at a popular coffee shop during the city’s popular Art Walk.
Activists, one of the major audiences for the book, were specifically invited and drawn to aspects of the event like the opportunity to send postcards to their mailing list in exchange for a free poster for their organization and the fact that the event’s proceeds went to a fellow organization. See Event Album
________________________________________________________
Shape Capers!
To celebrate the release of Cathryn Falwell’s picture book, Shape Capers, Cathryn and I designed a whole room full of activities for preschoolers.
Shapes were searched for, strung with bells, cut with scissors, glued, constructed, turned into musical instruments, photographed, and even created with limber bodies.
The event has since been repeated at libraries, children’s museums, and family literacy events where Cathryn has been paid for the event’s production. See Event Album
________________________________________________________
Boneheads Beach Party: A Day to Celebrate Dogs & All the Boneheaded Things They Do
Melissa Sweet and Curious City launched the picture book, Tupelo Rides the Rails, on the last spring day when dogs were allowed on the city beach.
To celebrate a book about stray dogs riding a train to find new owners, families and dog-lovers played games, met adoptable dogs, made invisible dogs, rode the Maine Narrow Gauge Railroad, met the book’s hero, Garbage Pail Tex, and bought piles of books.
The visuals were stunning, as creating and hosting an event with Melissa Sweet is like cooking alongside Julia Child or going into battle alongside Atilla the Hun — there is no one more talented at event planning than she. See Event Album
________________________________________________________
Parrotfish Prom
The climax of Ellen Wittlinger‘s novel Parrotfish, about a high school girl’s reidentification as a male, is at the prom — the most gender defining event of the high school experience.
To celebrate the launch of this event, we decided to host a Prom for all those young adults and adults that might have found their own proms too limiting. Our GBLTQ event included stations for prom photos, prom hair, dancing the night away, cupcake consuming, and — the most popular — a Barbie cross-dressing table where you could tinker with the gender identification of Barbie and Ken armed with glue guns, scissors, doll clothes, and other fab tools. See Event Album
