Celebrate Lexington call for authors of children's picture books or graphic novels

Celebrate Lexington! is launching a new program promoting local authors, Lexington/Fayette County Parks, and literacy during the summer of 2023. Three Book Trails are planned in local parks, with signage in each made up of pages from a children's book by a local author. Each Book Trail will consist of 18 double signs and distributed 25' apart along trails in three separate existing parks. During the summer, trail signage will rotate between parks.

The Carnegie Center, Lexington Public Library, and Parks and Recreation have agreed to serve on the selection committee for the 2023 launch of Lexington/Fayette County Celebrate Lexington! Book Trail Program.

CRITERIA FOR SELECTION
Please provide a short (100 words) author bio, publication date and publisher, and contact information for author and illustrator with the book. Please indicate if you are able to attend the launch (honorarium may be available depending on funding).

1. Books published before December 31, 2022, are eligible.
2. Picture books appropriate for children from birth up to sixth grade are eligible.
3. Picture books including another language, culture, diverse ethnicities, or disabilities are encouraged.
4. Children's picture books or graphic novels must be written and/or illustrated by a Central Kentucky author or illustrator. Both do not have to be local. Central Kentucky is designated as Jefferson, Fayette, Woodford, Scott, Bourbon, Jessamine, Franklin, Anderson, Mercer, Madison, Clark, Harrison, Bullitt, Shelby, Spencer, Oldham, Nelson, Washington counties.
5. Books should relate in some way to at least one of the Celebrate Lexington organizing tenets: Urban Canopy, Landsaped Areas, Environmental Sustainability, Community Vitality, Heritage Preservation, Floral Displays
6. As a rule, picture books generally have 32 pages. Therefor submitted books, including a title page, must be able to be formatted without modification to fit two pages on each 18'x24" sign, for a total of 16 signs. If additional cost is necessary to reformat a book, that cost must be borne by the author or publisher.
7. Books that are self-published, independently published, or traditional publishers are all welcome to submit.
8. While three books will be selected for the 2023 Book Trail program, a flier promoting each book submitted will be available at the launch for the trails, and at the Celebrate Lexington webite in order to further celebrate all local artists.

Authors, illustrators, or publishers may submit by taking or sending a hard copy of the book which becomes the property of Celebrate Lexington! by May 26, 2023, with name, address, email and phone numbers, publisher, and date of publication to:

Z Jackson
Program Director
Carnegie Center for Literacy and Learning
251 West Short Street
Lexington, Kentucky 40507

Selected books will be notified by June 15, 2023, and the tentative launch date is June 24, 2023. Authors are requested to attend the launch.