We had a blast at our 2024 Barefoot Retreat!
The weekend was full of engaging activities and sessions, meaningful discussions and lots of community connection. We also were thrilled to offer for the first time ever a virtual attendance option! Thank you to the Community Booksellers who tuned in virtually and tested this new retreat format with us. Keep reading to see some of the highlights and links to watch session recordings.
VIP Editorial Meeting
VIP Community Booksellers participated in an editorial meeting where they got a sneak peek at the process behind some upcoming books and gave feedback and ideas for future titles.
Sharing Event Tips & Stories
Community Booksellers heard tips from the home office about how to make the most out of their events. Here they are meeting in small groups, swapping ideas and stories about how they make events worth it. Watch the recording of this session here.
Editorial Sneak Preview
Senior Editors Autumn Allen, Lisa Rosinsky, and Kate DePalma gave a sneak peek at upcoming titles in Autumn 2024, Spring 2025 and beyond! On the screen in this picture is an illustration from one of the Autumn 2024 titles Ayo’s Adventure.
Recognitions
Community Booksellers were recognized for lifetime sales achievements, 10 year anniversaries and more. Pictured is Community Bookseller Marsha Miles receiving a framed piece of art from co-founder and CEO Nancy Traversy for her 15 year anniversary of joining the program.
Children’s Mental Health and the Power of Social-Emotional Storytelling Panel
On Saturday, we opened up the sessions to members of the local Greater Boston community. First up was a panel with Barefoot Books Senior Editor Lisa Rosinsky, Gene Beresin (Clay Center for Healthy Minds), and Kim Walker (ThinkGive). They talked about the importance of social emotional learning for kids' mental health and how books are the perfect tool to foster social emotional learning for both kids and their caregivers. Watch the recording of the session here.
Going Global with Children’s Books: A conversation with author Bunmi Emenanjo & Senior Editor Kate DePalma
We welcomed author Bunmi Emenanjo to speak about the making of her brand new release I’ll See You in Ijebu. She spoke in conversation with Barefoot Books Senior Editor Kate DePalma about the collaborative process between author and editor. Watch the recording of the session here.
Barefoot Books Author Q&A
It was so amazing to have ELEVEN Barefoot authors in our space! They each had the opportunity to speak about their books, writing process and upcoming projects they are working on. Watch the recording of the session here. From left to right: Kate DePalma / Sunny Scribbens, Hayley Barrett, Carolyn Curtis, Anna Staniszewski, Lisa Rosinsky / Skye Silver, Laya Steinberg, Jamaica Stevens, Christy Mihaly, Bunmi Emenanjo, Phaea Crede, Mia Wenjen.
Shopping and Signings
Community Booksellers shopped from our office shelves (including out of print books!) and got their books signed by the visiting authors.
Who are Community Booksellers? Our network of Community Booksellers are caregivers, educators and book lovers who are all passionate about opening children’s hearts, minds and worlds through books that celebrate diversity and capture imaginations. They bring Barefoot Books to their communities through school book fairs, farmers markets, community events, educational conferences and more.
Are you interested in joining our passionate group of Community Booksellers? Learn more about how you can help bring quality, diverse books to your community.
