There’s a Party. It’s in Kansas City. And You’re All Invited.

Before I tell you anything, I have a video you need to watch. Don’t worry. It’s quick. Made it myself. Check it out:

Right.

So, if you’re in a space where you are unable to see this video (90% of my videos are seen in the bathroom in that break I have between lunch and getting back to work) I’ll summarize. Happily, I have a poster to help me:

Context!

So. In the metropolis known as Kansas City there was once a bookstore known as The Reading Reptile. It was the kind of place that publishers would send their authors (even though NYC publicity teams view anything between Chicago and L.A. as a godforsaken No Man’s Land). The Reading Reptile was special, though. It cared. It was a literary hubub. And it is now, sadly, defunct . . .

But not in spirit! Creators Debbie Pettid and Pete Cowdin, who were the co-owners and operators of The Reading Reptile, got an idea. In 2015 they decided to create The World’s First Explor-a-Storium. Their site describes it as more than a mere museum. It would be an, “Immersive storybook wonderland and national center for the children’s book.” That means it would be the kind of museum where kids could literally walk into picture books. Additionally it would house, “a print shop and bindery, a maker-space, a bookstore, a resource library, and a performance space. These essential program drivers will offer a rich spectrum of artistic and educational opportunities for all ages in areas of performance, maker workshops, writing and story labs, book-making, professional development for educators, and ongoing national author events and residencies.” It would be called The Rabbit hOle.

But creating such a space (particularly in the midst of a pandemic) takes a bit of funding. Hence the event on Friday, November 18th. So if you’re in the area (around Kansas City), come join us! Librarians and teachers get a discount and I guarantee we’ll have a blast! Please come and hang out with me and Jon! I’ll have a goose puppet. He’ll tell stories about the days of children’s books yore (ask him to talk about Shel Silverstein sometime). It’ll be so much fun and you’ll be helping a really cool organization that has never really existed before.

For more information, please visit https://www.rabbitholekc.org/thisisnotarabbit

Filed under: Videos