James Kennedy » Events

Friday, February 17, 2017
The OAKLAND, CA screening of the sixth annual 90-Second Newbery Film Festival! Hosted by me and authors Keir Graff (Matchstick Castle) and Marcus Ewert (Mummy Cat). At the Rockridge Branch of the Oakland Public Library (5366 College Ave, Oakland, CA). On-site book sales by Books Inc.. 7 pm. Make your free reservation here.

Saturday, February 18, 2017
The SAN FRANCISCO screening of the sixth annual 90-Second Newbery Film Festival! Hosted by me and authors Keir Graff (Matchstick Castle) and Marcus Ewert (Mummy Cat). At the San Francisco Public Library main branch (100 Larkin Street) in the Koret Auditorium. On-site book sales by Books Inc.. 4-6 pm. Make your free reservation here.

Friday, February 24, 2017
Reading and signing The Order of Odd-Fish and presenting with Keir Graff (Matchstick Castle) and 2017 Newbery Medal Winner Kelly Barnhill (The Girl Who Drank the Moon) at Addendum Books (478 Cleveland Ave. S., St. Paul, MN). 5:30 pm.

Saturday, February 25, 2017
The MINNEAPOLIS screening of the sixth annual 90-Second Newbery Film Festival! Hosted by me and authors Keir Graff (Matchstick Castle) and 2017 Newbery Medal Winner Kelly Barnhill (The Girl Who Drank the Moon). At the Minneapolis Central Library (300 Nicollet Mall) in Pohlad Hall. On-site book sales by Addendum Books. 3-5 pm. Make your free reservation here.

Saturday, March 11, 2017
The NEW YORK PUBLIC LIBRARY screening of the sixth annual 90-Second Newbery Film Festival! Hosted by me and author Keir Graff (Matchstick Castle) and another co-host TBA. At the Stephen A. Schwarzman Building (5th Ave at 42nd St, New York, NY) in the Bartos Forum. 3-5 pm. KidsLIVE programs are sponsored by the Andreas C. Dracopoulos Family Endowment for Young Audiences. Make your free reservation here.

Sunday, March 12, 2017
The BROOKLYN PUBLIC LIBRARY screening of the sixth annual 90-Second Newbery Film Festival! Hosted by me and author Keir Graff (Matchstick Castle) and another co-host TBA. At the Central Library (10 Grand Army Plaza, Brooklyn, NY) in the Dweck Auditorium. 2-4 pm. Make your free reservation here.

Wednesday, March 15, 2017
Speaking about and showing some of the best movies of the 90-Second Newbery Film Festival at the Irondequiot Public Library (1290 Titus Ave., Rochester, NY). With 2017 Newbery committee member Matt Krueger! 6:30 pm.

Saturday, March 18, 2017
Giving a special presentation at Central Library of Rochester and Monroe County (115 South Avenue, Rochester, NY) in the Teen Central room. 12:30 - 2:00 pm.

Saturday, March 18, 2017
A special screening of the "Best of the 90-Second Newbery Film Festival" as part of the Read-A-Thon for Rochester's Teen Book Festival. Hosted by me and Charles Benoit (Snow Job). At the Barnes & Noble in Pittsford Plaza (3349 Monroe Avenue, Rochester, NY). 3-4 pm.

Sunday, March 19, 2017
The ROCHESTER, NY screening of the sixth annual 90-Second Newbery Film Festival! Hosted by me and Charles Benoit (Snow Job). At the Dryden Theatre at the George Eastman Museum (900 East Ave, Rochester, NY). 2-4 pm. Make your free reservation here.

Saturday, April 1, 2017
The CHICAGO screening of the sixth annual 90-Second Newbery Film Festival! Hosted by me and author Keir Graff (The Matchstick Castle). At the Vittum Theater (1012 N Noble St, Chicago, 773-342-4141). On-site book sales by Book Table. 3-5 pm. Make your free reservation here.

Saturday, April 8, 2017
SPECIAL DEADLINE for submissions to the Boston-area screening of the 90-Second Newbery Film Festival!

Saturday, April 22, 2017
The ASHEVILLE, NC screening of the sixth annual 90-Second Newbery Film Festival! Hosted by me and Alan Gratz (The League of Seven series). At the Pack Memorial Library (67 Haywood St., Asheville, NC). (NOTE: Special deadline for Asheville entries is February 8, 2017.) 1-3 pm. Make your free reservation here.

Sunday, April 30, 2017
The BOSTON AREA screening of the sixth annual 90-Second Newbery Film Festival! Hosted by me and National Book Award winner M.T. Anderson (Feed, The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, and Symphony for the City of the Dead). At the Brookline Public Library (361 Washington Street, Brookline, MA). 2-4 pm. Make your free reservation here. This program is supported in part by a grant from the Brookline Commission for the Arts, a local agency which is supported by the Massachusetts Cultural Council, a state agency. This program is also supported by a grant from the Brookline Community Foundation.

I am interviewed by Betsy Bird for the School Library Journal’s Fuse #8 blog. Check it out if you want to read about my opinions on Zork, my life in the convent, and why The Jeffersons is superior to Catcher in the Rye. Many in the comments section deem this the “Best. Interview. Ever.” Dare you disagree?
I am interviewed by the lovely Senfaye on A Maze Of Books. Read it if you’re curious as to why I chose to end the interview by saying “I hate you”—and why when Senfaye asked “What’s your favorite food?” I replied “Your skull.” It’s scandalous!
I am interviewed by Amy Alessio for the Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA). Read about my experiences as a junior high school science teacher—in particular, of how the entire faculty was mysteriously menaced by a obscene note-writing student known only as “The Foggy Wiener.” I also talk about my participation in Japan’s violent “Naked Man” Festival, and how I discovered the President of the ALA is a whimsical hobo.
Order of Odd-Fish Week on Murphblog. Check out Paul Michael Murphy's monster five-part interview with me! Part One, the road to publication; Part Two, on writing; Part Three, I reveal the thing I will always find funny; Part Four, the "lightning round"; Part Five, a Create-Your-Own-Odd-Fish-Specialty contest (entries are in the comments section); and I judge the winner of the contest.
I am interviewed by Melissa at the Book Nut blog. I talk about the difficulties of getting The Order of Odd-Fish published, my high school friend who was the inspiration for Jo, the idea of an “urban Narnia,” and the origin of the All-Devouring Mother character. Melissa also posted a glowing review here.

Read All Recent Press

The 90-Second Newbery Film Festival. I founded a film festival in which kid filmmakers create weird short movies that tell the entire stories of Newbery-winning books in about 90 seconds. Now in its 6th year, it screens annually in 12 cities: New York, Chicago, San Francisco, and many others! The movies the kids create are weird, funny, and impressive. Learn more about the film festival here.

The Classroom Guide to The Order of Odd-Fish. I've put together a 44-page Teacher's Guide / curriculum for Odd-Fish! It's a treasure trove of creative project ideas, discussion questions, chapter worksheets, and further resources. It also features fan art by enthusiastic teen readers of Odd-Fish. (This art was featured in a fan art gallery show in Chicago in April 2010.) You can download the teacher's guide for free here.

It's a mixtape for The Order of Odd-Fish. Listen to a stream of the songs I chose for an imaginary "movie soundtrack" for Odd-Fish, and read why I chose them. Lots of different stuff: French ye-ye, Kinshasa street bands, pseudo-classical, puzzling blippity-bloopity music, and more.

I used to be in a band called Brilliant Pebbles. The drummer Philip and I quit the band in September 2009, but Monika and Sam are continuing on. We had been variously described as "melodramatic video game music," "moon-man opera," and "gypsy sex metal." It's over now, but I loved being in this band. You can download our EP from Amazon here.

There's an audiobook of The Order of Odd-Fish. It's masterfully read by the Audie award-winning Jessica Almasy, whom I was lucky enough to interview here.

My feud with Neil Gaiman. It all started when I revealed Gaiman's dark secret: that he is 2 mm tall and all his books are written by bees. The feud escalated when I tackled his doppelganger at the American Library Association and won the Newbery from him, fair and square. It was resolved when I confronted the real Neil Gaiman in person before an audience of hundreds, revealed his true origin of his lustrous black hair, and serenaded him with Katy Perry's "Firework."

Email: kennedyjames [at] gmail [dot] com
Twitter: @iamjameskennedy

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