HBF Authors in Schools Program
The History Book Festival hosts literary events for the public and in schools that are designed to enlighten, inspire, and connect people. The main, mostly-free festival in September is open to all but primarily accessed by adults from 30 states and abroad. While HBF authors are in town for the main festival, the real heart of the event happens outside of the public eye in Delaware schools.
As of 2025, 38 HBF authors have made 54 school visits to over 6,000 students in eight school districts.
HBF’s main festival follows a very simple model, with authors sharing the stories of their books with our audiences before answering people’s questions and signing books. But HBF’s school events are individually tailored in collaboration with educators to meet each school’s or classroom’s needs.
Programs have included:
readings,
writing, poetry, & drama workshops,
student media interviews & podcasts,
lunch & learns,
round-table discussions,
and more traditional presentations.
All programs encourage Q&A with the authors, and HBF provides free books for classrooms, libraries, and/or students, in keeping with each school's needs and preferences. Audiences vary from a classroom to an entire grade or school assembly.
The images below offer a small sample of these events. With your help, we can do even more for them.
Picture book author Alice Faye Duncan warms up the crowd before sharing her books about civil rights leader Coretta Scott King & U.S. Olympian Willye B. White - two women who seemed very different but shared the same grit and drive.
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Photos by HBF volunteers and Deny Howeth Photography (DenyHoweth.com).