Upcoming Events—plus some notes from the road
Hey community,
I wanted to send a quick update as the date has changed for my Berkeley launch event on Monday, July 21st at 7 pm. Please come and join me in conversation with the awesome Robert Liu-Trujillo, author of Fresh Juice/Jugo Fresco. We will be talking about my new picture book, just released on July 1st! You can read more about the event and let them know you are coming (not required but appreciated) here. I would love to see you there!
Just a few days later on Saturday, July 26th at 10:30 am, I’ll be doing an event for the whole family in Pt. Reyes Station, co-sponsored by the Mesa Refuge, Pt. Reyes Books, Environmental Action Committee of West Marin, Marin County Free Library and Point Reyes National Seashore Association. This one will include an interactive reading of the book followed by a nature walk and art activity. All ages are welcome! Please come along, and if you know folks in the area, let them know. You can find more information here.
More events are in the works. For now, I will be at storytime at Linden Tree Books in Los Altos on Sunday, August 10th at 10:30am, and reading and offering a creative activity at the downtown Berkeley Public Library on Friday, August 22nd at 4:00 pm. I’ll send more info on these and anything else that pops up as the dates come closer.
I’m writing from the amazing World Fellowship in New Hampshire, one of my favorite places on Earth. I thought I’d provide some galleries from my Boston period and then from World Fellowship. Just to give a taste. :)
Photos below include a dear friend from New York publishing days, my mom with people from the collective where we used to live in Somerville and broader community, and my aunt and uncle who hosted us. Also old friends from Berkeley High and Reed College.
My mom and I also did some genealogy work, and visited the graves of ancestors in Dover, Massachusetts from 1747 and 1749. I’m so grateful to our cousin Clarance who does amazing and deep research for helping us find them along with the site of the Chickering home where they lived.
And here’s World Fellowship, located in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. Including the view from my room. If you are in the area (most people come from Boston and New York, but many from further afield), I highly recommend it.
I’ve had several beautiful encounters with the loon family (parents and two babies) while swimming the quarter mile to blueberry island, and kayaking the mile-long pond. There are hikes, discussions, films, and a general focus on social justice and making the world better. Visit if you can! I shared Bringing the Beach Home with a small but mighty crew, and today co-author Jennifer Lai-Peterson and I will be sharing our book, Calling All Future Voters! And Jen will share more of her extensive work as a voting rights activist.
I worked here 40 years ago (!!!) in 1985 when I was 15. You’ll find a photo of me then (see if you can find me), along with a more recent one with Claude, who was the chef back then. He has two daughters working on staff now, including one as chef. This is truly an intergenerational place.
Finishing off with my favorite sign here at World Fellowship. It’s been here forever, and I only just noticed that it was reprinted by the New American Movement or NAM. I went as a kid to many a NAM meeting, so that gives it extra special meaning. Plus it’s just funny!
And in the midst of all of this, I attended an interactive workshop last night about the signs of authoritarianism and what we can do in the midst of this overwhelming moment. More of that tonight on how people are engaging in their lives today. It’s been deep and important to be part of intergenerational conversations, which will continue today as we talk about voting. Jen and I had a long conversation last night with two younger people who question the importance of voting in what can feel like a dysfunctional and rigged system, or where they don’t feel excited about voting for any of the candidates and then they make it harder to vote. We will see how things go with our presentation later…
Sending love to all,
Laura
Laura Atkins (She/They)
Children’s book author, editor, and co-organizer of the Social Justice Children’s Book Fair, co-host of Family Day at the Bay Area Book Festival
w: www.lauraatkins.com e: laura@lauraatkins.com
Find me and my musings about indie children’s books on Substack!
Bringing the Beach Home (July 1, 2025) with the Collective Book Studio!
"Delicately warm and lovely. This is an understated yet graceful portrait of a child channeling negative feelings into something beautiful." —Kirkus Reviews
“Atkins (Calling All Future Voters!) writes a creativity- and sensory-oriented story that hints at how art and nature can serve as emotional anchors, offering continuity and renewal.” —Publishers Weekly
With Edward Hailes Jr.and Jennifer Lai-Peterson, co-author of Calling All Future Voters! With Stan Yogi, co-author of Fred Korematsu Speaks Up. Winner, Carter G. Woodson Book Award and Jane Addams Children’s Book Honor Award. With Arisa White, co-author of Biddy Mason Speaks Up, featured in The New York Times and on KQED’s Forum. Visit the Fighting for Justice series website for more. And author of the light-hearted picture book, Sled Dog Dachshund.