Eight of the State’s Most Acclaimed Authors & Illustrators Participate in Anderson Center’s Hybrid Minnesota Children’s Book Festival. Online presentations Sept. 9-12 and distanced activities on-site Sept. 19

You arrive at dusk down a back alley where the tuk tuk dropped you off; the air is thick and hot. “Walk to the lights,” the driver says while waving goodbye. You feel a rush of excitement, knowing that you’ve finally arrived at this annual festival that takes place right in the heart of Chiang Mai, Thailand. 

One good thing about this pandemic: we have more time to read. This is a silver lining, and let me tell you all about a book that you MUST read: This Faithful Book: A Diary from World War Two in the Netherlands, by Madzy Brender à Brandis, translated and edited by an author we just love: her daughter, Marianne Brandis.

My name is Tartela Tabassum and I am an international student from Bangladesh. After high school, I had to sacrifice my education and get married so that I could remove some financial burden from my family. After marriage, I moved to the USA and started over. After a year, I was able to begin my college education, but I had to battle stereotypes, for many people thought that a community college is not a good school to get into and it is not possible to be a success by going to the community college.

Sara Hnatiw majored in both Early Education Child Development and Children with Special Needs. She graduated from the Community College of Allegheny County (CCAC)—South Campus with her Children with Special Needs certificate in Spring 2018 and Early Education Child Development Associate’s Degree in Spring 2020. She has intentions to transfer to Carlow University or LaRoche College in Fall 2021 to begin her Bachelor’s Degree. Once she earns her Bachelor’s Degree, she would like to become a disability services director or a student success coach.