40th annual Swiacki Children’s Festival perseveres: Authors and illustrators gather despite rescheduling of keynote

By Sarah Daponde Arts & Features Editor FSU celebrated the 40th anniversary of the annual Swiacki Children’s Literature Festival with discussion panels hosted by published authors, a showcase in the Mazmanian Gallery, and a book sale from Silver Unicorn Books, Nov. 5. Each year, the festival features a keynote speaker. However, this year's speaker, Lois Lowry, best-selling author of “The Giver,” “Number the Stars,” and more, had to postpone her appearance until a later date. Although no new date is scheduled yet, tickets bought for Nov. 5 will be valid for the updated date. President Nancy Niemi said she believes it is important for students to see writing and illustrating in action. “We express ourselves in such beautiful ways, and I love that the students get the opportunity to work with the creators themselves - the writers, the illustrators, publishers, and sellers,” Niemi said. “We really get to celebrate what art and words do to help change the world.” This year is also the first without Janina Swiacki, sister of Nancy Swiacki, who passed away in December 2025. The two sisters were Framingham State alumnae and longtime donors of the festival. Nancy Swiacki attended this year and spoke on behalf of her and her sister at the Mazmanian Gallery showcase. The festival, previously called the David McCord Children’s Literature Festival, was renamed to honor the sisters in 2014. The gallery featured posters of festivals from years past and was introduced with some short remarks. A book sale held in the McCarthy Center lobby, featuring books by authors attending the festival, was sponsored by Silver Unicorn Bookstore. Silver Unicorn is an independent bookstore based in Acton. Mabel Grace Mathias, director of college readiness, said one of the goals of the book sale, and the festival overall, is to create a community for students aiming to become authors and illustrators. “It’s really to help foster educators and help bring them together,” Mathias said. Anika Denise, an author invited to speak at a panel with Rajani LaRocca and Desmond Hall, was present at the book sale. She said she wanted to help students understand the business of being an author. “It seems like it can be a bit mysterious, and it’s nice to be able to pull back the curtain a little bit and talk about that end,” Denise said. She added if she had one piece of advice for writers, it would simply be to write. “Writers write - and finish a draft - because you’re never going to get something published that’s not finished, right?” Denise said. A presentation hosted by Kip Wilson, a young adult author with a PhD in German literature, commenced in the Alumni Room. Rachel Trousdale, an English professor, introduced Wilson as a critically acclaimed author who is “deeply involved in the wider world of books.” She said Wilson held jobs as a poetry editor at The Young Adult Review Network and as an associate editor at Voyage Y.A. She currently works as a high school librarian in Concord. Wilson discussed her latest novel, “Backpack, Boy, Berlin,” which came out on Nov. 3, as well as her other novels, including “White Rose,” “The Most Dazzling Girl in Berlin,” and “All the Love Under the Vast Sky.” Her novels are primarily historical fiction written in verse, which Trousdale noted is a form especially effective for writing about traumatic, heavy topics. Wilson said she decided to write in verse so young people would be able to read the entire book with ease. “Thick tomes are what we think of with history, but people just don’t have the stamina to read these things,” she added. “Backpack, Boy, Berlin” is based on the true story of a boy who carried secret messages through Berlin during World War II. She said she wrote “White Rose” after inspiration came to her in high school German class. As her first published book, Wilson called “White Rose” her first passion. To research, Wilson traveled to Munich, Germany, and translated letters from German to English. Everywhere she writes about, she visits, she added. Wilson said a lesson for people who like to write is, “Don’t forget the things that always kindled your passion - the things you go back to again and again.”