We're thrilled to share with you that Painting for Peace in Ferguson was chosen to represent the state of Missouri in the 2015 Library of Congress National Book Festival — the largest book fair in the country — in September. The Missouri Center for the Book made the selection.
The 15th annual festival in Washington, D.C., will be at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center on Sept. 5, from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. More than 100 authors, poets and illustrators are expected to be on hand for the day, which attracts 100,000 visitors.
That's not all the good news we have to share. Since its publication in February, we've sold nearly 2,000 paper- and hard-back editions. Now, we're about to launch our second edition, with a new national publisher: Amphorae Publishing Group, based in St. Louis. The new second edition is expected out Aug. 1.
We heard recently from representatives of the Missouri Center for the Book, who graciously shared why the organization chose Painting for Peace as its selection at the National Book Festival, saying "it represents such a timely and beautiful story of hope."
The second edition of the book will also showcase more than 160 images of art and acknowledge more than 300 artists and volunteers who participated in Paint for Peace STL. Without the work and vision of the community, this could not have happened.
With the new publisher and national distribution, Painting for Peace in Ferguson will be available at book stores throughout the country. Until recently, the book was available at local St. Louis retailers, on its website or through Amazon.
It has been rewarding to hear stories from teachers and parents about how they've used Painting for Peace in Ferguson as a tool to help start conversations about the issues that come between us. Now, we hope that tool will be available more widely, along with the additional resources and links to curriculum suggestions on our website.