Mini-performance of Literature to Life’s newest title, Zora Folk Tales.

Saturday, August 22, 2026

Time: TBD

Location: TBD

The Library of Congress National Book Festival is an annual literary event that brings together best-selling authors and thousands of book fans for author talks, panel discussions, book signings and other activities. The event is free and open to the public.

We are bringing Zora Folk Tales to Paterson, NJ this summer with our "Books Unite" programming. Recommended for ages 6 & up.

12:00PM performance (doors open at 11:00AM), Paterson Free Public Library

The performance follows several of the folk tales featured in Zora’s various compilations, and allows the students to choose what happens next in the action. Through lively audience participation, humor, and classic folk tales, students discover how stories help us understand ourselves, our communities, and the wider world.  Blending performance and interactive learning, Zora Folk Tales celebrates the power of storytelling and encourages every student to recognize the storyteller within themselves.

Performed by Cheryl Howard

Black Boy is a powerful account of one young man's journey from innocence to experience as a black youth living in the Jim Crow South. It is both the unashamed confession of a proud non-conformist and a profound indictment—a poignant and disturbing record of social injustice and human suffering.

Performed by Tarantino Smith

More information here

We are bringing The Giver to Paterson, NJ this summer with our "Books Unite" programming. Recommended for ages 10 & up.

12:00PM performance (doors open at 11:00AM), Paterson Free Public Library

At the age of twelve, Jonas, a young boy from a seemingly utopian, futuristic world, is singled out to receive special training from The Giver, who alone holds the memories of the true joys and pain of life. In the process, Jonas is forced to question everything in his ideal world: a world without conflict, poverty, unemployment, divorce, injustice, or inequality.

Performed by Aurea Tomeski

We're bringing Zora Folk Tales to the Passaic County Book Festival! The festival is a full-day event filled with engaging panels, poetry sessions, and author meet-and-greets. Enjoy family-friendly activities, food trucks, and a vibrant literary atmosphere.

Zora Folk Tales celebrates the power of storytelling and encourages every student to recognize the storyteller within themselves.

Performed by Cheryl Howard

The Great Gatsby takes place on Long Island and New York City in the early twentieth century, at the height of the Jazz Age and the Prohibition Era. The novel touches on the treatment of different social classes, “old money” versus “new money” ideology, gender, race, environmentalism, and the price of the American Dream.

Performed by Simon Rabatin.

Performance will take place:

May 12, 2026

At the age of twelve, Jonas, a young boy from a seemingly utopian, futuristic world, is singled out to receive special training from The Giver, who alone holds the memories of the true joys and pain of life. In the process, Jonas is forced to question everything in his ideal world: a world without conflict, poverty, unemployment, divorce, injustice, or inequality.

Performed by Aurea Tomeski

Performance will take place:

April 30, 2026

The Great Gatsby takes place on Long Island and New York City in the early twentieth century, at the height of the Jazz Age and the Prohibition Era. The novel touches on the treatment of different social classes, “old money” versus “new money” ideology, gender, race, environmentalism, and the price of the American Dream.

Performed by Simon Rabatin

Performance will take place:

May 6, 2026 at 10:00AM

I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter takes place in modern day Chicago. The novel focuses on the idea of finding one’s own identity, and breaking free from societal, cultural, and familial expectations. The story follows Julia Reyes, a Chicago high school student, as she navigates trials and tribulations of following her dreams of becoming a writer, alongside the death of her sister, Olga—who might not have been quite as perfect as she seemed.

Performed by Elizabeth Raquel Ramirez

Performances will take place:

May 4 and May 5, 2026 at 10:00AM

The Great Gatsby takes place on Long Island and New York City in the early twentieth century, at the height of the Jazz Age and the Prohibition Era. The novel touches on the treatment of different social classes, “old money” versus “new money” ideology, gender, race, environmentalism, and the price of the American Dream.

Performed by Simon Rabatin

Performance will take place:

May 2, 2026 at 2:00PM

I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter takes place in modern day Chicago. The novel focuses on the idea of finding one’s own identity, and breaking free from societal, cultural, and familial expectations. The story follows Julia Reyes, a Chicago high school student, as she navigates trials and tribulations of following her dreams of becoming a writer, alongside the death of her sister, Olga—who might not have been quite as perfect as she seemed.

Performed by Elizabeth Raquel Ramirez

Performance will take place:

April 30, 2026 at 7:30PM

Join us for a workshop centered around The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald.

The workshop will enhance and deepen the connection to the themes and characters in the book.

This program is part of the Books Unite: Literature to Life in Paterson program supported by NJEDA’s Art Phase II Grant

The Workshop will take place:

April 30, 2026 at 1:10PM at PCCC Founders Theater. The event is free and all are welcomed to join.

Snacks will be provided.

At the age of twelve, Jonas, a young boy from a seemingly utopian, futuristic world, is singled out to receive special training from The Giver, who alone holds the memories of the true joys and pain of life. In the process, Jonas is forced to question everything in his ideal world: a world without conflict, poverty, unemployment, divorce, injustice, or inequality.

Performed by Aurea Tomeski

Performance will take place: April 25, 2026

Learn More and Register Here

This performance is being presented in partnership with National Book Foundation and Girls Write Now.

Considered to be one of the greatest American novels, The Great Gatsby explores the glittering promises and devastating illusions of the American Dream. Through this portrayal, audiences witness both the allure and emptiness of Gatsby’s dream. The adaptation focuses on the tensions between, and treatments of, social class, gender, race, and the true cost of the American Dream.

Performed by Simon Rabatin

This performance is part of the Books Unite: Literature to Life in Paterson program supported by NJEDA’s Art Phase II Grant

Performance will take place:

April 23, 2026 at 6:00PM

Join us for a book club discussing The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald.

Books are available for pick up at the library.

This program is part of the Books Unite: Literature to Life in Paterson program supported by NJEDA’s Art Phase II Grant

The Book Club will take place:

April 20, 2026 at 6:00PM at Paterson Free Public Library. The event is free and all are welcomed to join.

If you can not join in-person, we invite you to join us on Zoom!

Zoom Link (Meeting ID: 868 3723 1471 — Password: Books)

I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter takes place in modern day Chicago. The novel focuses on the idea of finding one’s own identity, and breaking free from societal, cultural, and familial expectations. The story follows Julia Reyes, a Chicago high school student, as she navigates trials and tribulations of following her dreams of becoming a writer, alongside the death of her sister, Olga—who might not have been quite as perfect as she seemed.

Performed by Elizabeth Raquel Ramirez

Performance will take place:

April 15, 2026 at 10:00am

At the age of twelve, Jonas, a young boy from a seemingly utopian, futuristic world, is singled out to receive special training from The Giver, who alone holds the memories of the true joys and pain of life. In the process, Jonas is forced to question everything in his ideal world: a world without conflict, poverty, unemployment, divorce, injustice, or inequality.

Performed by Aurea Tomeski

Performance will take place:

March 25, 2026

I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter takes place in modern day Chicago. The novel focuses on the idea of finding one’s own identity, and breaking free from societal, cultural, and familial expectations. The story follows Julia Reyes, a Chicago high school student, as she navigates trials and tribulations of following her dreams of becoming a writer, alongside the death of her sister, Olga—who might not have been quite as perfect as she seemed.

Performed by Elizabeth Raquel Ramirez

This FREE performance will take place on March 14 at 2:00PM

Learn more and register HERE.

Join us for a workshop centered around I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter by Erika L. Sánchez.

The workshop will enhance and deepen the connection to the themes and characters in the book.

This program is part of the Books Unite: Literature to Life in Paterson program supported by NJEDA’s Art Phase II Grant

The Workshop will take place:

March 12, 2026 at 1:10PM at PCCC. The event is free and all are welcomed to join.

The Great Gatsby takes place on Long Island and New York City in the early twentieth century, at the height of the Jazz Age and the Prohibition Era. The novel touches on the treatment of different social classes, “old money” versus “new money” ideology, gender, race, environmentalism, and the price of the American Dream.

Performed by Simon Rabatin.

Performance will take place:

March 10, 2026 at 10:30AM

I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter takes place in modern day Chicago. The novel focuses on the idea of finding one’s own identity, and breaking free from societal, cultural, and familial expectations. The story follows Julia Reyes, a Chicago high school student, as she navigates trials and tribulations of following her dreams of becoming a writer, alongside the death of her sister, Olga—who might not have been quite as perfect as she seemed.

Performed by Elizabeth Raquel Ramirez

This performance is part of the Books Unite: Literature to Life in Paterson program supported by NJEDA’s Art Phase II Grant

Performance will take place:

March 5, 2026 at 6:00PM

Join us for a book club discussing I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter by Erika L. Sánchez.

Books are available for pick up at the library.

This program is part of the Books Unite: Literature to Life in Paterson program supported by NJEDA’s Art Phase II Grant

The Book Club will take place:

March 2, 2026 at 6:00PM at Paterson Free Public Library. The event is free and all are welcomed to join.

If you can not join in-person, we invite you to join us on Zoom!

Zoom Link (Meeting ID: 868 3723 1471 — Password: Books)

The Latehomecomer follows Kao Kalia Yang's journey from a quiet, reticent student to a self-empowered young woman claiming her voice to tell the untold story of her people.

Performed by Gaosong Heu

Performances will take place:

February 24, 2026

The Great Gatsby takes place on Long Island and New York City in the early twentieth century, at the height of the Jazz Age and the Prohibition Era. The novel touches on the treatment of different social classes, “old money” versus “new money” ideology, gender, race, environmentalism, and the price of the American Dream.

Performed by Simon Rabatin.

247 W 37th Street, #1000, New York, NY

For more information and to register for tickets, click here.

Literature to Life brings Ray Bradbury's terrifyingly recognizable vision of the future to the stage for audiences of all ages.

Performed by Rich Orlow.

247 W 37th Street, #1000, New York, NY

Learn more and register here.

At the age of twelve, Jonas, a young boy from a seemingly utopian, futuristic world, is singled out to receive special training from The Giver, who alone holds the memories of the true joys and pain of life. In the process, Jonas is forced to question everything in his ideal world: a world without conflict, poverty, unemployment, divorce, injustice, or inequality.

Performed by Aurea Tomeski

Performance will take place:

November 18, 2025

A story that remains disturbingly poignant sixty years after it was first published, James Baldwin’s If Beale Street Could Talk is about abiding love in the face of injustice. Told from the perspective of its young heroine, this is the story of one family’s fight for justice in a society where institutional discrimination has the power to destroy lives, a theme that resonates today with audiences from all walks of life.

Performed by Channie Waites

Adapted and Directed by Elise Thoron

Performance will take place:

November 15, 2-4PM

247 W 37th Street, #1000, New York, NY

To register for tickets or learn more information, click here.

I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter takes place in modern day Chicago. The novel focuses on the idea of finding one’s own identity, and breaking free from societal, cultural, and familial expectations. The story follows Julia Reyes, a Chicago high school student, as she navigates trials and tribulations of following her dreams of becoming a writer, alongside the death of her sister, Olga—who might not have been quite as perfect as she seemed.

Performed by Elizabeth Raquel Ramirez

Performance will take place:

November 8, 2025

3650 Nostrand Ave. Brooklyn, NY 11229