Booked: From Idea to Bookshelf

Join author-illustrator Tom Booth, editor Susan Van Metre, art director Maria T. Middleton, and literary agent Rick Richter for a rare behind-the-scenes conversation about every stage of the publishing journey.

Drawing on decades of experience with major publishing houses, this panel will demystify the creative and business sides of making books, share insider perspectives, and answer your questions. Whether you're an aspiring creator, a lifelong reader, or simply curious about how books come to life, this is an exceptional opportunity to learn directly from the professionals who help shape them.

Tuesday, October 13 at 7:00 PM (door 6:30 PM). $7 for Mechanics' Hall Members $10 for general admission. No one turned away for lack of funds at the door.

ABOUT THE PANELISTS

Tom Booth is an author and illustrator of children’s books, a game developer, and a designer for screens large and small. Tom grew up outside Philadelphia, studied history at Hamilton College, and worked as an art director at Scholastic, before he started making books and designing for games and movies. He's been fortunate to work with talented folks at Walker/Candlewick, Simon & Schuster, Random House, Nickelodeon, Fellow Traveller Games, and DreamWorks Animation to name a few. He now lives in Maine with his wife and son. Also, his middle name rhymes with broccoli. For more of Tom's work, visit tom-booth.com or find him on instagram, @tomwilltell.

Maria T. Middleton makes books for kids. She is an art director, designer, and visual storyteller with over twenty years of experience in children's publishing. Maria began her career at HarperCollins and has designed and art directed award-winning books for Abrams, Random House, and Candlewick Press, where she is currently a Senior Art Director. When she's not kerning type or contemplating page turns, Maria is digging in her garden, enjoying all the wild and wonderful things that bloom. She lives with her family in Richmond, VA.

Rick Richter is a Senior Partner at Aevitas Creative Management - a full-service literary agency home to more than fifty literary agents. Aevitas represents scores of nationally and internationally known novelists and memoirists, journalists, sports figures and CEOs, actors and artists, iconic brands, and literary estates. Rick has extensive experience in children’s books, having overseen two of the nation’s top children’s publishers: Simon & Schuster, as President & Publisher for over a decade, and Candlewick Press, where he served as a founding member of the management team, then as CEO. He represents illustrators and children’s authors writing fiction and non-fiction from picture books through middle grade. Rick has also served as a consultant to PBS (for "The Great American Read") and several top-tier companies, including Hasbro and HarperCollins.

Susan Van Metre is Editor at Large at Candlewick Press. Previously she was Executive Editorial Director at Walker Books and Publisher at Abrams, where she founded the Amulet imprint and edited EL DEAFO by Cece Bell, the Origami Yoda series by Tom Angleberger, the Internet Girls series by Lauren Myracle, THEY SAY BLUE by Jillian Tamaki, and the Questioneers series by Andrea Beaty and David Roberts. She lives in Brooklyn with her husband, Pete Fornatale, their daughter and the ghost of their Lab mix.

PARKING & TRANSPORTATION

The Greater Portland Metro’s Congress & Casco Street Stop is directly in front of our building, served by routes 1, 7, 8, and 9B.

Street Parking: Available on Congress, Casco, Cumberland, Free Street, and nearby streets. Pay by meter or the Passport Parking App. Free after 6 PM, on Sundays, and between Parris and Alder Street. Some blocks may vary — look for posted signs.

Garages: The Arts District Garage (41 Brown St) has 250+ spaces, is open 24/7, and accepts credit card only, with entrances on Brown, Cumberland, and Casco. The Elm Street Garage (21 Elm St) is conveniently near the Portland Library. The Spring Street Garage is three blocks away at 45 Spring St.

ACCESSIBILITY

To enter our building, patrons will need to navigate a single step or use a modular ramp. Please note that the wheelchair ramp has a steep incline.

A wheelchair-accessible elevator is available. The elevator is 60" deep, 48" wide, with a 32" door opening. There are four wheelchair-accessible bathrooms on the third-floor level, adjacent to the Ballroom.

If you have a wheelchair or need accessibility accommodations/questions, please contact us at [email protected] or 207-773-8396.