Taylor Narvaez Claman | Mayhem's Garden Friends | A special storytime reading

Name: Taylor Narvaez Claman | Mayhem's Garden Friends | A special storytime reading
Start: 2026-01-03T10:00:00-06:00
End: 2026-01-03T10:30:00-06:00
Location: The Landing Market

Schedule

Sat Jan 03 2026 at 10:00 am to 10:30 am

UTC-06:00

Location

The Landing Market | Decorah, IA

Join Calmar native Taylor Narvaez Claman, author of Mayhem’s Garden Friends, for a special bilingual (English & Spanish) storytime on Saturday, January 3rd at 10am at The Landing Market at 211 College Dr., Decorah. Everyone is invited to this free event sponsored by the Oneota Valley Literary Foundation, with support from The Landing Market and Dragonfly Books.
Mayhem’s Garden Friends is a picture book for ages 3 to 8. The story follows a cat, Mayhem, who likes to watch his animal friends in the garden (a squirrel, two birds, and a rabbit family). The story introduces young readers to the onomatopoeias that bring nature to life.
Taylor Narvaez Claman is a multi-hyphenate writer with a passion for bilingual stories. She has dual degrees in Theatre Arts and Spanish from the University of Iowa, as well as a Certificate in Writing. In 2019, she was a Finalist in the Big Apple Film Festival and Screenplay Competition, as well as a Semi Finalist for a Fulbright Study/Research Arts Grant. Taylor started Arlorosa Films in 2020 and Arlorosa Press in 2025. She has freelanced as a writing judge for NYC Midnight Writing Competition since 2020. She authored the children’s books Mayhem’s Garden Friends and Xena Braves the Snow. She also has an ongoing webcomic, Dawn of Maw, on Webtoon Canvas.
Mayhem’s Garden Friends was illustrated by Taylor’s sister Sabrina Claman, a multimedia storyteller who specializes in children’s book illustration, comics, & animation. She has a BFA in Drawing from the University of Iowa. She spent nearly four years working in commercial animation, design, and directing at Grasshorse Studio. In 2023, she joined the University of Connecticut’s MFA program in Digital Media & Design, where she teaches undergraduate students and contributes to research and design initiatives. An active member of Women in Animation and the Connecticut Film & TV Alliance, she also serves as an animation judge for the annual Snake Alley Film Festival and Iowa Motion Picture Awards. Nostalgia, empathy, and everyday life are central themes in her practice—which spans highly accessible/commercial and interdisciplinary mediums.
This event is part of Dragonfly Books and the Oneota Valley Literary Foundation’s robust author event series, which brings top-notch writers of all genres to Northeast Iowa to lead in conversations about literature and writing. To learn more about this event and other events with Dragonfly Books, visit www.dragonflybooks.com.