The Children’s Literature Festival has a long history of bringing middle grade students to campus to meet and learn from authors and illustrators. When the program was cut in 2004 because of budget constraints, the Travis W. Freeman Foundation made a generous gift so this special program could continue.

On April 12, more than 1,200 students from 19 different schools and homeschools came to Truman’s campus – some from 150 miles away – to celebrate the value of literature. Students, teachers and librarians spent the day in sessions with the authors hearing about the creative process of writing, drawing and the value of reading. Books by all of the authors were even available for purchase at the University Bookstore. The 2024 festival ended with a public banquet featuring speaker and author Pablo Cartaya, an internationally acclaimed author, screenwriter, speaker and educator.