Senlis Book Fair 2024

The Senlis Book Fair will open its doors from Wednesday 2 to Sunday 6 October 2024.
Following the success of the first edition, the book fair is back from 2 to 6 October, thanks to the efforts of the media library, the Saint Pierre bookshop, the le verbe et l'Objet bookshop, the Jeanne d'Arc cinema and many other partners. The free programme includes meetings with authors, film screenings in the presence of scriptwriters and authors, workshops, tours, meetings and much more to celebrate books and literature.

The 5-day programme includes

- Wednesday 2 October :
2.30pm at the Jeanne d'Arc cinema, the ARIOL SHOW: for over fifteen years, the adventures of Ariol, the little blue donkey, have delighted young and old alike. Guitarist Bastien Lallemant joins forces with Emmanuel Guibert and Marc Boutavant for a joyful reading: sketches, drawings, music... a festiv-Ariol!

- Thursday 3 October
Numerous workshops by children's authors and illustrators for children from nursery school to the end of secondary school and for ULIS pupils in local schools.
8pm at the Jeanne d'Arc cinema: Lebanese evening with a comic reading by Olivier Ka Beyrouth, Retour en terre oubliée. Following in the footsteps of his early childhood, the author and illustrator takes us on a journey of discovery of Lebanon. From surprise to revelation, he tells us, in words, pictures and music, of his reunion with a country that has not forgotten him. A moving and magical show. Admission €5. Profits from the evening (cinema tickets) will be donated to Unicef. Tasting of Lebanese specialities and meeting with Olivier Ka after the screening!

- Friday 4 October
Workshops with children's authors and illustrators are continuing in local schools.
6pm, Jeanne d'Arc cinema: screening of "Et si on levait les yeux? A documentary by Gilles Vernet, who conducted a unique experiment with his CM2 class: for a year he talked to his pupils, their parents and specialists about the place of screens in our society, before taking them for ten days of disconnection in the great outdoors. This 52-minute documentary looks at the dangers of children being over-exposed to screens. It does not shirk responsibility. It's also a film about happiness, the desire to live together and breathing. A public health issue tackled in an original, poignant and true way. Admission €5. Screening followed by a meeting with Gilles Vernet, hosted by a class of CM1-CM2 and secondary school pupils.

- Over the weekend: the Médiathèque, the Saint-Pierre bookshop and the Verbe et l'Objet bookshop open the doors of the Espace Saint-Pierre for two days of meetings with authors, book signings and events.

- Saturday 5th October
In the morning :
At 9am, 10.15am and 11.30am: "Baby Touch - I stimulate my senses" workshops for children aged 1 to 2, led by Les doigts qui rêvent: children take it in turns to move through 4 to 5 activity modules. They'll discover tactile fabric books and surprising materials and textures. Information and registration at the multimedia library.
11am: "The Senlis of writers" tour organised by the Tourist Office. This walk will take you in the footsteps of the great writers that Senlis inspired, including Gérard de Nerval, Alexandre Dumas, Henri Leblanc and Daniel Boulanger. Register with the Senlis/Chantilly Tourist Office.
11am: Visit the media library's heritage collections: normally inaccessible to the public, come and discover the national treasures kept in the media library's precious reserve. Open to all, registration recommended at the media library.
11am: Storytelling for children by the Bibliothèque pour Tous and Lire et Faire Lire, Salle du Valois.
From 2pm to 7pm:
Meetings and book signings with Véronique Olmi, Valérie Tong Cuong, Abel Quentin, Hadia Decharrière, Ruben Barrouk, Céline Curiol, Line Papin, Anne Akrich, Gaëlle Pietri, Avril Ventura, Léa Volène, Adrien Mangold, Pierre Léauté, Abdelkrim Saifi, Gérard Bertuzzi, Joëlle Desseigne, Franck Senninger... For young people: Arnaud Boutin, Jeanne Boyer, Delphine Chedru, Chloé du Colombier, Laurent Contamin, Olivier Deloye, Olivier Muller, Anne Didier, Mymi Doinet, Christel Espie, Olivier Ka, Stéphanie Ledu, Richard Petitsigne, Claire Renaud, Pascal Ruter, Carina Rozenfeld and Gulf Stream.
3pm to 4.30pm: Writing workshop with Anne Didier, scriptwriter of Anatole Latuile, Emile et Margot and Félicie Poucet. Ages 9 and up, with registration at the media library.
3pm: Meeting with Laure Defiolles, Editorial Director of Alma Editions, and her authors Avril Ventura and Hadia Decharrière. Hosted by Virginie Hougron.
4pm: Meeting with Véronique Olmi. Hosted by Virginie Hougron.
Also on hand will be Les doigts qui rêvent, a non-profit publishing house that meets the reading access needs of visually impaired children by creating illustrated tactile books and multisensory tools. With a universal design approach, their magnificent creations are aimed at everyone, as well as many local authors.

- Sunday 6 October
In the morning :
At 9am, 10.15am and 11.30am: "Touche à tout" workshops for children aged 3 to 5, led by the association Les doigts qui rêvent: an introduction to relief art through multi-sensory activities and "blind" fine motor challenges, before creating a relief drawing (collage, embossing or other technique) to take home! Information and registration at the multimedia library.
10.30 am: "Drawing in Saint-Pierre" workshop led by Anne Didier for children aged 7 to 12. Registration at the media library.
11am: "The Senlis of writers" tour organised by the Tourist Office. Registration at the Senlis-Chantilly Tourist Office.
11am: Visit the media library's heritage collections: normally inaccessible to the public, come and discover the national treasures kept in the media library's precious reserve. Open to all, registration recommended at the media library.
11am: Storytelling for children by the Bibliothèque pour Tous and Lire et Faire Lire, Salle du Valois.
From 2pm to 6pm:
Meetings and book signings with Maxime Girardeau, Olivia Gazalé, Olivier Gallien, Liesel Schiffer, Brigitte Lannaud, Marion Rivolier, Cécile Porée, Lomig, Olivier Charneux, Philippe Lacoche, Carine Paccaud, Guillaume Le Baube, Alain Bron, Clara Binard, Jill et Bruno Vanlan, Sylvie Teper, Marc Vantroys, Alain di Rocco, Maryse Delafolli, Claude Sylvie, Brigite Piedfert... For young people, Greg Tessier, Delphine Chedru, Laurent Contamin, Mymi Doinet, Olivier Ka, Olivier Muller, Claire Renaud, Richard Petitsigne, Pascal Ruter, Carina Rozenfeld and Gulf Stream publishers. Les doigts qui rêvent, a non-profit publishing house that meets the needs of visually impaired children for access to reading material.
During the weekend, the Friends of the Senlis Library will be selling second-hand books in the Salle Jacques Joly, and there will be stalls from a number of associations including Kiwanis, the Bibliothèque Sonore, the Bibliothèque pour tous, the Lions Club, Lire et Faire Lire, Unicef, Mémoire Senlisienne, the Association Philatélique de Senlis, the Société Histoire et Archéienne, Terres Ukraine and others, Lions Club, Lire et Faire Lire, Unicef, Mémoire Senlisienne, Association Philatélique de Senlis, Société d'Histoire et d'Archéologie, Terres d'Ukraine, Racines et Avenir, GEMOB (Grupement d'Etudes et Oeuvres d'Art)...

There'll also be plenty of entertainment and food on offer in Place Malraux, which will be pedestrianised for the occasion.