Children’s author Matt Forrest Esenwine will be visiting Mason on July 17, as part of the Mason Public Library’s Children’s Literacy Foundation Rural Library Grant, which will provide several author visits throughout the year.
Esenwine will be visiting Mason Elementary School at 6 p.m. The visit is a free event open to the public. Every child up to age 12 who attends will receive two free books. Make reservations for the event by contacting the Mason Public Library at 603-878-3867 or library@masonnh.us.
Esenwine is a former radio broadcaster who first published a poem in 1984, when he was still in high school. Since then, he has published multiple poems in journals and anthologies. He debuted his first picture book, “Flashlight Night” in 2017, which was selected by the New York Public Library as one of the Best Books for Kids in 2017.
He has been writing and publishing children’s books ever since, with more than a dozen books published or under contract, including “I Am Today,” which received the 2023 New Hampshire Literary Award for Outstanding Children’s Literature.
Esenwine has also written several poems that are oriented for children that have been published in multiple anthologies, including his own anthology, “A Universe of Rainbows,” in 2025.
Esenwine’s visit is part of a larger grant won by the Mason Public Library this year. The goals of the grant are to create a culture of literacy in the community, build enthusiasm for the library, give children up to age 12 access to high-quality, age-appropriate books, and strengthen the relationship between the library and local elementary school.
As part of the grant, the library received an additional $1,000 to run a library event or program, $2,000 for children’s books for the library and an additional $500 for books for the Mason Elementary School’s classroom libraries. The library will also receive funds to create kits aimed at children 5 and younger for check out at the library.
Esenwine’s visit will be the first of three hosted either at the Mason Public Library or the Mason Elementary School in the coming year, with the other two visits in the fall and spring, with authors to be announced. At least one of the other author events will also include a free book giveaway.
Ashley Saari can be reached at 603-924-7172, Ext. 244, or asaari@ledgertranscript.com. She’s on X @AshleySaariMLT.