Grand Island, Neb. — The Grand Island Public Library will welcome award-winning author and illustrator Pedro Martín to Grand Island this September for a free public workshop celebrating literacy, creativity and storytelling.

Martín's visit is made possible through a community partnership involving the Grand Island Public Library, Rooted Books & Gifts, Stuhr Museum, St. Stephen's Episcopal Church, Visit Grand Island and support from Nebraska Appleseed.

The Grand Island Public Library will host a free zine-making workshop with Martín at 1 p.m. on Saturday, September 12. The workshop is open to the public and will introduce participants to creating "zines," or small, self-published booklets that combine words and illustrations to tell stories and share ideas. Martín will also sign books following the workshop.

Martín is the Newbery Honor Award and Pura Belpré Author and Illustrator Award-winning creator of the graphic memoir Mexikid, based on his online comic series of the same name. Mexikid has been recognized on numerous national best-of-the-year lists, including The New York Times Book Review, NPR, Kirkus Reviews, Publishers Weekly, School Library Journal and Booklist. His newest book, Mexikid Dreams, will be released September 1 by Penguin Random House.

A former Hallmark artist, Martín lives in Kansas City with his wife. Martín's visit to Grand Island will also include additional community programming presented by partner organizations. Information about those events is available from the respective host organizations.

For more information about the Grand Island Public Library workshop, visit www.gilibrary.org or call (308) 385-5333. You can also e-mail Grand Island Public Library Director Celine Swan at celines@gilibrary.org.