PACKET PICKS: Sept. 19

Fri., Sept. 19 
Author reading 
at Labyrinth Books 
Award-winning Iranian-American novelist Porochista Khakpour and four seniors in the Lewis Center for the Arts’ Program in Creative Writing at Princeton University will read from their work at Labyrinth Books, beginning at 6 p.m.
The reading is the first in The Emerging Writers Reading Series, which showcases senior thesis students of the Program in Creative Writing with established writers as special guests.
Ms. Khakpour’s debut novel “Sons and Other Flammable Objects” (2007) was named a “New York Times” editor’s choice. She has also penned the introduction to a new English edition of what is considered one of the greatest modern Iranian novels, Sadegh Hedayat’s “The Blind Owl.” Her second novel, “The Last Illusion,” published earlier this year, was named one of 30 Books You NEED to Read by “Huffington Post” n 2014.”
The featured student writers Joan Bedinger, Ben Goldman, Nonny Okwelogu, and Chester Dubov, the reading begins at 6:00 p.m. at the bookstore at 122 Nassau Street and is free and open to the public.
To learn more about the reading, the Program in Creative Writing, and the more than 100 public events presented each year by Lewis Center for the Arts, visit arts.princeton.edu. 
Sat., Sept. 20 
Children’s Book 
Festival on Hinds Plaza 
The ninth annual Princeton Children’s Book Festival is set for Sept. 20, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Hinds Plaza, and at the Princeton Library’s community room.
More than 80 authors and illustrators in children’s literature will participate in the festival, one of the largest of its kind on the East Coast. During the festival, young readers can interact with the people behind their favorite books who will talk about and sign copies of their works.
Participating in this year’s festival will be 2014 Caldecott Medal-winner Brian Floca (Locomotive), Dan Yaccarino (producer of “Oswald and Willa’s Wild Life”), 2014 Theodore Geisel Award-winner Greg Pizzoli (“The Watermelon Seed”); Coretta Scott King Award-winner Bryan Collier (“Knock, Knock: My Father’s Dream for M”), Rita Williams Garcia (“One Crazy Summer,” “P.S. Be Eleven”), Bruce Coville (“Jeremy Thatcher,” “Dragon Hatcher”), Tad Hills (author of the “Rocket the Dog” and “Duck and Goose” series), and more.
The library is located at 65 Witherspoon St., Princeton. Admission is free. Books by the authors will be for sale. For a complete list of additional participating authors and illustrators, see bookfestival.princetonlibrary.org. 
Through Sept. 25 
Art show at MCCC 
The Gallery at Mercer County Community College opens a new season with “Pannaroma — MCCC.”
The exhibit features panoramic photographs by 18 photographers who used a specially designed 1×3 panoramic camera built by Thomas Roma, the director of photography at Columbia University. The show has been previously exhibited in New York City, Miami and New Orleans.
“Pannaroma” features work from professional photographers, including a number of Mr. Roma’s former students.In addition to Mr. Roma himself and MCCC’s Mr. Dalton, the exhibit includes photos by Inbal Abergil, Tony Chirinos, Sasha Waters Freyer, Lee Friedlander, Stephen Hilger, Yoav Horesh, Zsolt Kadar, Richard LaBarbera, Jeff Ladd, Kai McBride, Laura Mircik-Sellers, Claudio Nolasco, Anibal Pella-Woo, Dennis Santella, Raghubir Singh and Daniel Willner.
The gallery is located on the second floor of the college’s communications building. The campus is located at 1200 Old Trenton Road in West Windsor.
Hours are Mon.-Wed. 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., Thurs. 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. For more information, go to www.mccc.edu/gallery. 