Presenters

Sara K. Ahmed has taught and coached in public and private, local, and international schools. She supports the development and facilitation of gatherings designed to help student and adult learners examine their own identities and get proximate to the lived truths of others.

Laurie Halse Anderson, author of the transcendent novel Speak, is one of the most important voices in the world of children’s literature, a two-time National Book Award finalist, a New York Times bestseller, and a Printz Honor winner.

M. T. Anderson writes for children, teens, and adults; his books have won the National Book Award, the L.A. Times Book Prize, the Boston Globe/Horn Book Prize, and, most recently, a Newbery Honor for Elf Dog & Owl Head.

Tracey Baptiste is a New York Times-bestselling author of picture books, middle grade, and young adult novels and short stories. She writes fiction, nonfiction, and graphic novels and is best known for the acclaimed middle grade fantasy trilogy: The Jumbies.

Susan Campbell Bartoletti is one of the most celebrated writers of nonfiction for children and young adults today. In addition to her Newbery Honor award-winning Hitler Youth: Growing Up in Hitler’s Shadow and its acclaimed companion book, The Boy Who Dared, she has tackled tough subjects such as child labor, the Great Irish Famine, the Ku Klux Klan, Typhoid Mary, and most recently, woman suffrage.

Phil Bildner is the New York Times-bestselling author of numerous books for kids including the NCTE Charlotte Huck Award Honor-winning middle grade novel, A High Five for Glenn Burke, and the Margaret Wise Brown Prize-winning Marvelous Cornelius. His latest release is the picture book biography, Glenn Burke, Game Changer.

Max Brallier is a #1 New York Times, USA Today, and Wall Street Journal bestselling author. His books and series include The Last Kids on Earth, The Last COMICS on Earth, Eerie Elementary, Mister Shivers, and Galactic Hot Dogs. He was a writer and producer for Netflix’s Emmy-award-winning adaptation of The Last Kids on Earth.

Vera Brosgol is the author of the 2017 Caldecott Honor picture book Leave Me Alone! as well as the Eisner, Cybils, and Harvey Award-winning graphic novel Anya’s Ghost and the acclaimed graphic novel memoir, Be Prepared.

Cozbi A. Cabrera is an award-winning writer/illustrator of children’s books who quilts, makes handmade cloth dolls and designs clothing.

Lauren Castillo is the author and illustrator of the 2015 Caldecott Honor winning book, Nana in the City, as well as the new illustrated chapter book series, Our Friend Hedgehog.

Dr. Jorge Cham is the award-winning and best-selling author of several STEM-focused books for children and adults. A former roboticist, he is also the co-creator of the Emmy-nominated kids program Elinor Wonders Why. He was born and raised in Panama.

Nidhi Chanani is the author/illustrator of What Will My Story Be? and the illustrator of I Will Be Fierce, Binny’s Diwali and Kong & Me. She is the author/illustrator of the middle grade graphic novels Pashmina and Jukebox.

Sona Charaipotra is an entertainment journalist and the author of How Maya Got Fierce, Symptoms of a Heartbreak, and the Tiny Pretty Things series, as well as a journalist and editor for publications including Parents, People, and other major media. She cofounded CAKE Literary, a boutique book packager focused on high concept, diverse titles.

Gennifer Choldenko is the author of 19 books for children including the beloved Al Capone Does My Shirts which won the Newbery Honor and 20 other awards. She and Katherine Applegate cowrote Dogtown and Mouse and His Dog which are both New York Times bestsellers and Indie bestsellers.

Dhonielle Clayton is a former librarian and teacher, a New York Times-bestselling author of multiple books for teens and middle grade, and the COO of the non-profit We Need Diverse Books.

Matthew Cordell is the Caldecott Medal-winning author and illustrator of Wolf and the Snow as well as many other celebrated picture books including Wish and Hello Neighbor: The Kind and Caring World of Mister Rogers.

Mike Curato is an author and illustrator of numerous books for young people including the beloved Little Elliot picture book series and the Lambda Literary Award-winning young adult graphic novel Flamer.

Elizabeth Eulberg is the internationally bestselling author of several young adult novels, including The Lonely Hearts Club and Better Off Friends, as well as the acclaimed middle grade series The Great Shelby Holmes.

Alex Gino loves glitter, ice cream, gardening, awe-ful puns, and stories that reflect the diversity and complexity of being alive. Their debut middle grade novel, Melissa (previously published as George) about a fourth-grade transgender girl, received four starred reviews, won Stonewall, Lambda, and Children’s Choice Debut Awards, and has been translated into fourteen languages.

Shannon Hale is the New York Times bestselling and Newbery-Honor winning author of 30+ books for readers of all ages, including The Princess in Black, Real Friends, The Goose Girl, and Princess Academy.

Leah Henderson is an award-winning author of books for young readers, including the critically acclaimed middle grade novel The Magic in Changing Your Stars. Her picture books include A Day for Rememberin’, Together We March, and Daddy Speaks Love.

Molly Idle is the author and illustrator of the Caldecott Honor-winning picture book Flora and the Flamingo and all of the Flora books. She’s also the creator of the Rex series. Her newest picture books are the dazzling mermaid tales, Pearl and Coral.

Tiffany D. Jackson is the author of critically acclaimed YA novels including the Coretta Scott King — John Steptoe New Talent Award-winning Monday’s Not Coming, the NAACP Image Award-nominated Allegedly, and her ode to 90's hip-hop Let Me Hear A Rhyme.

Amanda Jones is a twenty-three year educator and grassroots organizer fighting against censorship in libraries on the frontlines in Louisiana. She is an SLJ Librarian of the Year, international speaker, and author of the upcoming book “That Librarian: Book Banning in Today’s America.”

Tae Keller is the Newbery-Award winning, #1 NYT-bestselling author of When You Trap a Tiger, Jennifer Chan is Not Alone, and more.

Hena Khan is the award-winning author of groundbreaking books for kids, including the bestselling middle grade novel Amina’s Voice, Amina’s Song, More to the Story, and the Zara's Rules and Zayd Saleem Chasing the Dream series. She’s written several beloved picture books including Golden Domes and Silver Lanterns, Night of the Moon, and Under My Hijab.

Brendan Kiely is the award winning and New York Times bestselling author of four critically acclaimed novels including All American Boys (with Jason Reynolds) and Tradition, and the call-to-action, nonfiction title, The Other Talk: Reckoning with Our White Privilege.

Minh Lê is the award-winning author of picture books including Drawn Together (winner of the 2019 Asian/Pacific American Award for Literature), The Blur, Real to Me, and Lift (an Eisner Award nominee), and graphic novels such as Green Lantern: Legacy and Enlighten Me.

Kevin Lewis is the author of many children’s picture books for toddler and early elementary grades including the classics Chugga-Chugga Choo-Choo, My Truck is Stuck, and The Runaway Pumpkin.

Loren Long i​s the author and illustrator of the New York Times bestselling Otis​ picture books,​ ​and​ the #1 New York Times bestselling illustrator of President Barack Obama’s picture book Of Thee I Sing, and ​the re-illustrated edition of The Little Engine That Could.

Rafael López is the two time #1 New York Times bestselling illustrator of Just Ask! Be Different, Be Brave, Be You written by Sonia Sotomayor and The Day You Begin written by Jacqueline Woodson.

Torrey Maldonado is a New York City Public Schools teacher, born and raised in Brooklyn, New York, where he still lives. His thin books Tight, What Lane? and Hands offer all that thick books do and are inspired by his life and the experiences of his students.

Janae Marks is the critically-acclaimed middle grade author of From the Desk of Zoe Washington and A Soft Place to Land. Her next novel, On the Air with Zoe Washington releases in early 2023.

Juana Martinez-Neal is the author/illustrator of Alma and How She Got Her Name and the New York Times-bestselling illustrator recipient of a Caldecott Honor, a Sibert Medal and a Pura Belpré Medal for Illustration. The daughter and granddaughter of painters, Juana was born in Peru and lives in Connecticut with her family.

Stacy McAnulty is the award-winning author of over thirty books for children, from picture books to upper middle-grade (both fiction and non), including The Miscalculations of Lightning Girl, Save the People! Halting Human Extinction, and the ever-expanding Our Universe series.

New York Times-bestselling author Kate Messner is passionately curious and writes books for kids who wonder, too. Her titles include award-winning picture books like Over and Under the Snow , The Brilliant Deep, and How to Write a Story; novels like All the Answers,  Breakout, and Chirp; nonfiction like The Next President and Tracking Tortoises;  the popular Ranger in Time chapter book adventures, the Fergus and Zeke easy readers, and the History Smashers graphic nonfiction series.

Donalyn Miller is an award-winning teacher, author, and staff developer who works with schools and community groups to build and sustain engaging, inclusive reading communities.  She is the author of The Book Whisperer, and her most recent titles are The Joy of Reading (co-written with Teri Lesesne) and The Commonsense Guide to Your Classroom Library (co-written with Colby Sharp).

Cornelius Minor is a Brooklyn-based educator and part-time Pokemon trainer. He works with teachers, school leaders, and leaders of community-based organizations to support equitable literacy reform in cities (and sometimes villages) across the globe. His latest book, We Got This, explores how the work of creating more equitable school spaces is embedded in our everyday choices — specifically in the choice to really listen to kids.

Kass Minor is an inclusive educator who is deeply involved in local, inquiry-based teacher research and school community development. Alongside partnerships with the Teachers College Inclusive Classrooms Project and the New York City Department of Education, since 2005, she has worked as a teacher, staff developer, adjunct professor, speaker, and documentarian. 

Barbara O’Connor is the author of award-winning novels for children, including Wonderland, How to Steal a Dog, and the New York Times bestseller, Wish.

Ellen Oh is a recovering attorney who prefers to write books for kids and teens. She is also a founding member of We Need Diverse Books, the groundbreaking, grassroots non-profit organization.

Maulik Pancholy is an award-winning actor (from hit TV shows like 30 Rock and Phineas & Ferb) and the author of two novels: The Best at It (a Stonewall Honor Book) and Nikhil Out Loud (A Lambda Literary Award winner). He is also a co-founder of the anti-bullying nonprofit ActToChange.org.

Linda Sue Park is the author of many books for young readers, including the 2002 Newbery Medal winner A Single Shard and the New York Times-bestselling A Long Walk to Water.

Perhaps best known as “Hilary” on The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, today Karyn is the founder of Sweet Blackberry, an organization whose mission is to highlight unsung heroes in history for kids. She is also the author of five books for children and teens.

LeUyen Pham is the best-selling and award-winning creator of more than one hundred books for children, including The Princess in Black with Shannon and Dean Hale, the Real Friends series and Itty-Bitty-Kitty-Corn with Shannon Hale, and her own picture book Outside, Inside, about our year in lockdown.

Isabel Quintero is the daughter of Mexican immigrants and the author of the multi-award winning YA novel Gabi, A Girl in Pieces, the hilarious and fun Ugly Cat and Pablo series, the Boston Globe Horn Book Award winning Photographic: The Life of Graciela Iturbide, and the highly praised picture book My Papi Has a Motorcycle which was featured on NPR’s Book Concierge List 2019.

Anna Chan Rekate has been a teacher for the last twenty-five years and currently teaches Middle School English at Trevor Day School in New York City. She has taught all subjects and grades three through twelve in public and private schools in New York and in international schools in Shanghai, Hong Kong, and Tokyo.

Pernille Ripp is a global educator, national and international speaker, and creator of the Global Read Aloud. Her latest book, Passionate Readers, is a framework for educators who want to create passion-based reading experiences no matter where their students are in their journey.

John Rocco is an award-winning author and illustrator of many picture books including the Caldecott Honor book Blackout. He is also the #1 New York Times bestselling illustrator of Rick Riordan’s Percy Jackson and the Olympians series. His latest, How We Got To The Moon, won a Sibert Honor and was Longlisted for the National Book Award.

Dan Santat is the author/illustrator of the Caldecott Award-winning book The Adventures of Beekle: The Unimaginary Friend, as well as the New York Times best-selling titles After the Fall and Are We There Yet? He is also the creator of the Disney animated hit The Replacements.

Eliot Schrefer has written many books for children and teens. He is the New York Times-bestselling author of Endangered and The Darkness Outside Us, and he has twice been a finalist for the National Book Award in Young People’s Literature.

New York Times-bestselling author Dashka Slater has written many award-winning books of fiction and nonfiction for children, teenagers, and adults, including the Stonewall Book Award-winning young adult nonfiction narrative, The 57 Bus, the popular Escargot picture book series, and the middle grade fantasies The Book of Fatal Errors and The Book of Stolen Time.

Ronald L. Smith is the Coretta Scott King award-winning author of several middle grade novels including Black Panther: The Young Prince Trilogy; Hoodoo; Where the Black Flowers Bloom; Gloomtown; and The Owls Have Come to Take Us Away.

Christina Soontornvat is the 2021 Newbery Honor winning author of A Wish in the Dark and All Thirteen: The Incredible Cave Rescue of the Thai Boys’ Soccer Team. She has written over a dozen other books for children including the picture book The Ramble Shamble Children, illustrated by Caldecott Honoree Lauren Castillo, and the beloved chapter book series, Diary of an Ice Princess.

Cristin Terrill is the author of the young adult novels Here Lies Daniel Tate, The Stars Between Us,  and All Our Yesterdays -- winner of the International Thriller Writers’ Award for Best Young Adult Novel, one of Kirkus' Best of the 2013, a YALSA pick for young adults and more -- and the founder of Wordsmith Workshops.

Mychal Threets is a chronically online librarian passionate about library joy, mental health, belonging, and sharing the stories of library kids and library grown-ups.

Maggie Tokuda-Hall is the author of numerous acclaimed, award-winning and bestselling children’s, young adult and comic books. She is also an activist in the fight against book bans.

Julia E. Torres is a secondary librarian and Language arts teacher focusing on developing literacy programs for 6-12 readers. She is the co-founder of DisruptTexts.org and the co-host and creative director of the BookLove Foundation Podcast.

Padma Venkatraman is the author of The Bridge Home (a 2019 Global Read Aloud, WNDB Walter Award & SCBWI Golden Kite winner); A Time to Dance (the first South Asian American verse novel for young people); Island's End (South Asia Book Award winner) and Climbing the Stairs (Julia Ward Howe Award winner). Her latest novel, Born Behind Bars (a Parent Magazine Book of the Month and Junior Library Guild Selection), was released in September, 2021 to starred reviews in Kirkus, SLJ, and Booklist.

Marcelo Verdad is the creator of The Worst Teddy Ever, shortlisted for the B&N Book Awards, recipient of a Blue Ribbon from The Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books, and an Indigo Best Book of the Year. His latest is The Dream Catcher. Both books are available in Spanish. Not originally from planet Earth, but born in México, he loves teaching his young students in Los Angeles, CA, where he currently lives.

Audrey is the author of more than two dozen books, including the highly acclaimed and award-winning picture books Brothers at Bat, and, with Liz Garton Scanlon, Bob, Not Bob. Among her books are five middle-grade novels, including Two Naomis, with Olugbemisola Rhuday-Perkovich. Audrey’s 2022 picture book, All Star: How Larry Doby Smashed the Color Barrier in Baseball, is a Junior Library Guild Selection.

Jasmine Warga is the award-winning and New York Times-bestselling author of several books for young readers including A Rover's Story, Other Words for Home, and The Shape of Thunder. Originally from Cincinnati, she currently lives in the Chicago-area with her family in a house filled with books.

Judd Winick first popped up in front of us as a cast member of MTV’s 1994 The Real World, San Francisco. But since then has gone on to become an award-winning, New York Times best-selling cartoonist of his graphic novel series HILO.

Paula Yoo is a book author, TV writer/producer, and musician whose accolades include the National Book Award Longlist for Young People’s Literature, the Boston-Globe Horn Book Award, and the YALSA Excellence in Nonfiction Honor.

Jeff Zentner is an author of young adult and adult books. Among other honors, he has won the ALA’s William C. Morris Award, ALAN’s Amelia Elizabeth Walden Award twice, the Muriel Becker Award, The International Literacy Association Award, and been longlisted twice for the Carnegie Medal and shortlisted for the UKLA.