Join us May 20 for SLJ Day of Dialog, our inspiring and entertaining virtual event filled with author panels, in-depth conversations, and keynote talks.

Check out the packed program below to plan your day and meet the authors you love! You might need to make some tough decisions, but don’t worry: if you miss a live session, it will be available for on-demand viewing in about an hour. 

Program

9:00 AM - 9:30 AM ET | Exhibit Hall Opens

9:30 AM - 10:00 AM ET | Opening Keynote Conversation
Christina Soontornvat, A Wish in the Dark, All Thirteen (Candlewick) and Steve Sheinkin, Fallout: Spies, Superbombs, and the Ultimate Cold War Showdown (Macmillan Children’s) compare notes on the inspiration and research behind their nonfiction titles.

10:05 AM - 10:55 AM ET | Two Panels Running Concurrently

Reclaiming History
Featuring a range of voices and approaches, these authors revisit histories and narratives that for too long have been missing from our national conversation.
Tracey Baptiste, African Icons (Workman)
Veronica Chambers, Call and Response: The Story of Black Lives Matter (HMH)
Brandy Colbert, Black Birds in the Sky: The Story and Legacy of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre (HarperCollins)
Kekla Magoon, Revolution in Our Time: The Black Panther Party’s Promise to the People (Candlewick Press)
Schele Williams, Your Legacy: A Bold Reclaiming of Our Enslaved History (Abrams)
Moderator: Ashley Rayner, Branch Manager, Chicago Public Library (IL)

Navigating the Road to Adulthood
Middle grade readers will relate to these novels featuring tweens & teens grappling with family issues, fears, racism, and questions of identity.
Lesa Cline-Ransome, Being Clem (Holiday House)
Samantha Edwards, A Tale As Tall As Jacob (Andrews McMeel)
Alex Sanchez, The Greatest Superpower (Capstone)
Wendy S. Swore, Strong Like the Sea (Shadow Mountain Publishing)
Andrea Wang, The Many Meanings of Meilan (Penguin Young Readers) 
Moderator: Myiesha Speight, Resident Librarian, Towson University (MD)

11:00 AM - 11:30 AM ET |Three Panels Running Concurrently

Boyhood Unbound
Authors Jay Coles, Things We Couldn't Say (Scholastic) and George M. Johnson, We Are Not Broken, (Little, Brown) address sexual identity, family, and Black boyhood in their forthcoming teen books.
Moderator: Dr. Kimberly N. Parker, Assistant Director, Teacher Training Center | Shady Hill School (MA)

Dazzling Debuts
See what these fierce debut authors have in store for YA readers.
Angeline Boulley, Firekeeper’s Daughter (Macmillan Children’s)
Asha Bromfield, Hurricane Summer (Macmillan/Wednesday Books)
Rachel Griffin, Nature of Witches (Sourcebooks)
Alexis Nedd, Don’t Hate the Player (Bloomsbury)
Natalie Walton, Revenge of the Sluts (Wattpad)
Moderator: Lisa Krok, MLIS, MEd, Adult and Teen Services Manager, Morley Library (OH)

Life's Lessons, Gently Learned
Through humor and heartwarming stories, authors offer parents and educators opportunities to address young children’s social and emotional needs.
Mac Barnett, What Is Love? (Chronicle)
Ryan T. Higgins, Norman Didn’t Do It (Disney)
Naseem Hrab, The Sour Cherry Tree (Owlkids)
Richard Jones, Perdu (Peachtree)
Yuyi Morales, Bright Star and Lucero (Holiday House)
Dan Yaccarino, The Longest Storm (minedition)
Moderator: Denise Dávila, PhD, Assistant Professor, Department of Curriculum and Instruction, University of Texas

11:55 AM - 12:30 PM ET | Break / Visit the Exhibit Hall

12:30 PM - 1:00 PM ET | Lunch Keynote Conversation
Daniel Nayeri, Everything Sad Is Untrue (Levine Querido) and Malinda Lo, Last Night at the Telegraph Club(Penguin Young Readers) share hard, coming-of-age truths about finding identity against the odds.

1:05 PM - 1:35 PM ET | Two Panels Running Concurrently

Crunk Feminist Collective
Brittany Cooper, Susana M. Morris, and Chanel Craft Tanner, the authors of the hip-hop infused Feminist AF: A Guide to Crushing Girlhood (Norton Young Readers), discuss their forthcoming book for teens with Cicely Lewis.

She Persisted
Chelsea Clinton with the authors of the first volumes of a new series for young readers devoted to inspirational American women.
Sayantani DasGupta, Virginia Apgar (Penguin Young Readers)
Michelle Knudsen, Nellie Bly (Penguin Young Readers)
Meg Medina, Sonia Sotomayor (Penguin Young Readers)
Chelsea Clinton, She Persisted (Philomel)
Moderator: Kristin L. Anderson, Jackson County Library Services (OR) and School Library Journal Reviewer

Three Panels Running Concurrently

2:00 PM - 2:30 PM ET | Behind the Drawing Board
Prolific, international author and illustrator Torben Kuhlmann takes readers behind the creation of his soon-to-be released picture book with a STEM twist, Einstein: The Fantastic Journey of a Mouse Through Time and Space (North/South). Author Beth Beckman and illustrator Holly Maher consider the design challenges and opportunities of their new interactive series, “Little Kid, Big City” (Quirk). 

2:00 PM - 2:50 PM ET | Journeys: Finding Home
Journeys, emotional, physical, and political, are addressed in these new titles for middle school readers.
A.M. Dassu, Boy, Everywhere (Lee & Low)
Jen Sookfong Lee, Finding Home: The Journey of Immigrants and Refugees (Orca Books)
Michaela MacColl, View From Pagoda Hill (Boyds Mills & Kane)
Steven J. Pemberton, A Chance in the World (Young Readers Edition): An Orphan Boy, a Mysterious Past, and How He Found a Place Called Home (HarperCollins Christian)
Kao Kalia Yang, From the Top of the Trees (Lerner)
Moderator: Grace Enriquez, Ed.D., Professor, Language & Literacy Division, Lesley University (MA)

2:00 PM - 2:50 PM ET | Worlds of Mystery and Adventure
Kids love them. Educators welcome them. The lure of familiar characters and formats and fast-paced plots draw both avid and rising readers to series titles. Meet the authors of series you won’t want to miss.
Alane Adams, The Medusa Quest (SparkPress)
Deborah Lerme Goodman, Rescue of the Unicorn (Chooseco)
Michael Hutchinson, The Case of the Burgled Bundle (Second Story Press) 
Fracaswell Hyman, Mango All the Time (Sterling Press)
David A. Robertson, The Great Bear (Penguin Random House Canada)
Moderator: Taylor Worley, Youth Services Librarian, Springfield Public Library (OR)

2:50 PM - 3:30 PM ET | Break / Visit the Exhibit Hall

3:30 PM - 4:00 PM ET |  Afternoon Keynote Conversation
James Patterson (Jimmy Patterson Books) and Chris Grabenstein (Little, Brown) discuss collaborating on their geeky new middle grade title, Best Nerds Forever.
Introduced by: Thomas Maluck, Richland Library (SC) and School Library Journal Reviewer

4:05 PM - 4:55 PM ET | Picture This: Community
From joyful celebrations of the streets we live on to stories that offer discussion potential, these picture books get to the heart of what community means, and the people who comprise one.
Carmen T. Bernier-Grand, We Laugh Alike/ Juntos nos reímos: A Story That's Part Spanish, Part English, and a Whole Lot of Fun (Charlesbridge)
Marcy Campbell, Something Good (Little, Brown)
Ian & Sarah Hoffman, Jacob’s School Play: Starring She, He, and They (Magination Press)
LeUyen Pham, Inside, Outside (Macmillan Children’s)
Tricia Elam Walker, Dream Street (Random)
Moderator: Mary Ann Cappiello, Author, Classroom Bookshelf blogger, and Professor, Language and Literacy, Lesley University (MA)

4:05 PM - 4:55 PM ET | All Heart
Authors of uproariously funny romcoms, swoony love stories, and tales that address questions of identity, discuss their novels and the genre.
Tashi Bhuiyan, Counting Down With You (Inkyard Press)
Adiba Jaigirdar, Hani and Ishu’s Guide to Fake Dating (Page Street)
Marisa Kanter, As If On Cue (Simon & Schuster)
Sarah Kuhn, From Little Tokyo, With Love (Penguin Young Readers)
TJ Klune, Flash Fire (Macmillan/Tor)
Moderator: Susannah Goldstein, Librarian, The Brearley School (NY)

5:00 PM - 5:30 PM ET | Closing Keynote
Traci Sorell, One Land, Many Nations: Volume 1 (Reycraft Books) discusses her forthcoming middle grade title exploring the rich history and contemporary life of the Cherokee Nation.

5:30 PM - 6:00 PM ET | Visit the Exhibit Hall 

Please note that the event environment and the sessions have attendance capacity limits. If on the day of the event you find that you are unable to access the environment or join a session, know that sessions will be available for on-demand viewing within 24 hours, and the entire event will be accessible for three months from the event date.

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