The 2025 Conference on Children's Literatu re is free to attend and open to educators of all kinds - librarians\, tea chers\, and parents. The Conference will provide professional development\ , research and innovation in children&rsquo\;s literature and support netw orking\, collaboration and contribute to a national dialogue. Please regis ter- a complimentary light lunch is included and you may win signed copies of some the featured titles!
\nFeatured Authors and Present ers
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The daughter of a printer\, Carole Boston Weatherford was practically bor n with ink in her blood. She began writing at age 6 and soon after saw her poems in print. Her 80-plus books have garnered 2 NAACP Image Awards and 18 American Library Association Youth Media Awards\, including a Newbery H onor\, Coretta Scott King Award and 4 Caldecott Honors. Her career achieve ments have been recognized with the ALA Children&rsquo\;s Literature Legac y Award\, the North Carolina Award for Literature\, and the Nonfiction Awa rd from the Children&rsquo\;s Book Guild. The 2024 Young People&rsquo\;s P oet Laureate and a retired HBCU professor\, she lives in Baltimore. \;
\nJeffrey Boston Weatherford is an award-winning c hildren's book illustrator and a rapper. His latest book\, Rap It Up!< /em> \;was inspired by workshops merging writing and technology. K IN: Rooted in Hope won a Coretta Scott King Honor and the \;Bosto n Globe/Horn Book \;Award for Poetry. His debut book\, \;You C an Fly: The Tuskegee Airmen\, \;was named an ALSC Notable Book an d a best book of the year by National Council for the Social Studies and&n bsp\;Kirkus Reviews. \;Jeffery's art has been exhibited in Washington\ , DC\, Georgia\, Maryland and North Carolina. Formerly a National Book Fou ndation teaching artist\, he holds an M.F.A. from Howard University where he was a Romare Bearden Scholar. He lives in North Carolina.
\nCarol e and Jeffrey Boston Weatherford will be joining us as part of The Ashley Bryan Art Series: Dre ams take Flight through Art and Literature. \;Learn more about Car ole and Jeffrey Boston Weatherford at their official website.
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Marcus Bridgewater\, known on soci al media as Garden Marcus\, is the author of See Marcus Grow and How to Grow: Nurture Your Garden\, Nurture Yourself. Media outlet s that have featured his work include \;Vogue\, \;Dwell\, the \;Los Angeles Times\, the \;New York Times\, and \;The Drew Barrym ore Show. A creator\, educator\, motivational speaker\, and plant enthusia st\, he is also the founder and CEO of Choice Forward\, a company that off ers life coaching\, seminars\, and workshops. He lives in Texas with his w ife\, son\, and a thousand plants. Learn more at \;Marcus Bridgewater&rsquo\;s official website \;and Jumpstart.
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Amar Shah \;(he/him) (www.amarshahwrite s.com) \;is the author of the \;Play the Game \;b asketball trilogy and the upcoming graphic memoir \;Wish I Was a B aller\, published by Scholastic. A multiple Emmy-winning writer and p roducer\, Amar has created stories that blend sports\, culture\, and story telling for ESPN\, Fox Sports\, NFL Network\, and the Orlando Magic. His w riting has been featured in The Wall Street Journal\, SLAM\, The Washingto n Post\, and The Orlando Sentinel. He lives in Orlando\, Florida\, with hi s family\, still holding onto the dream of suiting up for the NBA one day. (Hey\, anything&rsquo\;s possible!)
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Yesenia Moises is an Afro-Latina author\, illust rator\, and designer. Her work proudly portrays people of diverse backgrou nds playing leading roles in fantasy adventures that are brimming with col or. Her debut picture book as an author-illustrator\, Stella&rsquo\;s Stel lar Hair\, received \;a Kirkus starred review and was named a Best Chi ldren's Book of 2021 by Parents Magazine. Her latest book\, Sounds Like Jo y\, is out now! She&rsquo\;s brought her special brand of Afrofantasy to c ompanies like Disney as well as celebrities like tennis Olympian Serena Wi lliams and four-time NBA champion Steph Curry. \;In a time where the w orld can be a scary place\, she wants it to be filled with big hair\, brig ht colors\, and lots of sazó\;n from the heart! Learn more about Yes enia here.
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Tony Weaver Jr. is the autho
r of Weirdo\, a middle grade graphic novel named best book of the
year by People Magazine\, Kirkus\, The School Library Journal\, Publisher
s Weekly\, and The New York Public Library. It also earned him a nominatio
n for Best Children's Publication at The Eisner Awards. Whether he&rsquo\;
s making wholesome TikToks chronicling his love of nerd culture with his a
udience of over 1 million followers\, or leading his education nonprofit &
ldquo\;Weird Enough Productions\,&rdquo\; Tony brings a sense of nerdy joy
to everything he does. If you&rsquo\;re lookin
g for self love and laughter\, he&rsquo\;d \; love to be your &ldquo\;
Nerdy Older Brother.&rdquo\; Learn more about Tony here.
Chelsey Roos (they/them) is a children's librarian with the Santa Clara County Library District. T hey use their lived experience as an autistic \;adult to support publi c library staff\, so that all libraries can become truly neuro-affirming p laces. Chelsey's work has been published in Children and Libraries\, the \;ALSC blog\, and in the 2025 ALA Editions book \;Usin g Literature to Support Children's Mental Health. Chelsey will be pre senting online. \;
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Stephanie McMillan&rsquo \;s art reaches toward positive social transformation so all can thrive. After 25 years as an award-winning and widely-published cartoonist \, producing editorial cartoons\, comic strips\, children&rsquo\;s books a nd graphic novels\, she now paints and \;draws. Learn more about her a rt &\; illustration here.< /p>\n
\nThe 2025 Conference on Children's Literature is generousl y funded by the \;Broward Pub lic Library Foundation\, \; \;Children's Services Council of Broward County\, \;Friends of AARLCC\, \;Wayne and Lucretia Weiner and Reforma de Florida.
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This program is presented th rough additional support from \;The Ashley Bryan Art Series\, Helios Education Foundation\, The Poetry Foundation\, \;Broward Reads: The Campaign for Grade -Level Reading\; and \;Jumpstart for Young Children.
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Books will be available for sale through Conference on Children's Literat ure book provider \;Books &\; Books. \; \;
\nSpecial thanks to Panera Br ead Catering\, Vicky's Bakery (Las Olas location) and Starbucks (Plantatio n Towne Square). \;
\nhttps://broward.libnet.info/event/14087542 URL;VALUE=URI:https://broward.libnet.info/event/14087542 END:VEVENT END:VCALENDAR
