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Conference on Children's Literature

The Broward County Library's 2024 Conference on Children's Literature is an all-day event full of excellent and engaging creators. Register now, lunch will be served while supplies last.

The 2024 Conference is free to attend and open to educators of all kinds - librarians, teachers, and parents. The Conference will provide professional development, research and innovation in children’s literature and support networking, collaboration and contribute to a national dialogue. Please register- a complimentary light lunch is included and you may win signed copies of some the featured titles!

IF you can't make it in person JOIN US ONLINE!

8:30- 9:00 AM Attendee Check-In and Complimentary Coffee 

9:00 AM Conference Begins

9:05 AM - Creating Community Around Early Literacy in Broward County: Celebrating 10 Years of Broward Read for the Record

This panel presentation will discuss how Broward County works across agencies and departments to bring a large scale reading and distribution event to over 40,000 children each year. Our conversation will include information about the featured 2024 Jumpstart Read for the Record book, Piper Chen Sings. Panel members include: Maris Pasquale Doran, co-author of Piper Chen Sings, Crystal Rountree, CEO of Jumpstart, Cindy Arenberg Seltzer, CEO of Children's Services Council of Broward County and Dr. Lori Canning, Family and Community Engagement (FACE) from Broward County Public Schools.    

10:30 AM - Author Keynote with Johnnie Christmas, 2024 Ashley Bryan Art Series Featured Illustrator 

Join acclaimed illustrator and graphic novelist Johnnie Christmas for an inspiring keynote talk. Known for his work on the award-winning graphic novel Swim Team, Johnnie will share his journey from aspiring artist to New York Times bestselling author. He will discuss the creative process behind his most celebrated works, including the challenges and triumphs of bringing diverse characters and stories to life.

12 PM - Lunchtime Author Chat with Katherine Applegate and Gennifer Choldenko  

Join us for an engaging lunchtime chat with award-winning authors Katherine Applegate and Gennifer Choldenko as they discuss their collaborative series, Dogtown. They will discuss their creative process, the inspiration behind their heartwarming stories, and the real-life experiences that shaped their characters and plots. Authors Katherine Applegate and Gennifer Choldenko courtesy of Books & Books. 

1:15 PM -   Conversation with Sika Dagbovie Mullins and Raj Tawney 

New York Times essayist, Raj Tawney, delivers a gripping story of a multi-ethnic American boy who forges a complex friendship with a Pakistani immigrant in the wake of 9/11. Based on the author's personal life experiences, an insightful middle-grade novel from a fresh voice in children's fiction that will be felt long after the last page.

2:15 PM - Creating a Culture of Reading through a discussion with 2024 Sunshine State Reader’s Award Books Authors (In- Person and Online Panel)

This author panel will discuss reading motivation and reader's advisory through the use of state reading lists and the author's point of view. 

In Person Moderator and Panel Authors: Diana Haneski, Library Media Specialist, Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, Kerry O'Malley Cerra, author of Hear Me (SSYRA Grades 6-8); Natalia Sylvester, author of Breathe and Count Back from Ten (Florida Teen Reads); and Betty Culley (presenting online), author of The Name She Gave Me.

Online Panel Authors: Mitali Banerjee Ruths (SSYRA Jr.- presenting online), co-author of Awesome Orange Birthday; Carmen Agra Deedy (SSYRA Jr.- presenting online), author of Carina Felina and Betty Culley (presenting online), author of The Name She Gave Me.

3:30 PM - 2024 Miami Book Fair Featured Online Author: Robin Ha 

4:00 PM - 2024 Miami Book Fair Featured Online Author: Alexis Castellanos  

Featured Authors and Presenters (In Order of Sessions)

Maris Pasquale Doran, LCSW has always loved listening to and learning from people’s personal narratives and has evolved her career in social work to include writing and creating her own characters and stories. She continues to work as a private psychotherapist and is an adjunct lecturer at Columbia University’s School of Social Work. She lives in Maplewood, NJ with her husband and two young children. Reading to them is always her favorite part of the day.

Crystal Rountree joined Jumpstart as its new Chief Executive Officer in January 2024. She most recently served as the Chief Revenue and Development Officer at Teach For America (TFA) where she served on staff since 2005. As Chief Revenue and Development Officer Crystal was responsible for leading the team that grew, strengthened, and diversified TFA's philanthropic partnerships and revenue pathways to optimize and maximize contributions to TFA’s impact.  

Cindy Arenberg Seltzer has played a pivotal role as the inaugural President/CEO of the Children’s Services Council of Broward County since the voters authorized it in September 2000 and reauthorized it in 2014. Her leadership has been instrumental in shaping the organization’s mission and guiding its development toward substantially impacting the lives of children and families. She has been honored for her leadership and commitment to excellence on numerous occasions throughout her career, including, most recently, induction into the Broward County Women’s Hall of Fame, honored as a Neighborhood Hero by Neighbors 4 Neighbors, recognition of CSC as a Sun-Sentinel Top Workplace in 2023 and 2024, and receiving the Leadership Award in the Small Employer Group from the Sun-Sentinel Top Work Places 2024. 

Dr. Lori Canning is the Executive Director of Family and Community Engagement (FACE) at Broward County Public Schools where she leads the programs and partnerships at Gulfstream Early Learning Center and the departments of Family and Community Engagement. Additionally, she is a leader in the Broward Reads Campaign and Serves on the Board of the Healthy Start Coalition. 

Johnnie Christmas is a #1 New York Times Best Selling graphic novelist. His 2022 middle grade graphic novel debut Swim Team earned a spot on the National Book Awards longlist, a Coretta Scott King Award Illustrator Honor and a Harvey Awards nomination. A graduate of the Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, NY, earning a BFA in Communication Design/Illustration. Johnnie makes Vancouver, BC his home.

Katherine Applegate is the New York Times–bestselling author of Wishtree, Crenshaw, Willodeen, and Home of the Brave, as well as The One and Only Ivan, winner of the Newbery Medal, and its sequel The One and Only Bob. She lives in Southern California with her family. 

Gennifer Choldenko’s best known Tales from Alcatraz series, has been called “A cornerstone series in contemporary children’s literature.” Al Capone Does My Shirts—the first book in the series—was a Newbery Honor Book and the recipient of twenty other awards. All four books in the series were Junior Library Guild selections and garnered many starred reviews. Gennifer lives in the San Francisco Bay area with her loyal husband and naughty dog.

Sika Dagbovie-Mullins is a professor in the Department of English at Florida Atlantic University where she specializes in twentieth and twenty-first century African American literature. She is author of Crossing B(l)ack: Mixed Race Identity in Modern American Fiction and Culture (University of Tennessee Press, 2013) and co-editor of Mixed-Race Superheroes (Rutgers University Press, 2021) which examines representations of racial mixedness and the idea of the superhero. Her current project, Black Place in Florida, is a co-edited anthology that will explore how black Floridians, with origins from across the diaspora, claim space or take up place in the state. She serves on the editorial board of the University Press of Florida and the Journal of Popular Culture.

 Raj Tawney is a writer and journalist whose work largely reflects his mixed-race upbringing in suburban Long Island, NY. Born to an Indian, Puerto Rican, and Italian American family, Tawney has explored his identity through personal essays published in The New York Times, The Washington Post, USA Today, and other outlets throughout the country. His debut memoir Colorful Palate: A Flavorful Journey Through a Mixed American Experience (Fordham University Press) was published in 2023 to much acclaim. His upcoming book All Mixed Up will release in October 2024. He is based in Miami, Florida.

Diana Haneski, is known for her enthusiasm, energy, and willingness to help students and teachers find the books they want to read and the information and resources they need. As a library teacher for 26 years, Haneski holds National Board Certification in Library Media, a Master of Science in Library Studies, and a Bachelor of Arts in Communication Speech and Theatre. Diana Haneski has presented at conferences and has trained her colleagues in Broward for two decades. Most recently, Diana along with MSD therapy dog River, focus on mindfulness and self-care not only in Broward but throughout Florida and nationwide. Diana is a I Love My Librarian Award 2024 Honoree.

Kerry O’Malley Cerra is an award-winning author of middle grade books. A deaf author herself (who now hears with the help of one cochlear implant), she’s passionate about books that depict d/Deaf and/or hearing loss experiences for children. Kerry, a former high school media specialist and social studies teacher, lives in South Florida with her husband and two poorly behaved rescue dogs.

Born in Lima, Peru, Natalia Sylvester is an award-winning author of books for children, teens, and young adults, among them Running (2020) and Everyone Knows You Go Home (2018), which won the International Latino Book Award. Her latest YA novel, Breathe and Count Back from Ten, was named a Pura Belpré honor book and Schneider Family honor book in 2023 by the American Library Association, and is a 2024-2025 Florida Teens Read title. Natalia's first picture book, A Maleta Full of Treasures (illustrated by Juana Medina) is a Junior Library Guild Selection for both its English and Spanish versions.

Mitali Banerjee Ruths (presenting online), grew up in Houston, TX and dreamed of becoming an astronaut someday. She writes early in the morning on paper and types late at night on her computer. She loves telling stories, eating cookies, knitting sweaters, and going for walks in beautiful landscapes. She lives in Canada with her husband, three kids, and their dog Tux. One day, she would like to orbit the earth and knit in zero gravity with floating yarn while watching a sunrise every 90 minutes.

Carmen Agra Deedy (presenting online), is an award-winning author of fifteen books for young readers. Her personal stories first appeared on NPR’s All Things Considered. Funny, insightful, and frequently irreverent, Deedy’s narratives are culled from her childhood as a Cuban refugee in Decatur, GA. She is host of the Emmy-winning children’s program, Love That Book!

Betty Culley (presenting online) is the award-winning author of young adult and middle grade novels. She’s also an RN who worked as an obstetrics nurse and as a pediatric home hospice nurse. She lives in central Maine, where the rivers run through the small towns.

Robin Ha (presenting online) is the award-winning author/illustrator of the graphic novel memoir Almost American Girl. At fourteen she moved to the United States from Seoul, Korea. Her comics and illustrations have appeared in various publications, including the Washington Post and the Los Angeles Times, as well as in anthologies highlighting Asian American culture, including Rise: A Pop History of Asian America from the Nineties to Now, New Frontiers: The Many Worlds of George Takei, and Shattered: The Asian American Comics Anthology (Secret Identities). She is also the author of the best-selling comic recipe book Cook Korean!: A Comic Book With Recipes. Her new graphic novel, The Fox Maidens is published by Balzer and Bray in February 2024.

Alexis Castellanos (presenting online) is the author of Guava & Grudges (Bloomsbury) and Isla to Island (Simon & Schuster), an Eisner-nominated and award-winning graphic novel. Born in Miami, Fl, she studied theatre design and technology in college and landed in New York City after graduation working as a scenic artist before transitioning into publishing as a graphic designer. When she’s not working she can be found tackling a new sewing project, playing D&D, or cooking up a storm. For now she’s calling Los Angeles home, where she lives with her partner and two spoiled cats.

The 2024 Conference on Children's Literature is generously funded by the Broward Public Library Foundation, Children's Services Council of Broward and Florida Virtual School. The Ashley Bryan Art Series is generously funded by the Helios Education Foundation.  Natalia Sylvester is generously funded by Reforma de Florida.       

This program is presented through collaborations and partnerships with Broward Reads: The Campaign for Grade-Level Reading; Jumpstart for Young Children, Miami Book Fair and Books & Books. Books will be available for sale through Conference on Children's Literature book provider Books & Books.

About the African American Research Library and Cultural Center 
The Broward County African American Research Library and Cultural Center (AARLCC) is located in the Sistrunk community, one of the oldest historically Black communities named for one of Fort Lauderdale’s first Black physicians. Opening to the public on October 26, 2002, AARLCC became the third public library of its kind in the United States dedicated to the study of Black history and culture. The 60,000 square-foot Center serves as a repository of materials related to the local, national, and international voices of the African diaspora with more than 85,000 books, manuscripts, artifacts, framed art, print, photography, audiovisual, and documents held in our Adult Services Section and Special Collections. The Youth Services Section features a special collection of Coretta Scott King Award books and the Ashley Bryan Art Collection from illustrators of African Descent. AARLCC also features a 5,000 sq. ft. museum, a 300-seat state-of-the-art theatre, and a Computer Training Center.

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