The Broward County Library's 2025 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 2025 Conference on Children's Literature 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!
Featured Authors and Presenters
The daughter of a printer, Carole Boston Weatherford was practically born 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 Honor, Coretta Scott King Award and 4 Caldecott Honors. Her career achievements have been recognized with the ALA Children’s Literature Legacy Award, the North Carolina Award for Literature, and the Nonfiction Award from the Children’s Book Guild. The 2024 Young People’s Poet Laureate and a retired HBCU professor, she lives in Baltimore.
Jeffrey Boston Weatherford is an award-winning children's book illustrator and a rapper. His latest book, Rap It Up! was inspired by workshops merging writing and technology. KIN: Rooted in Hope won a Coretta Scott King Honor and the Boston Globe/Horn Book Award for Poetry. His debut book, You Can Fly: The Tuskegee Airmen, was named an ALSC Notable Book and a best book of the year by National Council for the Social Studies and Kirkus Reviews. Jeffery's art has been exhibited in Washington, DC, Georgia, Maryland and North Carolina. Formerly a National Book Foundation teaching artist, he holds an M.F.A. from Howard University where he was a Romare Bearden Scholar. He lives in North Carolina.
Carole and Jeffrey Boston Weatherford will be joining us as part of The Ashley Bryan Art Series: Dreams take Flight through Art and Literature. Learn more about Carole and Jeffrey Boston Weatherford at their official website.
Marcus Bridgewater, known on social media as Garden Marcus, is the author of See Marcus Grow and How to Grow: Nurture Your Garden, Nurture Yourself. Media outlets that have featured his work include Vogue, Dwell, the Los Angeles Times, the New York Times, and The Drew Barrymore Show. A creator, educator, motivational speaker, and plant enthusiast, he is also the founder and CEO of Choice Forward, a company that offers life coaching, seminars, and workshops. He lives in Texas with his wife, son, and a thousand plants. Learn more at Marcus Bridgewater’s official website and Jumpstart.
Amar Shah (he/him) (www.amarshahwrites.com) is the author of the Play the Game basketball trilogy and the upcoming graphic memoir Wish I Was a Baller, published by Scholastic. A multiple Emmy-winning writer and producer, Amar has created stories that blend sports, culture, and storytelling for ESPN, Fox Sports, NFL Network, and the Orlando Magic. His writing has been featured in The Wall Street Journal, SLAM, The Washington Post, and The Orlando Sentinel. He lives in Orlando, Florida, with his family, still holding onto the dream of suiting up for the NBA one day. (Hey, anything’s possible!)
Yesenia Moises is an Afro-Latina author, illustrator, and designer. Her work proudly portrays people of diverse backgrounds playing leading roles in fantasy adventures that are brimming with color. Her debut picture book as an author-illustrator, Stella’s Stellar Hair, received a Kirkus starred review and was named a Best Children's Book of 2021 by Parents Magazine. Her latest book, Sounds Like Joy, is out now! She’s brought her special brand of Afrofantasy to companies like Disney as well as celebrities like tennis Olympian Serena Williams and four-time NBA champion Steph Curry. In a time where the world can be a scary place, she wants it to be filled with big hair, bright colors, and lots of sazón from the heart! Learn more about Yesenia here.
Tony Weaver Jr. is the author of Weirdo, a middle grade graphic novel named best book of the year by People Magazine, Kirkus, The School Library Journal, Publishers Weekly, and The New York Public Library. It also earned him a nomination for Best Children's Publication at The Eisner Awards. Whether he’s making wholesome TikToks chronicling his love of nerd culture with his audience of over 1 million followers, or leading his education nonprofit “Weird Enough Productions,” Tony brings a sense of nerdy joy to everything he does. If you’re looking for self love and laughter, he’d love to be your “Nerdy Older Brother.” Learn more about Tony here.
Chelsey Roos (they/them) is a children's librarian with the Santa Clara County Library District. They use their lived experience as an autistic adult to support public library staff, so that all libraries can become truly neuro-affirming places. Charlie's work has been published in Children and Libraries, the ALSC blog, and in the 2025 ALA Editions book Using Literature to Support Children's Mental Health. Chelsey will be presenting online.
Stephanie McMillan’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’s books and graphic novels, she now paints and draws. Learn more about her art & illustration here.
The 2025 Conference on Children's Literature is generously funded by the Broward Public Library Foundation, Children's Services Council of Broward County, and Friends of AARLCC.
This program is presented through collaborations and partnerships with The Ashley Bryan Art Series, Helios Education Foundation, The Poetry Foundation, Broward Reads: The Campaign for Grade-Level Reading; and Jumpstart for Young Children.
Books will be available for sale through Conference on Children's Literature book provider Books & Books.
AGE GROUP: | New Adults | Adults |
EVENT TYPE: | Workshop | Literacy/Learning Services | Discussion/Lecture | Books | Author Events |
TAGS: | Back to School |
Mon, Aug 18 | 10:00PM to 8:00PM |
Tue, Aug 19 | 10:00AM to 6:00PM |
Wed, Aug 20 | 10:00PM to 8:00PM |
Thu, Aug 21 | 10:00AM to 6:00PM |
Fri, Aug 22 | 10:00AM to 6:00PM |
Sat, Aug 23 | 10:00AM to 6:00PM |
Sun, Aug 24 | Closed |