Thread by @bottomshelfbks

🚨 EARLY BIRD REGISTRATION for the KWELI COLOR OF CHILDREN’S LITERATURE CONFERENCE ends TOMORROW (11/15)! #Kweli19 @kwelijournal

It’s THE BEST, but in case u need convincing (which you shouldn’t), here’s a thread of all the out of this world presenters:

kwelijournal.org/the-color-of-c…

Note: I learned last year that the list of luminaries is so impressive that this is going to take a while, so bear with me. 😉 #Kweli19

First up: SAMIRA AHMED, the world class author who won your hearts and minds with LOVE, HATE, & OTHER FILTERS and is about to do it again (and conquer Hollywood while she’s at it) with the powerful INTERNMENT. ❤️ @sam_aye_ahm #Kweli19

Timeout: Sorry, little one is calling out from bedtime and sorry, even #Kweli19 takes a back seat to “I want Daddy!” 🤷🏻‍♂️ #ToBeContinued

BERNADETTE BAKER-BAUGHMAN! Lit agent at Victoria Sanders & Associates representing some of your favorite authors... and looking to add someone (YOU??) to her illustrious client list. 😉 #Kweli19

DR. RUDINE SIMS BISHOP. THE BRILLIANT INTELLECTUAL WHO HAS SHAPED HOW WE ALL THINK ABOUT BOOKS AND THE WORLD AND WHOSE SEMINAL WORK WILL BE REFERENCED AND FOOTNOTED INTO ALL ETERNITY. 🤩 #LEGEND #Kweli19

VANESSA BRANTLEY-NEWTON, author/illustrator of over 80 beloved books, each of which is a much-needed burst of ✨JOY✨ in the (all too often dark and dreary) world. #Kweli19

REGINA BROOKS, CEO of @serendipitylit and whose list of accomplishments and accolades is so impressive they are considering renaming @LinkedIn after her. 😎 #Kweli19

HILDA EUNICE BURGOS, debut author of ANA MARÍA REYES DOES NOT LIVE IN A CASTLE which is sure to be your new MG favorite and will sell so many copies that she will be able to by and live in an actual castle herself (if she’s into that kind of thing). 👑 @HildaEBurgos1 #Kweli19

ESTHER CAJAHUARINGA, editorial assistant at Disney-Hyperion and rising star 💫 who could very well be running the whole publishing world someday... so meet her now before she’s such a big deal you have to ask her security detail just to talk to her. @cajameansbox #Kweli19

SOMAN CHAINANI, best-selling author whose THE SCHOOL FOR GOOD AND EVIL series has sold so many copies (over 1.5 million 😳), even J.K. Rowling is starting to get jealous. @SomanChainani #Kweli19

SONA CHARAIPOTRA, who is not only an author, she is also a co-founder of @CakeLiterary. Which means when she’s not busy writing her own great books, she’s busy helping OTHER PEOPLE write their great books. #Dedication 👏🏽 @sona_c #Kweli19

KANDACE COSTON, is assistant editor at @LEEandLOW so she’s responsible for so many of the the beautiful and thought-provoking books that thankfully grace our shelves. (Note: please keep them coming, we are forever thirsty for more 🙏🏽) @WhatSticks #Kweli19

ART COULSON: author, editor, storyteller, Executive Director of the Wilma Mankiller Foundation in the Cherokee Nation of OK, journalist... if he isn’t “the most interesting man in the world,” he’s a close second. 😎 @UpWithTheMooses #Kweli19

PAT CUMMINGS author/illustrator of over 40 books, teaches kidlit at Parsons and Pratt among other illustrious roles... if you’re an aspiring kidlit creator THIS is the person to talk to. 🧐 @PatCummingsBook #Kweli19

LYGIA DAY PEÑAFLOR, author of UNSCRIPTED JOSS BYRD and ALL OF THIS IS TRUE... AND she teaches child stars for TV and movies?? Come for the literary genius, stay to help me dig for some juicy Hollywood gossip. 😉😎 @lygiaday #Kweli19

ADRIANA DOMÍNGUEZ, agent at @FullCircleLit whose client list is so star-studded she could start a legit Kidlit Hall of Fame and fill it with only her authors and illustrators. And charge 💰 for admission. 🤩 @VocesBlog #Kweli19

ZETTA ELLIOTT Award-winning author (incl upcoming DRAGONS IN A BAG) and founder of Rosetta Press, tireless advocate for greater diversity and equity in publishing. 💪🏽 @zettaelliott #Kweli19

MICHAELA GOADE, illustrator and artist who has by talent, hard work, and probably ✨magic✨ somehow figured out how to capture the vast beauty and majesty of Alaska and transfer it onto the page. Seriously, check out her portfolio ✨😳✨ @michaelagoade #Kweli19

NIKKI GRIMES. That’s right, you heard me: NIKKI GRIMES. Recipient of the Children’s Literature Legacy, Virginia Hamilton, Coretta Scott King and practically every other award available, her words are what decorate the walls of your soul. ❤️ @nikkigrimes9 #Kweli19

HEIDI HEILIG: worldbeating worldbuilder whose latest FOR A MUSE OF FIRE will set your heart, mind, and soul aflame... and then very likely set the rest of the world on fire. 🔥 @heidiheilig #Kweli19

ALYSON HELLER, senior editor at Simon & Schuster who (gauging from her list of books) makes it her goal to squeeze your heart, tickle your funny bone, & expand your mind all at once and without a single comma out of place because editors are wizards. 💫 @EditorAlysonH #Kweli19

LEAH HENDERSON, brilliant author of ONE SHADOW ON THE WALL and (objectively speaking) one of the best people on Planet Earth. #ScientificallyProven @LeahsMark #Kweli19

CONNIE HSU, executive editor at Roaring Brook/Macmillan... She edits all the books that you fall instantly in love with but then grow to secretly resent because you wish YOU had written it and why oh why even bother anymore. 😭 But then again, LOVE. ❤️ @missconnieh #Kweli19

CHERYL WILLIS HUDSON author, editor, publisher, VP & ED of @JustUsBooks and all-around Literary Powerhouse who just co-edited the MG Anthology WE RISE, WE RESIST, WE RAISE OUR VOICES which is the book readers of all ages NEED right now. @diversitymom_ch #Kweli19

WADE HUDSON, president of @JustUsBooks, award-winning (incl Ida B. Wells Leadership Award among others) author of so many important books, and co-editor of WE RISE, WE RESIST, WE RAISE OUR VOICES, which as I said above is the book we all need right now. @hudsonwade #Kweli19

TIFFANY D. JACKSON! Protip: if you check her books from library, they will 100% be soaked in the tears of former readers. Make sure to alert librarian so you don’t get blamed for preexisting water damage. Then feel free to cry all over them yourself. 😭❤️ @writeinbk #Kweli19

KOSOKO JACKSON, whose much-anticipated debut A PLACE FOR WOLVES absolutely goes in the debut title Hall of Fame. 👏🏽🐺 Also, has totally mastered Twitter and needs to teach us Social Media Survival Skills for the Apocalypse 101. @KosokoJackson #Kweli19

GRACE KENDALL, Senior Editor at FSG/Macmillan... has edited so many award-winning books, she can swan dive into her accolades like Scrooge McDuck into a vault full of money. 🏆🥇🥈🥉🏅🎖 @GraceKendallLit #Kweli19

CHERYL KLEIN, Editorial Director at @LEEandLOW is an accomplished book wizard who has worked on some my absolute favorite titles and... WAIT, SHE HAS A DEBUT PICTURE BOOK COMING OUT IN 2019??? THIS IS NOT A DRILL, PEOPLE: CLEAR YOUR SHELFSPACE NOW!!! 🚨 @chavelaque #Kweli19

MINH LÊ who will be the one in the corner quietly mumbling “just be cool for once” to himself. #Kweli19

CELIA LEE, editor at Scholastic is quietly acquiring the next generation of children’s classics and is primed and ready to give the great Ursula Nordstrom a run for her money. 💪🏽 #Kweli19

OH CRUMBS—phone is about to die. 😬 Time to recharge and give thumbs a break! #Kweli19 #ToBeContinued

(Extra credit if you can name which recent picture book "OH CRUMBS" comes from. 😉)

E.B. LEWIS! Award-winning author/illustrator of over 50 books including TALKIN’ ABOUT BESSIE (Coretta Scot King Illustrator Award) and COMING ON HOME SOON (Caldecott Honor) and maybe most impressively: former public school art teacher. 👏🏽 @iameblewis #Kweli19

TIFFANY LIAO, Editor at Henry Holt/Macmillan aka Tiffany “Midas” Liao because everything she touches turns to GOLD. @Tiff_Liao #Kweli19

CAROLE LINDSTROM whose upcoming 2020 picture book WE ARE WATER PROTECTORS is inspired by Standing Rock and all Indigenous People’s fight for clean water... and is already a clear front runner as a “YOU NEED TO READ THIS” book status. ❤️ @CaroleLindstrom #Kweli19

ALVINA LING, VP & Editor-in-Chief at Little, Brown. At the grand-opening of the Kidlit Hall of Fame there is going to be an entire wing dedicated to books edited by @planetalvina. (Pausing to pat myself on the back for not calling it the “ALVINA LING WING”) #restraint #Kweli19

ANDREA J. LONEY perhaps the only award-winning picture book author to also... RUN AWAY WITH THE CIRCUS?? Shut it down, she wins Best Author Bio Trivia Award. 👏🏽🎪 @AndreaJLoney #Kweli19

RAFAEL LOPEZ illustrator of THE DAY YOU BEGIN, DRUM DREAM GIRL, and so many other books that make you want to sing, dance, cry, call your parents, start a journal, work the phone banks for a 1st-time candidate for political office, eat a ripe mango... ❤️@rafaellopezart #Kweli19

KEVIN NOBLE MAILLARD, author of upcoming FRY BREAD, professor, journalist (incl NYTimes), on top of all that: he once caught 72 fish in two hours. 😳 (Little does he know, I can eat 72 fish worth of sushi in 2 hours so... NEW BEST FRIEND ALERT! 🚨) @noblemaillard #Kweli19

JUANA MARTINEZ-NEAL, author of one of the best picture books of the year: ALMA AND HOW SHE GOT HER NAME... soon to be followed by the sequel: ALMA AND HOW SHE GOT ALL THOSE FANCY AWARDS. 🏆🎖🏅 @juanamartinez #Kweli19

TANYA MCKINNON, Literary agent at McKinnon McIntyre, already reps a stable of NYT Bestsellers and is in the market for more... hint, hint: #DontThrowAwayYourShot #AreWeStillQuotingHamilton? #AndPeggy? #Kweli19

TONY MEDINA, whose I AM ALFONSO JONES was a graphic novel marvel (no pun intended, RIP Stan Lee) and was just the latest and greatest achievement in a distinguished career ❤️ @poetonymedina #Kweli19

MARTHA MIHALICK, Executive Editor at Greenwillow/HarperCollins... Little known fact: if you lined up all her award-winning books end-to-end the line would circle the earth 5.76 times. ✨🌏🌍🌎✨ @MarthaMihalick #Kweli19

SUSAN MUADDI DARRAJ, an Award-winning author who, having conquered the world of adult fiction, is (hooray!) taking her talents to younger readers with FARAH ROCKS, a chapter book series about a Palestinian-American girl. ❤️ @SusanDarraj #Kweli19

AN NA, acclaimed author whose book titles are also straight poetry: A STEP FROM HEAVEN, WAIT FOR ME, THE FOLD, THE PLACE BETWEEN BREATHS... her space on the shelf tells you you’re in the presence of a master wordsmith—and that’s all before you even crack a book open. ❤️ #Kweli19

EMILY X.R. PAN, NYTimes best-selling author of THE ASTONISHING COLOR OF AFTER, which will shatter your heart on the first page and then lovingly put it back together, leaving it somehow bigger and stronger than before. ✨💔❤️✨ @exrpan #Kweli19

KARYN PARSONS, acclaimed actress who has gone on to found and produce SWEET BLACKBERRY, an award-winning series of children’s animated films and is now the debut author of HOW HIGH IS THE MOON. 🌖❤️ @Karyn_Parsons #Kweli19

It was a miracle I was able to play it cool for one tweet, but now that that’s done:

OMG IT’S HILARY BANKS, EVERYONE!!!! THE HILARY BANKS!!! 😳🤩😎

(sorry, @Karyn_Parsons, I did the best I could 😬)

HILAAAARY BAAAAANKS!!!! #Kweli19

OLUGBEMISOLA RHUDAY-PERKOVICH, co-author of acclaimed TWO NAOMIS among others, is also editor of THE HERO NEXT DOOR the upcoming @diversebooks MG anthology. 👏🏽

Note: I can neither confirm nor deny rumors that “The Hero Next Door” was also @olugbemisola’s HS nickname 🤷🏻‍♂️ #Kweli19

REBECCA ROANHORSE, author of TRAIL OF LIGHTNING and RACE TO THE SUN (Rick Riordan Presents) just won a Nebula and a Hugo for her short story “Welcome to Your Authentic Indian Experience (TM).” 😳

So basically it’s @RoanhorseBex’s world & we’re all just living in it. #Kweli19 😎

JASMIN RUBERO, Associate Art Director, @KokilaBooks/Penguin. If I could wave a magic wand I‘d make myself a kickass book designer/art director. But I don’t have the wand (or the talent), so I’m glad awesome folk like Jasmin exist to create book beauty for us to enjoy. ❤️ #Kweli19

AIDA SALAZAR, author with THREE BOOKS coming out between now and Spring 2020. 😳😳😳 Founding member of @LasMusasBooks, which supports other Latinx authors and—WAIT, did I read that right? THREE BOOKS?? 👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽 @MimaWrites #Kweli19

VICTORIA SANDERS founder of Victoria Sanders & Associates, started her own literary agency in 1992 and now reps some of the most talented names on the literary scene. #badass ❤️ #Kweli19

ERIC SMITH, Lit Agent at P.S. Literary, author, and general ray of sunshine/power player.

One of the best peopl you’ll meet online, but then you meet him in person... and he’s somehow even better IRL. 😳 Frankly, it’s a bit disorienting, dude. #RealDeal #Kweli19

SYDNEY TILLMAN, Publicity Assistant/Random House. If ur still breaking into pub world you might not know, but Publicists are the heroes keeping the whole biz afloat. And Sydney is a already making waves among the wavemakers, so keep an eye on her. 💫😎 @melaninreader #Kweli19

NAMRATHA TRIPATHI, VP & Publisher at @KokilaBooks/Penguin. Kokila is taking the world by storm, assembling a dynamic team of publishing talent... and ready to wreak absolute havoc on your book budget. 😉💸❤️ #Kweli19 @Tweetpathi #kweli19

NEELA VASWANI author and winner of the American Book Award, the PEN/O.Henry Prize, a whole slew of author literary awards and... A GRAMMY??!! 😳🏆 if there is a literary version of the #EGOT, I think she’s already won it twice over. 👏🏽 #Kweli19

RENEE WATSON, best-selling, award-winning, soul-stirring author of so many books, including PIECING ME TOGETHER (CSK+Newbery Honor)... she is also the heart and soul (and brains and brawn) behind #LangstonsLegacy/@ITooArts. In short: SHE DOES THE WORK. 👏🏽 #Kweli19 @reneewauthor

RITA WILLIAMS GARCIA, acclaimed (understatement of the Year alert) author of CLAYTON GOES UNDERGROUND, ONE CRAZY SUMMER among others and recipient of ALL THE AWARDS. So many accolades, her bio should be carved in marble and displayed in a museum. 😎 #kweli19 @OneCrazyRita

LAKITA WILSON, author of BOOKS LIKE ME, recipient is 2017 SCBWI On the Verge Emerging Voices Award, she also promotes diverse kidlit from @thesweetpeagirls. So basically, she holds publishing’s future in the palm of her hands & we couldn’t be happier. 😎 @LakitaWrites #Kweli19

JACQUELINE WOODSON (National Ambassador) JACQUELINE WOODSON
(Astrid Lindgren Award) JACQUELINE WOODSON
(Children’s Lit Legacy Award) JACQUELINE WOODSON
(National Book Award)
JACQUELINE WOODSON
(CSK, NEWBERY, NAACP)
JACQUELINE WOODSON
(I’m out of space 😬)
@JackieWoodson #Kweli19

KARINA YAN GLASER, author of the instantly beloved VANDERBEEKERS series, Kidlit Guru at Book Riot, all-around shaker of worlds who has hung out with Amy Poehler because OF COURSE. 🤩😎 @KarinaYanGlaser #Kweli19

PHOEBE YEH, VP/co-publisher at Crown/Random House, in a fight her backlist would beat the c*@p out of anyone else’s backlist. 💪🏽 #Kweli19

MARIETTA ZACKER, worldclass Lit Agent at Gallt & Zacker, her client list is a Who’s Who of Kidlit Awesomess... and some of them will be at #Kweli19 so what are you waiting for?? REGISTER NOW. 😉 @AgentZacker

IBI ZOBOI, author of AMERICAN STREET, PRIDE, editor of BLACK ENOUGH: Stories of Being Young and Black in America, and about to come out with her first mg, MY LIFE AS AN ICE CREAM SANDWICH. A literary titan in our midst. @ibizoboi #Kweli19

And behind it all is the brilliant & indomitable LAURA PEGRAM, truly one of the best souls on this planet. She is the heart, soul, blood, brains, muscle, and sinew that makes @kwelijournal a thriving community.

Much love and gratitude, friend. 🙏🏽❤️ #Kweli19

WE MADE IT! I wasn’t kidding, right? The #Kweli19 line-up is NO JOKE.

NOW that you’ve seen what you’d be missing... What are you waiting for?? GO REGISTER! EARLY BIRD REGISTRATION ENDS TODAY! 🚨

See you in April! 😉 @kwelijournal

kwelijournal.org/the-color-of-c…