KEYNOTE SPEAKERS

New York Times Best Illustrated Children’s Book of the Year Author; Children's Book Illustrator; Non-Fiction Author

Bestselling & Newberry Honor Author; Known for "Echo," "Esperanza Rising" & "Becoming Naomi León"

NAACP Image Award Nominee. Author of "The True Definition of Neva Beane"

NYT Bestselling Award-Winning Author; Associate Professor of Creative Writing at UNC Wilmington; Former Pediatrician

Filmmaker, Founder and Artistic Director of El Teatro Campesino & National Endowment for the Arts Council Member

Writer & Activist Amplifying Muslim American and Immigrant Narratives; Author of "America Made Me A Black Man,"

Educational Equity Proponent & Dean of the USC Rossier School of Education

Bilingual & ESL Educator; Storyteller & Author

Social Media Futurist, High Tech Influencer & Expert in Virtual Reality & Extended Reality; Children's Book Author

Children's Book Author & Illustrator

YA Novelist; Known for Author of "Deepfake," "Backlash," "Some Kind of Hate"

Children's Book Author; Known for "Braced," "Focused," and "Taking Up Space"

Children's Book Author & Illustrator

Award-Winning Christian Cowboy Rancher & Author; Best Known for his Classic Children’s Series, "Hank the Cowdog"

Children's Books Author & Illustrator Known for "If You Give a Mouse a Cookie"

Award-Winning Early Childhood Education Expert; Author, Illustrator & Consultant; LGBTQ+ Advocate

Child Psychologist & Children's Author; Associate Director of the Child Trauma Research Program at the University of California, San Francisco; Director of Dissemination and Implementation for Child-Parent Psychotherapy (CPP)

Children's Book Author

Former Highest-Ranking Mexican-American Woman in the Combat Support Field of the U.S. Army; Lt. Col. (Ret.); Youth Empowerment & Leadership Development Speaker

Children's Author, Professor of English, Multicultural Literature Expert