LBYR at the National Conference of African American Librarians

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Jason Reynolds is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of many books, including When I Was the Greatest, Boy in the Black Suit, All American Boys (cowritten with Brendan Kiely), As Brave as You, For Every One, the Track series (Ghost, Patina, Sunny, and Lu), Long Way Down, and Look Both Ways. He is a two-time National Book Award finalist; the recipient of a Newbery Honor, a Printz Honor, and multiple Coretta Scott King Honors; and the winner of a Kirkus Prize, two Walter Dean Myers Awards, and an NAACP Image Award, among other honors. He lives in Washington, D.C and invites you to visit him online at JasonWritesBooks.com.

Dr. Ibram X. Kendi is a #1 New York Times bestselling author, the Andrew W. Mellon Professor in the Humanities at Boston University, and the director of the BU Center for Antiracist Research. He is the author of many books, including How to Raise an Antiracist; How to Be a (Young) Antiracist, co-authored with Nic Stone; Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You, co-authored with Jason Reynolds; and Zora Neale Hurston’s Barracoon, adapted for young readers. He invites you to visit him online at ibramxkendi.com. 

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Ibram Kendi is a National Book Award-winning author of sixteen books for adults and children including the New York Times bestseller, How to Be an Anti-Racist. Kendi is the Andrew W. Mellon Professor in the Humanities at Boston University, and the director of the BU Center for Antiracist Research. He is a contributing writer at The Atlantic and a CBS News racial justice contributor. He lives in Boston, MA. 

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Dr. Sonja Cherry-Paul is the founder of Red Clay Educators, co-director of the Institute for Racial Equity in Literacy,  co-director of the Teach Black History All Year Institute, and executive producer and host of The Black Creators Series. She is a former middle school English teacher and has written several books for educators to support reading and writing instruction including Antiracist Reading Revolution: A Framework for Teaching Beyond Representation Toward Liberation. Sonja leads professional development for schools and organizations in equity and antiracism. She invites you to visit her online at sonjacherrypaul.com.

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George M. Johnson is an award winning Black nonbinary writer, author, and activist based in the New York City area and the author of memoirs We Are Not Broken and New York Times bestseller All Boys Aren’t Blue. They have written on race, gender, sex, and culture for Essence, the Advocate, BuzzFeed News, Teen Vogue, and more than forty other national publications. They invite you to visit them online at iamgmjohnson.com and on Twitter @IamGMJohnson. 

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Sharee Miller is the author and illustrator of the picture books Princess Hair, Don’t Touch My Hair!, and Michelle’s Garden. She is also the award-winning creator of the Curlfriends graphic novel series and the illustrator of the Shai and Emmie series written by Quvenzhané Wallis and Nancy Ohlin as well as Sam’s Super Seats by Keah Brown. She lives in Jersey City with her spouse, son, and two cats, Pumpkin and Spice.

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Dr. Jewell Parker Rhodes is the New York Times bestselling author of several books for youth, including Ghost Boys; Black Brother, Black Brother; Paradise on Fire; and Treasure Island: Runaway Gold. She is the recipient of many distinguished awards and honors, including the Coretta Scott King Author Honor, the Green Earth Book Award, an NAACP Image Award nomination, the Jane Addams Children’s Book Award, and the Octavia E. Butler Award. Rhodes is the Founding Artistic Director of the Virginia G. Piper Center for Creative Writing and Virginia G. Piper Endowed Chair at Arizona State University. She invites you to connect with her at jewellparkerrhodes.com.

Setor Fiadzigbey was born and raised in Accra, Ghana. As a child, he had an active imagination— often playing out stories visually in his mind. He is blessed to do this even more as an adult, helping to craft memorable stories as an artist and illustrator. He has had the privilege of working on some notable titles such as Marvel’s Black Panther Legends comic series, and the New York Times bestselling children’s book Bunheads by Misty Copeland. He has also done work in visual development for animation. He lives in Ghana with his family.

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Dwayne Reed is America’s favorite rapping teacher from Chicago and the author of the picture book All Good in the Hood and the Simon B. Rhymin’ middle-grade series. He is known for his viral music videos and hit songs, “Welcome to the 4th Grade” and “Welcome to Kindergarten.” When he’s not writing, rapping, or teaching, Dwayne can be found presenting at educator conferences across the US, or loving on his beautiful wife, Simoné, and their children. He invites you to follow him on Instagram @TeachMrReed.
 
Shamar Knight-Justice is an illustrator and educator based in Atlanta. He is most content eating pancakes, seeing kids explore their imaginations, and going on long walks with his wife and dog. Shamar invites you to visit him online at shamarknightjustice.com.
 

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Leslie C. Youngblood received an MFA from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. A former assistant professor of creative writing at Lincoln University in Jefferson City, she has lectured at Mississippi State University, UNC-Greensboro, and the University of Ghana at Legon. She’s been awarded a host of writing honors, including a 2014 Yaddo’s Elizabeth Ames Residency, the Lorian Hemingway Short Story Prize, a Hurston Wright Fellowship, and the Room of Her Own Foundation’s 2009 Orlando Short Story Prize. In 2010 she won the Go On Girl! Book Club Aspiring Writer Award. Born in Bogalusa, Louisiana, and raised in Rochester, she’s fortunate to have a family of natural storytellers and a circle of supportive family and friends. Love Like Sky was her first novel.

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Natasha Anastasia Tarpley started writing when she was seven years old, and from that young age she understood that stories could change the world. She is the author of the bestselling picture book I Love My Hair!, Bippity Bop Barbershop, and The Me I Choose to Be, among other titles. Natasha is the recipient of a National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship and is the cofounder of Voonderbar! Media, a project seeking to expand the depictions of children of color in media. This is the fourth book in her Keyana series, which includes KEYANA LOVES HER FAMILY, KEYANA LOVES HER FRIEND, and KEYANA LOVES SCHOOL. She lives with her family in Chicago, Illinois.

Charnelle Pinkney Barlow was born and raised in Poughkeepsie, New York. She received her BFA in Illustration from the University of the Arts in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and her MFA in Illustration as Visual Essay from the School of Visual Arts in New York City. Creating images and stories that speak to the hearts of children and those that guide them is her greatest joy. Charnelle currently lives in Indianapolis, Indiana with her husband. In addition to the Keyana series, she is also the illustrator of Remember to Dream, Ebere; The Real Santa; Just Like Mama; and many other titles.

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Grammy, Emmy, and Tony Award-winning multi-hyphenate Cynthia Erivo is an Academy Award, Golden Globe, and SAG nominated actress, producer and singer as well as a Grammy nominated songwriter, who burst onto West End and Broadway stages in The Color Purple. This summer, Erivo released her debut album, Chapter I, Verse I, with Verve/Universal Music Group. Erivo recently starred in National Geographic’s Genius: Aretha and HBO’s The Outsider.

In 2019, Erivo brought the legacy of Harriet Tubman to the big screen in Harriet, garnering unanimous critical acclaim. Upcoming, Erivo will star in the Universal film Talent Show, produce and star in a film based on the life of Sarah Forbes Bonetta, and continue to create through her production company, Edith’s Daughter.

Charnelle Pinkney Barlow was born and raised in Poughkeepsie, New York. Growing up, she was surrounded by art daily. Her passion for illustration grew after being introduced to the wonderful world of watercolor. She received her BFA in Illustration from the University of the Arts in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and her MFA in Illustration as Visual Essay from the School of Visual Arts in New York City. Creating images and stories that speak to the hearts of children and those that guide them is her greatest joy. Charnelle currently lives in Indianapolis, Indiana.

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Karyn Parsons is best known for her role as Will Smith’s cousin Hilary Banks on NBC’s The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. After leaving acting behind, Karyn has gone on to found and produce Sweet Blackberry, an award-winning series of children’s animated films, to share stories about unsung Black heroes in history, featuring narration from stars such as Alfre Woodard, Queen Latifah, and Chris Rock. The videos have been screened on HBO and Netflix, and enjoyed by schools and libraries across the country. She is the author of Clouds over California and How High the Moon. Karyn lives in Providence, Rhode Island, with her family.

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Meena Harris was born into a family of ambitious women whose legacy continues to inspire her. She is a lawyer, a CEO, and the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Ambitious Girl, A Is for Ambitious, The Truth About Mrs. Claus, and Kamala and Maya’s Big Idea. In 2017 she founded Phenomenal Media, a values-driven, 360-degree media company that centers women and historically excluded communities. She currently resides in the Bay Area with her husband and two daughters.

Marissa Valdez is the illustrator of the #1 New York Times bestseller Ambitious Girl, A Is for Ambitious, and the Hattie Harmony books by Elizabeth Olsen and Robbie Arnett. She hopes that her work encourages young girls to be ambitious and to dream big. She has a BFA in animation from the Massachusetts College of Art and Design and has worked as a preschool teacher, graphic designer, and freelance illustrator. She invites you to visit her online at marissavaldez.com.

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Brandy Colbert is the critically acclaimed author of the novels The Voting Booth, The Revolution of Birdie Randolph, Pointe, Finding Yvonne, and Stonewall Award winner Little & Lion. Born and raised in Springfield, Missouri, she now lives and writes in Los Angeles.

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Oge Mora es la creadora de ¡Gracias, Omu!, recibió una Mención de Honor del Premio Caldecott, fue ganadora del Premio Coretta Scott King-John Steptoe para Nuevos Talentos y también recibió el Premio al Libro Ezra Jack Keats. Su segundo libro, Saturday, ganó el Premio al Libro Infantil Boston Globe-Horn Book en 2020. También ha ilustrado varios libros infantiles, entre ellos I’m From de Gary R. Gray Jr., Everybody in the Red Brick Building de Anne Wynter y The Oldest Student de Rita Lorraine Hubbard. Oge vive en Providence, Rhode Island, y te invita a visitar su página web: ogemora.com.

Oge Mora graduated from the Rhode Island School of Design with a BFA in illustration. When not painting in her studio, Oge is in the kitchen cooking her late grandmother’s recipes. Her first picture book, Thank You, Omu!, was a Caldecott Honor, a New York Times Notable Book and Editors’ Choice, and a Junior Library Guild selection. She lives in Providence, Rhode Island, and invites you to visit her website at http://www.ogemora.com.

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Andrea Davis Pinkney is the New York Times bestselling and award-winning author of nearly 50 books for children and young adults, including The Red Pencil and Bird in a Box. She has also produced several collaborations with her husband two-time Caldecott Honor-winning artist Brian Pinkney, including Sit -In, Martin & Mahalia, and Hand in Hand, winner of the Coretta Scott King Author Award. Ms. Pinkney has been recognized by Children’s Health magazine as one of the “25 Most Influential People in our Children’s Lives,” and has been inducted into the New York State Writers Hall of Fame. She lives in Brooklyn, NY.

Daniel Minter has illustrated over a dozen children’s books, including Going Down Home with Daddy which won a 2020 Caldecott Honor and Ellen’s Broom which won a Coretta Scott King Illustration Honor. He is known for his work in the mediums of painting and assemblage. He lives in Portland, Maine.

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Sharon G. Flake has an international reputation as a top author for children and young adults. Her breakout novel, The Skin I’m In, established her as a must-read author among middle and high school students, parents, and educators. She has spoken to more than two hundred thousand young people, and hugged nearly as many. Flake has penned nine novels, numerous short stories, plays, and a picture book entitled You Are Not a Cat.

Her work has received numerous awards, such as the Coretta Scott King Honor award and the YWCA Racial Justice Award, and her books have been named to many prestigious lists, including Kirkus Review’s Top Ten Books of the Year, Best Books for Young Adults by the American Library Association, Top Ten Books for the Teen Age by the New York Public Library, Top Twenty Recommended Books to Read by the Texas Library Association, 100 Books Every Teenage Girl Should Read, and Booklist Editor’s Choice, among others. She lives in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. For more information, go to sharonflake.com, or follow her on Twitter @sharonflake.

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