Excellence in Children's Literature: The Ohio State University Newbery Award Symposium
This symposium will highlight five celebrated Black authors, who have won the prestigious John Newbery Award, widely considered the top prize for children’s literature in the United States. First given in 1922, the Newbery Award is sponsored by the Association for Library Service to Children of the American Library Association and is presented annually to authors who make the most distinguished contribution to children's literature. This daylong symposium will include three keynotes by authors, a panel discussion with all five authors moderated by Professor Jonda C. McNair, breakout sessions and autographing sessions. The children’s literature program in the College of Education and Human Ecology, the first of its kind in the United States to offer master’s and doctoral degrees, is considered one of the strongest in the nation, largely due to the work of Charlotte S. Huck. With the strong tradition of African American children’s literature in the college, due to the scholarship of Rudine Sims Bishop, The Ohio State University is well suited to host this groundbreaking event that celebrates Black excellence in writing for youth.
When: Friday, Nov. 15, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Where: Ohio Union, The Ohio State University
Cost: $240 general admission, $125 for students
A certificate for 7 contact hours earned is available. Speak with your LPDC concerning using these hours towards CEUs.
Considering using Professional Development dollars to pay for this event? Use this information for the application.
View nearby hotels if you need a place to stay.
Registration is now closed
Attendees will benefit because they will:
- Hear 5 Newbery award-winning authors in person
- Get to know award winning picture books, middle-grade and young adult novels
- Hear from writers of both fiction and nonfiction
- Hear stories from authors that you can take back to your students and patrons
- Learn about author’s upcoming books
- Explore books by these authors
- Network with other educators, librarians, and others who are passionate about children’s literature
- Learn from an editor of a Newbery Medal winner
You are invited to enter the giveaway for a chance to win a copy of one book by the authors of this event. At least one winner will be selected each week.
Sept. 9 - 22 book giveaway open to those who have registered for the event
Sept. 23 - Oct. 30 book giveaway open to all
Professor McNair will mail books to the winners. Winners of the giveaway will be randomly selected. If you have questions about entering, contact Professor McNair.
Breakout Sessions
An Interactive Q&A with Kwame Alexander
This will be an informal session where attendees can interact with Kwame Alexander and ask him questions about his Newbery books as well as his career as a writer.
The Road to Freewater: The Unexpected Journey of an Aspiring Author
A discussion with editor Alexandra Hightower and author Amina Luqman-Dawson on the journey from story crafting to publication and critical acclaim. They will share tips for navigating setbacks and ways to find support and champions—all while being present and enjoying the ride. This presentation is appropriate for aspiring authors, teachers, librarians, and anyone seeking inspiration on following your dreams.
Deconstructing Crown: An Ode to the Fresh Cut
Since 1922, there have been 103 books chosen as Newbery Medal winners, and several hundred selected as Newbery Honors. It is a privilege to have a book forever listed amongst such classic titles as M.C. Higgins, the Great, Hatchet, Maniac Magee, Holes, One Crazy Summer and After Tupac and D Foster. The question is, how did this ode, this declaration of Black self-love, join that illustrious group? Derrick will discuss the personal, musical, and poetic influences that allowed him to zone out and meticulously curate every word, for every line in the book that changed his life forever.
Unpacking BOX: Henry Brown Mails Himself to Freedom
Author Carole Boston Weatherford discusses the backstory behind BOX: Henry Brown Mails Himself to Freedom. The poetic biography chronicles one of the most amazing escapes of the enslavement era. Hear what drew her to Brown's story and why she decided to structure the narrative in sixains. She will also share suggestions about how to use the book in classrooms.
For: Intermediate and middle-grade educators, ELA and social studies teachers, anti-racism advocates
Speakers
Photo Credit: Rowan Daly
Kwame Alexander is a poet, educator, producer, and #1 New York Times bestselling author of 40 books including The Crossover (a 2015 Newbery Medal winner and 2015 Charlotte Huck Award Honor title) and The Undefeated (a 2020 Newbery Honor title and 2020 Caldecott Medal-winning picturebook illustrated by Kadir Nelson). Kwame is the executive producer, showrunner, and Emmy-winning writer of The Crossover TV series, based on his Newbery-Medal winning novel of the same name, which premiered on Disney+ in April 2023. The series was produced in partnership with LeBron James’s SpringHill Company and Big Sea Entertainment, Kwame's production company that is dedicated to creating innovative, highly original children’s and family entertainment. Kwame’s mission is to change the world, one word at a time.
Derrick Barnes is the author of the critically acclaimed picturebook Crown: An Ode to the Fresh Cut (a 2018 Newbery Honor and 2018 Coretta Scott King Author Honor title). He is also a coauthor of Stand. Victory! Raising My Fist for Justice, a 2023 Coretta Scott Author Honor title and a finalist for the 2022 National Book Awards. Several of his books, including The King of Kindergarten and The Queen of Kindergarten, are New York Times bestsellers. He is a graduate of Jackson State University and was the first African American male creative copywriter hired by Hallmark Cards. Derrick is a native of Kansas City, Missouri, and currently resides in Charlotte, North Carolina, with his wife and four sons.
Alexandra Hightower is Senior Editor at Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, a division of Hachette Book Group. She edited Freewater, the 2023 Newbery Medal winner by Amina Luqman-Dawson, and became the first African American to edit a Newbery Medal winner. Alexandra has a bachelor’s degree in neuroscience from John Hopkins University and a master’s degree in publishing and digital media from New York University. She was a 2021 PW Star Watch Honoree, an annual program sponsored by Publishers Weekly dedicated to recognizing and honoring rising talent in the publishing and bookselling businesses. Alexandra is a cofounder of Inkluded, a nonprofit that champions diversity in publishing.
Amina Luqman-Dawson loves using writing to tell stories and to build an understanding of race, culture, and community. Freewater, her debut novel, is a New York Times bestseller and has received critical acclaim, including the 2023 John Newbery Medal and the 2023 Coretta School King Author Award. Her other published writings include op-eds in newspapers, magazine articles, travel writing, and book reviews. She has a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Vassar College and a Master of Public Policy from UC-Berkeley. Amina is the proud mother of a 14-year-old son. She, her husband, and son reside in Arlington, Virginia.
Photo Credit: Adedayo “Dayo” Kosoko
Jason Reynolds is a #1 New York Times bestselling author and National Book Award finalist who writes novels and poetry for middle-grade and young adult audiences. Born in Washington, D.C., and raised in Maryland, Reynolds first found inspiration in rap and began writing poetry when he was nine years old. He went on to publish several poetry collections before publishing his first novel, When I Was the Greatest, which won the 2015 Coretta Scott King/John Steptoe Award for New Talent. He has since written numerous award-winning books, including The Boy in the Black Suit, a 2016 Coretta Scott King Author Honor title and Long Way Down a novel in verse which was named a 2018 Newbery Honor book, a 2018 Printz Honor Book and a 2018 Coretta Scott King Author Honor book. Reynolds currently lives and writes in Washington, D.C., and recently finished serving his third term as the National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature.
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. She has authored 70-plus books that have garnered multiple awards including a 2021 Newbery Honor for Box: Henry Brown Mails Himself to Freedom, a 2016 Robert F. Sibert Informational Honor Award for Voice of Freedom: Fannie Lou Hamer, Spirit of the Civil Rights Movement, a 2022 Coretta Scott King Author Award for Unspeakable: The Tulsa Race Massacre, and 4 Caldecott Honors. Her career achievements have been recognized with the North Carolina Award for Literature and the Children’s Book Guild Nonfiction Award for a significant contribution to nonfiction for children. Carole writes for children and young adults. Some of her topics are diverse, anti-racist nonfiction, biographies, poetry, historical fiction on African American heritage, culture and social justice.
The College of Education and Human Ecology at The Ohio State University presents Excellence in Children's Literature: The Ohio State University Newbery Award Symposium
November 15, 2024
A day of professional development in the area of literacy that showcases the literary work of authors and use of pedagogies that impact the growth of learners.
Symposium Instructor(s): Jonda C. McNair, Ph.D.
Ohio Standards for the Teaching Profession that this symposium addresses:
- Standard 1: Teachers understand student learning and development and respect the diversity of the students they teach.
- Standard 2: Teachers know and understand the content area for which they have instructional responsibility.
- Standard 4: Teachers plan and deliver effective instruction that advances the learning of each individual student.
Contact Hours: 7