Calling all librarians, teachers, aspiring writers and lovers of young people’s books. You’ll want to register now for Excellence in Children’s Literature: The Ohio State University Newbery Award Symposium on Friday, Nov. 15.
The event will feature these five authors:
- Kwame Alexander
- Derrick Barnes
- Amina Luqman-Dawson
- Jason Reynolds
- Carole Boston Weatherford
You are invited to enter the giveaway for a chance to win a copy of one book by these authors. At least one winner will be selected each week.
Sept. 9 - 22 giveaway open to those who have registered for the event
Sept. 23 - Oct. 30 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.
The story of the symposium’s creation is steeped in the tradition and history of the college’s highly respected children’s literature program created by legendary professor Charlotte S. Huck.
Jonda C. McNair, a PhD alum of the college, returned to become the Charlotte S. Huck Professor of Children’s Literature in 2020. At the time, she was chairing the 2021 John Newbery Award Selection Committee.
Dean Don Pope-Davis recognized the vast experience McNair brought, including chairing the Coretta Scott King Book Awards Committee and being a member of the 2019 Randolph Caldecott Award Selection Committee. So, he invited her to create the symposium.
“The Newbery was the first children’s book award in the world, created in 1921, so the Association for Library Service to Children, a division of the American Library Association, was about to celebrate its centennial,” McNair said. “Hundreds of books have won Newbery awards since then, so I had to have a focused theme.”
The medal is “A badge of distinction,” said the American Libraries writer, it “labels books as pieces of distinguished literature meant to entertain, motivate, educate, and engage children.”
McNair’s advisor during her PhD was Professor Emerita Rudine Sims Bishop, who was famously known for championing the need for all children, particularly those of color, to see themselves in the books they read. “I thought of it as a way to honor her work in African American children’s literature,” McNair said, “which is also a passion of mine.”
What to expect at the symposium
At the all-day event, you will be able to hear three keynote speeches — one during the included luncheon — and a panel discussion with all five, and have a chance to ask questions of and interact with authors during two rounds of breakout sessions. Two book signings will be offered throughout the day, where you can have your books autographed by the authors. Barnes and Noble will offer books for sale. Artwork and writing created by students from Columbus City Schools in response to the authors’ Newbery winners will also be on display.
The event will give you behind-the-scenes insights into how the authors get their ideas, their writing process and their creative inspirations.
Educators and librarians can share such information with their students and patrons to inspire their love of reading and writing. The talks and discussions can offer deeper understanding of the content, all of which will lead to an enriching day.
Read more and register for the symposium
Who are the authors, how were they chosen
McNair chose the five symposium authors for the quality of their work and their ability to inspire readers, writers and all who teach and share literature.
“Carole Boston Weatherford won a Newbery Honor in 2021, and (as chair of the committee), I had the opportunity to call her and let her know she had won. I have been a devoted follower of Carole’s work for many years. So, for this reason and because I was chair when Box was honored, I chose her.”
Weatherford, a New York Times bestseller, has authored 70-plus books that have garnered multiple awards. Her Newbery Honor Book, Box: Henry Brown Mails Himself to Freedom, is an illustrated book for children for children in middle and high school grades.
At the symposium, Weatherford will offer a breakout session discussing what drew her to this true story of one of the most amazing escapes of the enslavement era.
Hear how she structured the book and why she decided to write the narrative in poetic sixains. She will also share suggestions about how to use the book in classrooms.
McNair said she chose Derrick Barnes “because I think the writing in Crown: An Ode to the Fresh Cut is magnificent — and I have very high standards. The book is richly layered with meaning and touches on a variety of themes, such as identity, hair, the value of the barbershop in communities, self-love and Black boy joy and confidence.”
Barnes’ 2018 Newbery Honor Book is a picturebook and has also won the 2018 Coretta Scott King Author Honor. He will offer a breakout session titled “Deconstructing Crown: An Ode to the Fresh Cut.”
During the session, he will discuss the personal, musical and poetic influences that allowed him to meticulously curate every word, for every line in the book.
McNair chose Kwame Alexander for the symposium because “a remarkable aspect about his career is that some people think he was an overnight success. But it was maybe 20 years or more that he struggled to make a living as a writer. When he won the Newbery Medal in 2015, it changed his career,” she said.
“Now he’s executive producer of “The Crossover” TV series, and he’s won an Emmy. This award can literally make an author famous instantly.”
Alexander will deliver a keynote address, including discussing Crossover, which is a free verse novel about basketball and the game of life, written for middle-grade readers.
McNair chose author Amina Luqman-Dawson because she won the 2023 Newbery Medal for her first book. “It's really unusual for somebody to win the Newbery Medal as a debut author,” McNair said. “She’s also the first woman to win both the Coretta Scott King Book Award and the Newbery Medal for the same book.”
A New York Times Bestseller, Freewater is a middle-grade novel based on actual communities of escaped slaves who lived in the swamps of southeastern Virginia and northeastern North Carolina during the era of enslavement.
Luqman-Dawson will present a keynote talk titled “Freewater Unbound: The Power of Art in Telling History.”
She will also offer a breakout session with her editor, Alexandra Hightower, from Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, a division of Hachette Book Group. In “The Road to Freewater: The Unexpected Journey of an Aspiring Author,” they will share tips for writers to navigate setbacks and ways to find support and champions.
The session will be valuable to many audiences. “Just because you win a Newbery Award doesn't mean you didn't have to work hard as a writer, that you didn't have to do an enormous amount of revising,” McNair said. “Teachers can share about the behind-the-scenes process with their students. An author has to take criticism from other people. But it’s all worth it, because you're crafting a book that you hope will be worth reading.”
“Jason Reynolds is a rising star,” McNair said, which is why she chose him for the symposium. “He’s been on ‘The View,’ ‘Good Morning America,’ and he’s a mesmerizing speaker.”
Reynolds’ 2018 Newbery Honor title, Long Way Down, was also named a 2018 Michael L. Printz Honor Book and a 2018 Coretta Scott King Author Honor Book. It is a novel written in verse for middle-grade and young adult readers.
The book, McNair said, takes place in the span of a few minutes, the time it takes for a boy to ride an elevator down seven floors. In those minutes, he has to make an important decision. “The last sentence is one of the best ending lines ever,” McNair said. You must read it to feel the full impact.
The 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. symposium at the Ohio Union includes a light breakfast, lunch and is expected to fill up quickly as the date approaches.
For teachers, seven continuing-education-unit contact hours are available.