GUEST SPEAKERS
2024 Keynote Speaker
Lesléa Newman
2024 Keynote SpeakerLesléa Newman has created 86 books for readers of all ages including the YA novel-in-verse, October Mourning: A Song for Matthew Shepard, the illustrated poetic biography, Always Matt: A Tribute to Matthew Shepard, the middle-grade novel Hachiko Waits, and the picture books Joyful Song: A Naming Story, Ketzel, the Cat Who Composed, Welcoming Elijah: A Passover Tale with a Tail, The Babka Sisters, Sparkle Boy, and Heather Has Two Mommies. Her literary awards include two National Jewish Book Awards, two ALA Stonewall Honors, the Sydney Taylor Body-of-Work Award, the Massachusetts Book Award, the Dog Writers Association of America Maxwell Medallion, and the Cat Writers Association Muse Medallion. From 2008 - 2010, she served as the poet laureate of Northampton, MA. Currently she teaches at the Naslund-Mann School Graduate School of Writing.
Visit Lesléa2024 Success Story Speaker
Each year a formerly unpublished conference attendee, who has gone on to publish in the field of children's literature, shares his or her experience with aspiring authors and illustrators.
Meg Wiviott
2024 Success Story SpeakerMeg’s YA novel in verse, Paper Hearts, is based on a true story of a group of young women who were prisoners in Auschwitz. Paper Hearts received a 2016 Christopher Award, a Bank Street College’s Best Children’s Books of the Year, BFYA pick by YALSA, Amelia Bloomer List, Cybils Poetry Finalist, and Nerdy Poetry and Novel in Verse winner. Her picture book Benno and the Night of Broken Glass, which tells the story of Kristallnacht through the eyes of a cat, was selected as one of SLJ’s Best Picture Books of 2010, CCBC’s Best Choice List, Moonbeam Children's Book Awards for Multi-cultural Picture Book, and the Gelett Burgess Children's Book Award for Multicultural Picture Book. Meg is a former RUCCL mentee, an unapologetic history nerd, a knitter (former needlepointer and weaver) and an alumna of the Vermont College of Fine Arts .
Visit MegPrevious Keynote Speakers
- 2023: Phoebe Yeh
- 2022: Rita Williams-Garcia
- 2021: Padma Venkatraman
- 2020: Varian Johnson
- 2019: Wendy Mass
- 2018: Jane Yolen
- 2018: Heidi E.Y. Stemple
- 2017: Pat Cummings
- 2016: Ellen Oh
- 2015: James Ransome
- 2014: Nancy Werlin
- 2013: Susan Campbell Bartoletti
- 2012: Bruce Coville
- 2011: Jon Scieszka
- 2010: Deborah Heiligman
- 2009: Judy Freeman
- 2008: K.L. Going
- 2007: Ann M. Martin
- 2006: Laurie Halse Anderson
- 2005: Richard Peck
- 2004: Joan Bauer
- 2003: Han Nolan
- 2002: Gail Carson Levine
- 2001: Donna Jo Napoli
Previous Success Story Speakers
- 2023: Colleen Rowan Kosinski
- 2022: Jeanne Zulick Ferruolo
- 2021: Mike Ciccotello
- 2020: Sayantani DasGupta
- 2019: Jenna Gavigan
- 2018: Jean Reagan
- 2018: Lora Koehler
- 2017: Kate Dopirak
- 2016: Sheela Chari
- 2015: Sudipta Bardhan-Quallen
- 2014: Jennifer Salvato Doktorski
- 2013: Josanne La Valley
- 2012: Tara Lazar
- 2011: Olugbemisola Rhuday-Perkovich
- 2010: Eric Luper
- 2009: Karen Rostoker-Gruber
- 2008: Kay Winters
- 2007: Paul Acampora
- 2006: Denise Lang
- 2005: Coleen Paratore
- 2004: Pamela Curtis Swallow
- 2003: Dianne Ochiltree
- 2002: Susan Campbell Bartoletti
- 2001: Pat Brisson
- 2000: Laurie Halse Anderson
- 1999: Gail Carson Levine