T204.

Writing to Center & Empower Children Outside the Mainstream

123, Pennsylvania Convention Center, 100 Level
Thursday, March 24, 2022
1:45 pm to 3:00 pm

 

Childrens’ authors have the privilege and responsibility to tell stories that matter. These panelists write stories that share the lived experiences of children and teens outside the mainstream, narratives that transcend marginalizations—not by erasing them, but by embracing them. In centering outsiders, these authors honor the craft of story and the art of humanity. This panel highlights the motivations, challenges, craft, and artistry that contribute to the creation and success of their books.



Outline & Supplemental Documents

Event Outline: Workshop_Outline:_Writing_to_Center_and_Empower_Children_Outside_the_Mainstream.pdf
Supplemental Document 1: Recommendations__Childrens_Books_that_Empower_and_Center-2.pdf
Supplemental Document 2: Panelist_Bios_AWP_Writing_to_Center_and_Empower_Children_Outside_the_Mainstream.pdf

Participants

Moderator:

Alison Green Myers is a writer, poet, and teacher. She is the program director for the Highlights Foundation. She is a National Writing Fellow and author of stories for children. Her debut middle-grade book, A Bird Will Soar, was recently released.

Katey Howes is the author of Rissy No Kissies, "an artistic gem for consent discussions, sensory-processing contexts, and anyone who champions children’s agency and bodily autonomy" (Kirkus). Katey's previous books received ILA's Social Justice Literacy Award and an Anna Dewdney Read Together Honor.

Jamilah Thompkins-Bigelow is a Philadelphia-based educator and award-winning children’s book author. Her picture books and middle-grade fiction center young Black Muslim protagonists and have been recognized as the best in children’s literature by Time Magazine, Read Across America, and NPR.

Alexandra Villasante's debut, The Grief Keeper, was an Indie Next, Indies Introduce, Junior Library Guild Selection, and winner of the 2020 Lambda Literary Award for LGBTQ YA Fiction. Her short stories will appear in the upcoming YA anthologies Our Shadows Have Claws and All Signs Point to Yes.

Meera Trehan’s novel, The View from the Very Best House in Town, releases in February 2022. Her work has been published in magazines, and she is actively involved with the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators and the Writer’s Center. Before turning to creative writing, she practiced public interest law, focusing on civil rights.

#AWP24

February 7–10, 2024
Kansas City, Missouri

Kansas City Convention Center