Picture Book Summit: Finding Your Voice

2020 Superstar Speakers

Sophie Blackall

Our Writing Voice is Also Our Singing Happy Birthday Voice, Our Berating Teenagers Voice, Our Hollering at Ducks Voice, and That’s Not a Bad Thing.

How do we find the quiet we need to hear our own voice and make a good book?

Accompany two-time Caldecott medalist Sophie Blackall over the arc of a day and the arc of a picture book, with all the background noise of studio mates and school visits, deadlines and demanding ducks, as she argues that a surprisingly clear author and/or illustrator voice can emerge from our cacophonies.

Lesa Cline-Ransome

Speak Their Truth: Conveying the Voice of Picture Book Biography Subjects

When writing picture book biographies, how do you balance the authentic voice of your subject with your authorial voice? How much artistic license is acceptable when writing about a person from the past, and how can sources help capture the voice?

Renowned picture book author Lesa Cline-Ransome will answer these questions and more. Lesa has received NAACP Awards, Kirkus Best Books and Coretta Scott King awards for her books including Finding Langston, Before She Was Harriet, Game Changers: The Story of Venus and Serena, and Overground Railroad.

Peter H. Reynolds

The World Needs YOUR Voice: The Five Encouragements to Create YOUR Picture Book

NY Times Best Selling Author/Illustrator Peter H. Reynolds, creator of THE DOT, ISH, THE WORD COLLECTOR, SAY SOMETHING, and BE YOU will encourage you to find your own, unique, creative voice - and then be brave enough to share it with the world.  Don't just create another picture book, create YOUR picture book. The book that is so YOU that the world will truly know you better by experiencing it. Dream Boldly, Create Bravely, Be You!  

2020 In-Depth Workshops

Betsy Bird

Performance on the Page: Constructing the Perfect Picture Book Read-Aloud

Join author and librarian Betsy Bird for an in-depth examination of what separates the good picture book read-alouds from the great picture book read-alouds. Librarians have always known that picture books can often break down into two groups: one-on-one titles and read-aloud titles. One-on-ones are great for getting snuggly at bedtime, but if you want to engage a large crowd of kids, you need a text that pops in an entirely different way. Betsy breaks down some of the most successful readalouds, from classics to lesser known titles to brand new 2020 books.  

Adriana Domínguez

It's Not a Trend: #OwnVoices as a Publishing Imperative

Agent Adriana Domínguez will discuss the importance of stories from people whose voices have long been suppressed, and that representation is not just about who appears in books, but from whose perspectives the stories are told. The session will cover what #ownvoices is (and isn't), what progress has been made to increase diversity in children's publishing, and the work that is yet to be done.