Call for session proposals-- Kidlitcon 2014: Blogging Diversity in Young Adult and Children’s Lit: What’s Next?

Last March, Walter Dean Myers asked "Where are the People of Color in Children's Books?"  and the spring was filled with passionate conversations sparked by his words.   The sad news just went out that Walter Dean Myers left us yesterday, and the loss is huge.

Today, just before the news broke, the call for session proposals for this year's Kidlitcon was posted.  The theme this year--Blogging Diversity in Young Adult and Children’s Lit: What’s Next?--was chosen to keep the conversation going, in the hope that someday Walter Dean Myers' question won't make any sense at all to young readers.

So do join us in Sacramento this October (details here) and do submit a session proposal! Lifting from the official submission form:

“We are looking for presentations and panels that will inspire and edify Kidlitosphere bloggers. While we’re specifically interested in presentations that address what bloggers can do to make a meaningful difference in increasing and promoting diversity in children’s and young adult literature, sessions covering other topics such as reviewing critically, trends, social media, marketing, technology, and industry relationships are welcome.”

I submitted a proposal for the first time last year, rather nervously, and roped two great colleagues in kid lit into doing it with me, and it was great.  If you have an idea that you want to try out, or to see if there's anyone who might be interested in joining forces with you, you can always run it by the kidlitosphere yahoo group, which is what I did.

I'm the program chair this year, so please get in touch with me if you have any questions! (charlotteslibrary@gmail.com)

And please spread the word.

And goodbye, and thank you, Walter Dean Myers.