20 More Authors Who Promote Diversity in School Visits
We had such a great response to our post, “15 Authors Who Promote Diversity in Author Visits” that we felt it was time to add more names to the list. For teachers and librarians who are looking for diverse authors for school and library events, here are 15 more authors to consider.
Grades 7 – 12 / Middle School & High School
Coe Booth (New York, NY)
Coe Booth is a graduate of The New School’s Writing for Children MFA program, and a winner of the Los Angeles Times Book Prize for Young Adult Fiction. She is the author of several books including Tyrell (Push/Scholastic) and will make her middle-grade debut this fall with Kinda Like Brothers (Scholastic Press). A life-long resident of the Bronx, Coe often presents to small student groups and teacher conferences.
Christina Díaz Gonzalez (Miami, FL)
Christina Díaz Gonzalez is the author of The Red Umbrella (Yearling/Random House) and A Thunderous Whisper (Knopf Books for Young Readers). Her novels have received numerous honors including the ALA’s Best Fiction for Young Adults and the IRA Teacher’s Choice Award. Available for in-person as well as virtual visits, her presentations focus on the road to becoming an author and what happens afterward.
http://www.christinagonzalez.com/
Sharon G. Flake (Pittsburg, PA)
Sharon G. Flake is the Coretta Scott King Author Honor Award author of The Skin I’m In (Jump at the Sun/Hyperion). Her most recent novel, Pinned (Scholastic Press), received starred reviews and is included on various state reading lists. During her presentations she discusses her journey to overcome low self-esteem and encourages students to consider writing and publishing as a career.
Eric Gansworth (Niagara Falls, NY)
Eric Gansworth is a Professor of English and Lowery Writer-in-Residence at Canisius College. An enrolled member of the Onondaga Nation, he was born and raised at the Tuscarora Reservation. His young adult debut novel, If I Ever Get Out of Here (Arthur A. Levine Books/Scholastic), was selected for ALA’s 2013 Best Fiction for Young Adults and was named an American Indian Youth Literature Award Young Adult Honor Book.
Sherri Smith (Los Angeles, CA)
Her novel Flygirl (Putnam Juvenile/Penguin) was selected as one of the ALA’s 2010 Best Books for Young Adults. Born in Chicago, she spent most of her childhood in Staten Island NY, Washington DC, and Upstate New York. Today she travels all over the west coast visiting schools and libraries.
http://www.us.penguingroup.com/static/pages/youngreaders/teachers-librarians/author_appearance/smith.html
Tim Tingle (Canyon Lake, TX & Oklahoma City, OK)
Tim Tingle is an enrolled member of the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma and a frequent speaker at tribal events. The author of six books, including How I Became A Ghost (The RoadRunner Press) and House of Purple Cedar (Cinco Puntos Press), Tingle was a featured speaker at the Native American wing of the Smithsonian Institute in 2006 and 2007.
http://www.timtingle.com/author.html
Grades 4 – 6 / Upper Elementary School
Angela Cervantes (Kansas City, KS)
Angela Cervantes, author of Gaby, Lost & Found (Scholastic Press), has conducted readings and writing workshops for school and adult audiences for over ten years. She offers in-person and virtual visits to schools, libraries and book clubs, conferences and festivals. As part of her presentations, Angela enjoys sharing her Mexican-American heritage and telling her story of how she went from a shy bookworm to a semi-shy children’s book writer.
Kazu Kibuishi (Alhambra, CA)
Kazu Kibuishi is the writer and artist of the New York Times bestselling Amulet graphic novel series (Graphix/Scholastic). Born in Tokyo, Japan, Kazu moved to the US with his mother and brother when he was a child. Although he keeps a busy schedule as a full-time graphic novelist, he also makes time to speak at schools and libraries about his work including most recently the new Harry Potter covers.
Uma Krishnaswami (Aztec, NM)
Using photographs, audio-visual material, published work and work in progress, author Uma Krishnaswami shares her writing journey with young people in a personal and meaningful way. Some of her recent titles include The Problem with Being Slightly Heroic and The Grand Plan to Fix Everything (Atheneum/Simon & Schuster).
http://www.umakrishnaswami.com/contact-us
Pascal Lee (San Francisco, CA)
Planetary scientist and explorer, Dr. Pascal Lee is the author of Mission: Mars (Scholastic Inc.), a nonfiction book about the future human exploration of Mars. Dr. Lee is committed to advancing science education and loves visiting schools. He enjoys sharing with students his passion for space and showing them that science can be hard work but also a lot of fun.
LeUyen Pham (San Francisco, CA)
LeUyen Pham is the bestselling illustrator of many books for children, including Grace for President by Kelly DiPucchio (Disney-Hyperion) and Freckleface Strawberry by Julianne Moore (Bloomsbury USA Childrens). Pham has also written and illustrated her own works, including All the Things I Love About You (Balzer + Bray/Harper). Her school visits include a flash animation and hands-on demos.
http://www.leuyenpham.com/leuyenphamstudios.html
Wendy Wan-Long Shang (Washington, DC)
The author of The Great Wall of Lucy Wu (Scholastic Press), Wendy Wan-Long Shang is a recipient of a Work-in-Progress Grant from SCBWI. During her school and library presentations Wendy talks about the editing and publishing process and takes students through the many steps that are required to create a book from original draft to published book.
http://www.wendyshang.com/schoolvisits.html
Gene Luen Yang (Oakland, CA)
Gene Luen Yang was an established figure in the indie comics scene when he published his first YA book, American Born Chinese (First Second/Macmillan)—the first graphic novel to win the Printz Award. Now a two-time National Book Award finalist, Yang’s most recent book is the New York Times bestselling graphic novel diptych Boxers & Saints (First Second/Macmillan). Yang travels the world, speaking about graphic novels and comics at comic book conventions and universities, schools, and libraries.
Lisa Yee (Pasadena, CA)
Lisa Yee’s debut novel, Millicent Min, Girl Genius (Arthur A. Levine Books/Scholastic), won the Sid Fleischman Humor Award. Today, Lisa has over one million books in print, including Warp Speed (Scholastic Inc), a book about a Star Trek geek who is bullied every day at school. She’s known for her energetic and humorous author visits and spends most of the year traveling to schools and libraries across the globe.
Grades K – 3 OR Lower/Early Elementary School
Keiko Kasza (Bloomington, IN)
Keiko Kasza has written and illustrated numerous books for children including My Lucky Birthday (Putnam Juvenile/Penguin). Her fun characters and surprising twists have earned numerous state awards. During her presentations Keiko talks about her Japanese background, the often difficult process of writing and re-writing, and what inspires her to write and draw. Her author visits have taken her all over Latin America and Asia.
http://www.keikokasza.com/contact.php
E.B. Lewis (Folsom, NJ)
E. B. Lewis illustrated Coming On Home Soon (Putnam Juvenile/Penguin) by Jacqueline Woodson, which was named a Caldecott Honor Book. He has also won the Coretta Scott King Award and received three Coretta Scott King Honors. With 65 published books to his name, EB still thinks it very important to meet his readers. That’s why every year he demonstrates his artistic craft to thousands of young and eager minds. He also teaches classes and offers workshops for educators and librarians.
http://eblewis.com/events/school-visits/
James Ransome (Rhinebeck, NY)
James Ransome has illustrated more than 50 books for children and won the Coretta Scott King Award for his book The Creation (Holiday House). His work has also earned him a Coretta Scott King Honor, IBBY Honor, ALA Notable, NAACP Image Award, Bank Street Best Book of the Year, and Rip Van Winkle Award.
http://www.jamesransome.com/school.html
Divya Srinivasan (Austin, TX)
New Yorker illustrator Divya Srinivasan is also the author of Little Owl’s Night and Octopus Alone (Viking Juvenile/Penguin). On the encouragement of the children’s book buyer in Austin, Divya began her speaking career only recently. Now she visits many schools across the country with interactive presentations that include video and live art demonstrations.
http://www.us.penguingroup.com/static/pages/youngreaders/teachers-librarians/author_appearance/srinivasan.html
Eric Velasquez (Hartsdale, NY)
Eric Velasquez’s accolades include the Pura Belpré Book Award for Grandma’s Gift (Walker Books for Young Readers) and and the Coretta Scott King–John Steptoe Award for New Talent for The Piano Man, written by Debbie Chocolate (Walker Books for Young Readers). The son of Afro-Puerto Rican parents, Eric was born in Spanish Harlem and grew up in Harlem. His dual heritage and his experience living in dual cultures gives Eric a rich and unique cultural perspective.
http://www.ericvelasquez.com/schoolvisits/index.html
Sharon Dennis Wyeth (Montclair, NJ)
Wyeth is committed to partnering with educators. The author of numerous books for children from picture books to historical fiction, Wyeth is also a poet and a member of the Cave Canem Fellowship for African-American Poets. Currently she teaches at Fordham University and is an Associate Visiting Professor in the Graduate Department of Children’s Literature at Hollins University. She has visited countless schools in the US and abroad, inspiring students to become avid readers and fearless writers.
