2024 Kweli Color of Children's Literature Conference

Join us April 19 - April 21, 2024 for an incredible weekend with top editors, agents, authors and illustrators in the children's book publishing world. Our spring conference is an excellent opportunity for Black, Indigenous, people of color (BIPOC) writers and illustrators to learn, get inspired and network with others in the industry. Newbery award winner Jerry Craft met New Kid’s future editor, Andrew Eliopulos, at our #Kweli16 conference, and Printz Award winner Angeline Boulley met Tiffany Liao, the future editor of Firekeeper's Daughter, at #Kweli19. You might meet your future editor at #Kweli24!

Our #Kweli24 conference features a stellar lineup of authors and illustrators, including award-winning and New York Times bestselling authors Jason Reynolds, Amina Luqman-Dawson, Safia Elhillo, and Autumn Allen.

The program runs in three tracks:

Publishing, Community & Culture — with panels on solidarity among creators of color, developing an authorial platform, and submissions.

Novels & Memoir — including workshops on the crafts of character, plotting, contemporary world-building and fantasy world-building.

Picture Books & Nonfiction — where experts offer insights into picture books, chapter books, graphic novels and nonfiction.

Throughout the weekend, writers and artists will have the opportunity to get their work seen, considered, and critiqued by the many agents and editors attending the conference — a useful step for creators who want to develop their craft and make connections within the industry. Join us to catapult your children's literature writing career!

Please note: this event is exclusively for those who identify as writers and illustrators of color--that is, Black, Indigenous, other people of color (BIPOC).

COVER ART: COZBI A. CABRERA from BROWN GIRL, BROWN GIRL by LESLÉ HONORÉ.

AUTHORS & ILLUSTRATORS

Atinuke (Author, Too Small Tola)

Camara Aaron (Contributing Author, The Black Girl Survives in This One)

Autumn Allen (Author, All You Have to Do)

Dr. Joshua Bennett (Author, The World is Full of Beautiful Quiet Things)

Cozbi A. Cabrera (Illustrator, Chef Edna: Queen of Southern Cooking, Edna Lewis)

André Ceolin (Illustrator, Saudade: Our Longing For Brazil)

Dr. Sonja Cherry-Paul (Author, Antiracist Reading Revolution)

R. Gregory Christie (Illustrator, Nana's New Soul Food)

Rio Cortez (Author, The River Is My Ocean)

Ana Crespo (Author, Saudade: Our Longing For Brazil)

Antwan Eady (Author, The Last Stand)

Safia Elhillo (Author, Bright Red Fruit)

Aya Ghanameh (Author / Illustrator, These Olive Trees)

Jyoti Rajan Gopal (Author, One Sweet Song)

Nasugraq Rainey Hopson (Author, Eagle Drums)

Traci Huahn (Author, Mamie Tape Fights To Go To School)

Frederick Joseph (Author, The Black Friend)

Anna Lapera (Author, Mani Semilla Finds Her Quetzal)

Amina Luqman-Dawson (Author, Freewater)

Nina Mata (Illustrator, Beach Hair)

Hannah Moushabeck (Author, Homeland, My Father Dreams of Palestine)

Meghana Narayan (Author, A Little Bit of Everything)

Daniel J. O'Brien (Author / Illustrator, Glenn Burke, Game Changer!)

Dr. Stacey Patton (Author, Not My Cat)

Jason Reynolds (Author, Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You)

Olugbemisola Rhuday-Perkovich (Author, You're Breaking My Heart)

Rahma Rodaah (Author, Dear Muslim Child)

Shannon C.F. Rogers (Author, I'd Rather Burn Than Bloom)

Andrea L. Rogers (Author, The Art Thieves)

Rhonda Roumani (Author, Insha'allah, No, Maybe So)

Aida Salazar (Author, Jovita Wore Pants: The Story of a Mexican Freedom Fighter)

Sheetal Sheth (Author, Raashi's Rakhis)

Ariel Vanece (Author, Searching For Mr. Johnson's Song)

Gwendolyn Maya Wallace (Author, The Light She Feels Inside)

Carole Boston Weatherford (Author, A Crown of Stories: The Life and Language of Beloved Writer Toni Morrison)

Seema Yasmin (Author, The ABCs of Queer History)

Brian Young (Author, A Little Bit Super)

Maysoon Zayid (Author, Shiny Misfits)

Ibi Zoboi (Author, Nigeria Jones)

EDITORS & AGENTS

Autumn Allen (Senior Editor, Barefoot Books)

Arely Guzman (Assistant Editor, Levine Querido)

Serene Hakim (Agent, Ayeshe Pande Literary)

Cheryl Klein (Editorial Director, Algonquin Young Readers)

Denene Millner (Editorial Director, Denene Millner Books)

Nick Thomas (Executive Editor, Levine Querido)

Irene Vazquez (Assistant Editor and Publicist, Levine Querido)

Phoebe Yeh (Vice President & Editor at Large, Crown Books for Young Readers)

Host or Publisher Kweli Journal