This year’s American Library Association Annual Conference, the ALA’s first in-person conference since 2019, was held June 23–28 in Washington, D.C., drawing together librarians, educators, authors, illustrators, and publishers. We’ve gathered highlights from the event, which included signings by children’s and YA authors, awards ceremonies, panels, and more.
Saturday, June 25, the first morning that the exhibits were open, a crowd eager to see more than 550 exhibitors and 130+ author presentations across eight live stages streamed onto the floor.
Some of the authors of the anthology collection You Are Here: Connecting Flights gathered at ALA; pictured here (from l.): Christina Soontornvat, Minh Lê, Erin Entrada Kelly, Linda Sue Park, Ellen Oh, Grace Lin, Traci Chee, and Mike Jung.
Author Carole Boston Weatherford (l.) celebrated her Coretta Scott King Author Award for Unspeakable: The Tulsa Race Massacre with Read Woke librarian Cicely Lewis .
The Three Billy Goats Gruff collaborators Jon Klassen (l.) and Mac Barnett showed their fall picture book for Orchard.
Publisher Neal Porter (r.) with Raúl Colón (l.) and Terry Catasús Jennings (c.), signing their Little House of Hope picture book at the Holiday House booth.
Little, Brown saluted Kwame Alexander’s (l.) forthcoming novel The Door of No Return with a conversation between Alexander and How the Word Is Passed author Clint Smith.
Ivy & Bean illustrator and Caldecott Medalist Sophie Blackall signing copies of her books.
2022 Newbery Medalists past and present Jerry Craft (r.) (2020) and Donna Barba Higuera (l.) (2022) gathered at the Newbery-Caldecott-Legacy banquet.
At the Coretta Scott King Breakfast: Roaring Brook editorial director Connie Hsu (c.) with Angela Joy (l.) and Janelle Washington (r.), creators of Choosing Brave: How Mamie Till-Mobley and Emmett Till Sparked the Civil Rights Movement.
Authors Andrea Wang (l.) and Rajani LaRocca at the Little Bee Books booth.
Sourcebooks authors (from l.) Kayla Cottingham, Vincent Tirado, Ali Kamanda, Jorge Redmond, Iman Hariri-Kia, Alda P. Dobbs, Sarah Horowitz, and Timothy Janovsky.
Author-illustrators Dan Yaccarino (l.) and Liniers autographed copies of their books for Astra Publishing House.
H Is for Harlem author Dinah Johnson (c.) with her niece, librarian Taelor Johnson (l.), and editor Christy Ottaviano (r.), publisher of Christy Ottaviano Books at Little, Brown.
Author Chloe Gong signing her bestselling YA novel, Our Violent Ends (McElderry).
2022 Pura Belpré Illustrator Honor winner Loris Lora (r.), with author-illustrator Yuyi Morales (l.).
Bestselling author Ibi Zoboi (l.) with Balzer + Bray v-p and co-publisher Alessandra Balzer.
Authors (from l.) Angie Thomas, Kekla Magoon, Angeline Boulley, and Lisa Fipps at the Printz Celebration.
National Book Award winner Kacen Callender (l.) held up an ARC of their upcoming middle grade novel Moonflower with Scholastic editor Andrea Davis Pinkney.
At the ALSC Awards ceremony, Sibert Honorees (from l.) Melissa Stewart, Sarah S. Brannen, and Traci Sorell displayed their awards.
A Pura Belpré winners encounter with authors C.G. Esperanza (l.) and Raúl the Third.
Library of Congress chief Vera Clyburn (l.) with Tracey Baptiste at Baptiste’s signing of her middle grade nonfiction book African Icons: Ten People Who Shaped History (Algonquin Young Readers).
Authors Kelly Yang and Jerry Craft snapped a selfie together.
2022 Newbery Honoree author Darcie Little Badger (A Snake Falls to Earth), with her editor, Levine Querido’s Nick Thomas.
The Magnificent Middle Grade panel, moderated by D.C. librarian Edie Ching (c.), brought together authors (from l.) Roseanne A. Brown, Nick Brooks, Nicole Melleby, and Frantzy Luzincourt.
Rose Bousamra (r.), debut illustrator of middle grade book Frizzy, with First Second editor Kiara Valdez.
Black Boy, Black Boy authors Ali Kamanda (l.) and Jorge Redmond showcased their book at the Sourcebooks booth.
Carole Lindstrom (l.) and Michaela Goade, author and illustrator of the 2021 Caldecott-winning We Are Water Protectors.
Little Bee Books publisher Traci Todd (l.) and author Rosita Stevens.
Author Daniel Bernstrom (l.) with Rob Bittner, chair of the 2023 Caldecott Committee.
ALA closed out with a celebration of the 2022 Geisel winners and committee members: (from l.) Matt McLain (2022 Geisel Committee); DaNae Leu (2022 Geisel Committee); Jonathan Fenske (2022 Geisel Honor winner, Nothing Fits a Dinosaur); Norm Feuti (2022 Geisel Honor winner, Beak & Ally #1: Unlikely Friends); Corey R. Tabor (2022 Geisel Award winner, Fox at Night); Joe Cepeda (2022 Geisel Honor winner, I Hop); Eboni R. Njoku (Chair, 2022 Geisel Committee); and Maria Xochitl Peterson (2022 Geisel Committee).
