Kweli's 10th annual Color of Children’s Literature Conference took place in New York City from April 4–6, gathering together writers of colors for a weekend of networking and collaboration. The conference took place at the CUNY Graduate Center and Ballet Hispánico; an estimated 175 attendees turned out for craft workshops, panels on subjects ranging from adapting books for different age ranges to balancing the hardships of life with being a writer. “Community was this year’s conference theme,” said Laura Pegram, executive director of Kweli. “We celebrated community care, community love, and the power of our art and storytelling. And since community can often be defined by its music, we threaded songs throughout the weekend. The pockets of joy remain weeks after the event in each of us.” We’ve gathered highlights from the event here. All photos by Emerson Mahoney.
Guests enjoying the festivities at Ballet Hispanico on Sunday.
Alexander Smalls, world-renowned opera singer and celebrity chef, discusses his picture book When Alexander Graced the Table, a collaboration with co-author Denene Millner, illustrated by Frank Morrison.
Newbery Medalist Donna Barba Higuera shares her insights on novel writing during her masterclass titled “Perfect Pitch: Discovering the Tools to Make Your Novel Sing.”
Students listen to a masterclass.
Traci N. Todd speaks with students during her presentation, “Writing Nonfiction for Children Through a Social Justice Lens.” Todd said, “Mythologies start early. Our job as writers for young children is to expose and reveal the truth. Arm them with tools that they need to think critically.”
Professor John Jennings speaks with students at his “Full-Color Comics!: Creating Diverse Graphic Novels for Kids” panel.
Caldecott Medalists Cozbi A. Cabrera (l.) and Andrea L. Rogers during their panel, “The Narrative Arc in Picture Books.”
Author and actor Sheetal Sheth opens up during the “Balancing Acts: When Life Be Lifeing” panel.
Olugbemisola Rhuday-Perkovich onstage for the “Pages to Stages: Adaptation and Transformation” craft talk.
Brittany N. Williams (l.) spoke with Omar Holman about how collaboration helped push forward her career during the “Poet & Mid-Career Author” discussion.
Two-time Newbery Medalist Erin Entrada Kelly closed out the Saturday sessions with a keynote speech.
Aida Salazar (l.) and JP Infante, collaborators on Sing Me a Story: Short Stories in Verse by Latine Authors, discussed working together during the “Editor & Debut Author” panel.
Daniel José Older speaks with students at the “Crisis Creates Us: Fire at the Crossroads of Art and Activism” discussion.
London Ladd leading the “Process in Picture Book Illustration” workshop.
A guest checks out the Word Up book sale table.
Following the dance interpretation of Vashti Harrison’s Caldecott Medal-winning picture book Big, Harrison (r.) and Traci N. Todd (l.) closed out the conference with a keynote conversation.
