MSLA 2017 Conference: Full Schedule

The annual conference of the Massachusetts School Library Association

10:00am EDT

Creativity and the Writing Process: YA Author Panel

Moderators

Cathy Collins, Ed.D

Library Media Specialist, Sharon Public Schools

Ms. Collins has worked as a Media Specialist/Librarian for 20+ years. She is currently a library media specialist for Sharon Public Schools, where she has worked for the past seven years. She holds a Doctorate in Education with a specialization in Curriculum, Leadership, Teaching... Read More →

Authors

Ife Oshun

ii, Papa Grace

Ife Oshun is the author of the Angelica Brown series, and its upcoming spinoff series To Protect and Serve. Raised on a strict diet of music and sci-fi/fantasy, she attended the Rhode Island School of Design and Brown University. There, while working in local music promotion and as... Read More →

Kathleen Duble

Author

Kathleen Benner Duble had sixteen car accidents before she was twenty-one. Being an at-home writer keeps her from hitting the road (or anyone else)! She is the author of nine books for children. Kathleen loves digging for unique historical fiction plotlines and encouraging students... Read More →

Kristy Acevedo

YA author & English teacher

Kristy Acevedo is a Young Adult author and high school English teacher. A member of SCBWI,she has her M.A.T. in English from Bridgewater State University and has taught high school in Massachusetts for sixteen years. CONSIDER, her debut novel, won the 2015 PEN New England Susan P... Read More →

Nancy Werlin

Author

The author of 10 young adult novels, Nancy Werlin decided to become a writer in the fourth grade when she realized that there were actual, real, living people whose job it was to write books. Among her award-winning novels are THE KILLER'S COUSIN, which won the Edgar award for best... Read More →

Booklist May 2017 Clues to My Crime by Nancy Werlin pdf

Sunday May 7, 2017 10:00am - 10:55am EDT
Orleans 1st Floor

Panel

Area of Focus Books & Reading
Grade Level Grades 6-8, Grades 9-12

11:00am EDT

Storytelling is an Art (Form): Elementary/Middle Illustrator Panel

The focus of this panel will be on storytelling through art; how to bring out a story through art, art form, style, tone; and how to bring diversity to stories through art.

Moderators

Jennifer Reed

Library Teacher, Mason-Rice Elementary School

Illustrators

Ekua Holmes

Illustrator

In 2016 the book, Voice of Freedom, Fannie Lou Hamer: Spirit of the Civil Rights Movement, garnered a Caldecott Honor, a Sibert Honor, the Flora Stieglitz Strauss Award from Bank Street College and is a Boston Globe-Horn Book Nonfiction Honor Book. Holmes won the Society of Illustrators... Read More →

Scott Magoon

Illustrator

Scott Magoon is the author-illustrator of Breathe, a Kirkus Reviews Best Read Aloud, a Huffington Post Best Book of 2014, and Chicago Public Library Best Book of 2014; and The Boy Who Cried Bigfoot, which Kirkus Reviews called, “Entertaining and clever—and that’s no lie... Read More →

Vita Murrow

Illustrator

Ethan and Vita Murrow work collaboratively on a variety of artistic projects including writing, video, film, drawing and photography. In addition, Vita is the director of a literacy project in Massachusetts. Their book The Whale is a story of two children determined to find the Great... Read More →

Raul the Third

Illustrator

Raul Gonzalez is the 2017 Pura Belpre Illustrator Award recipient for Lowriders to the Center of the Earth. His previous graphic novel, Lowriders in Space, was nominated for a Texas BlueBonnet Award 2016-2017. In 2011, he collaborated with over 125 kids from all over the city of... Read More →

Sunday May 7, 2017 11:00am - 11:55am EDT
Orleans 1st Floor

Panel

Area of Focus Books & Reading
Grade Level Grades 3-5, Grades 6-8

1:30pm EDT

Four Authors on Research & Writing: Nonfiction Panel

How does a fact, an observation or a news article find its way into a book for youth? This session will showcase four talented and highly recognized nonfiction authors, Sarah Albee, Loree Griffin Burns, Susan Hood, and Melissa Stewart, who as a group have published over 200 books for young audiences. This informational session will provide insight into their writing process and suggest strategies to use their books for reading and writing with elementary and middle school students.

Moderators

Susannah Richards

Professor, Eastern Connecticut State University

Susannah Richards is an associate professor of education with a specialty in literacy and literature for youth. She was a member of the 2013 Newbery Medal and 2017 Geisel Committees as well as other award and literacy event committees at the state and national level. She regularly... Read More →

Authors

Loree Griffin Burns

Author

Loree Griffin Burns has written several titles in Houghton Mifflin Harcourt’s popular ‘Scientists in the Field’ series, including Tracking Trash: Flotsam, Jetsam, and the Science of Ocean Motion and Beetle Busters: A Rogue Insect and the People Who Track It. Her next title... Read More →

Melissa Stewart

Author, Author

Melissa Stewart is the award-winning author of more than 180 nonfiction books for children, including Seashells: More than a Home, Pipsqueaks, Slowpokes and Stinkers: Celebrating Animal Underdogs, and Can an Aardvark Bark. She is the co-author, with Nancy Chesley, of Perfect Pairs... Read More →

Sarah Albee

Author

Sarah Albee is the New York Times bestselling author of more than 100 books for kids, including recent nonfiction titles Why’d They Wear That? (National Geographic) and Bugged: How Insects Changed History (Walker/Bloomsbury). She enjoys visiting schools and presenting to kids of... Read More →

Susan Hood

Author

Susan’s first picture books were published in fall 2012, but she’s not a newcomer to children’s publishing. Susan was the Children’s Content Director of Nick Jr. Magazine, where she edited original stories by the winners of the Caldecott Medal, the Coretta Scott King Book... Read More →

Sunday May 7, 2017 1:30pm - 2:25pm EDT
Orleans 1st Floor

Panel

Area of Focus Books & Reading, Information Literacy & Research
Grade Level Grades 3-5, Grades 6-8, PreK-2

2:30pm EDT

Beyond Inspiration: Middle Grade Author Panel

How middle grade authors empower readers to explore, support, and improve their world.

Moderators

Christi Farrar

Consultant, MA Library System

Christi Showman Farrar started her library career as a youth services librarian and spent a decade serving children, teens, and their families in public libraries. Christi now works as a Consultant for the Massachusetts Library System (MLS), where she gets to be a “librarian’s... Read More →

Authors

Dana Alison Levy

Author

The Misadventures of the Family Fletcher was her first novel, and has received several starred reviews, been placed on a number of “Best Of” lists, and is on five state reading lists. The companion novel, The Family Fletcher Takes Rock Island, was released in May 2016. Her newest... Read More →

Jennifer Jacobson

Author

Jennifer is the author of many award-winning children’s books including Small as an Elephant (Parents' Choice Gold Award), Paper Things (ILA Social Justice Award) and her newest launch, The Dollar Kids illustrated by Ryan Andrews (Indie Next List and Amazon Book of the Month). This... Read More →

Lauren Wolk

Author

Lauren Wolk is a novelist, poet, visual artist, and Associate Director at the Cultural Center of Cape Cod. Her middle grade novel, Wolf Hollow, is a 2017 Newbery Honor as well as the winner of the 2016 New England Book Award. Her next book, Beyond the Bright Sea, will be available in May 2017... Read More →

Megan Frazer Blakemore

Author

Megan Frazer Blakemore’s middle grade novels include The Firefly Code, The Friendship Riddle, The Spy Catchers of Maple Hill, and The Water Castle, the latter of which was named Kirkus Best Children’s Book of 2013, a Bank Street College Best Book 2014, a Junior Library Guild... Read More →

Nate Ball

Author

Nate Ball is the host of the Emmy and Peabody award-winning PBS reality shows Design Squad and Design Squad Nation. An MIT graduate with a master’s in mechanical engineering, He is the co-author of the Alien in my Pocket series. Nate is also the cofounder of Atlas Devices, a two-time... Read More →

Sunday May 7, 2017 2:30pm - 3:25pm EDT
Orleans 1st Floor

Panel

Area of Focus Books & Reading
Grade Level Grades 3-5, Grades 6-8