FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

March 1, 2021

WNDB and the Library of Congress 2021 Symposium on Diversity in Children’s Literature Celebrates Creating Communities

Press Contact: Alaina Lavoie, alainalavoie@diversebooks.org 

Website: https://diversebooks.org/our-programs/walter-award/ 

Washington, DC — We Need Diverse Books announces the sixth annual Symposium​ ​on​ ​diversity​ ​in​ ​children’s​ ​literature,​ ​co-hosted by​ ​the​ ​Library​ ​of​ ​Congress.​ The Symposium, titled “Listening, Learning, Creating Communities,“ will demonstrate how diversity in children’s books helps us better understand each other, resulting in a stronger sense of community. The event ​will be​ ​moderated​ ​by​ ​Deborah D. Taylor, the Coretta Scott King/Virginia Hamilton Lifetime Achievement award-winning librarian and educator, and will include panelists Traci Chee, Robin Ha, Daniel Nayeri, and Kacen Callender.

“More than ever, we need to focus on breaking down the barriers to listening, learning, and creating communities,” said symposium moderator Deborah D. Taylor. “What tools should we use, how do we ensure all are heard, what is critical to know about each other, and how do we maintain that openness in communities—those are just some of the questions and concerns these diverse writers can help their young readers understand through their books.”

The​ ​Symposium ​will​ ​be​ ​held virtually on ​Friday,​ ​March​ ​12,​ ​2021 and is open to the public. The Walter​ ​Dean​ ​Myers​ ​Awards​ ​for​ ​Outstanding​ ​Children’s​ ​Literature Ceremony will follow the Symposium. Award-winning author Laurie Halse Anderson will serve as the ceremony’s emcee. The event will begin at 1:00 PM EST and will appear on the Library of Congress’s Facebook page and YouTube site.

About We Need Diverse Books. We Need Diverse Books is a grassroots organization of children’s book lovers that advocates essential changes in the publishing industry to produce and promote literature that reflects and honors the lives of all young people. It is our mission to put more books featuring diverse characters in the hands of all children. You can learn more about WNDB programs at www.diversebooks.org.

About the Library of Congress. The Library of Congress is the world’s largest library, offering access to the creative record of the United States — and extensive materials from around the world — both on-site and online. It is the main research arm of the U.S. Congress and the home of the U.S. Copyright Office. Explore collections, reference services and other programs and plan a visit at loc.gov; access the official site for U.S. federal legislative information at congress.gov; and register creative works of authorship at copyright.gov. 

###