Western Washington University  in Bellingham, WA will host five award-winning children’s and young adult book authors and illustrators from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 23, 2019 at Western’s Performing Arts Center as part of Western’s 16th Annual Children’s Literature Conference.

The conference brings together teachers, librarians, readers, and writers to celebrate children’s literature and reflect on how children’s books shape the experience of growing up.

This year’s speakers include: Candace Fleming, Eric Rohmann, Barbara O’Connor, Neal Shusterman and Jerry Pinkney.

Registration opens on Oct. 17 and is available through the conference website at wwuclc.com.  The cost to attend is $175 with an early bird rate of $125 available through Jan. 16. Discounts are available for students, para-professionals, retired teachers and Western employees.

The day will include author and illustrator presentations, book sales, autographs, and a question-and-answer panel.

About this year’s featured speakers:

Candace Fleming and Eric Rohmann have partnered on many picture books including “Oh No!,” “Bulldozer’s Big Day,” “Bulldozer Helps Out,” and the Sibert Honor Award winning “Giant Squid.” They have also recently published “Strongheart: Wonder Dog of the Silver Screen,” their first collaborative middle grade fiction title. Fleming has been writing since 1994 and has over forty books to her credit. She is the winner of numerous awards including the LA Times Book Prize for Young Adult Literature and the Boston Globe-Horn Book Award for Nonfiction. Rohmann also published his first book in 1994, “Time Flies,” which received a Caldecott Honor. He has since illustrated nearly twenty books for young readers and received the 2003 Caldecott Medal for “My Friend Rabbit.”
http://www.candacefleming.com
http://www.ericrohmann.com

Barbara O’Connor is the author of seventeen novels and biographies for children, including her most recent work “Wonderland” published in 2018. She has been nominated for Children’s Choice Awards in 38 states, as well as been awarded the American Bestsellers Association Best Books of the Year, School Library Journal Best Books, Bank Street Books, ALA Notables and the Nerdy Book Club Award. Her award-winning novels include “Wish,” “How to Steal a Dog,” “The Small Adventure of Popeye and Elvis,” and “The Fantastic Secret of Owen Jester.”
https://www.barbaraoconnor.com/

Neal Shusterman is a New York Times bestselling author of more than forty books for children, teens and adults – many of which tackle contemporary issues through speculative or futuristic fiction. His latest 2018 release, “Dry,” was co-authored with his son, Jarrod, and tells the story of an extreme drought when the tap runs dry in California. Shusterman is the recipient of numerous awards including the 2015 National Book Award for “Challenger Deep,” a 2017 Printz Honor for “Scythe,” and a Boston Globe-Horn Book Award for “The Schwa Was Here.” In addition to authoring books, he is also a screen, television, and play writer as well as a writer of music and games.
http://www.storyman.com/

Jerry Pinkney is a renowned illustrator and writer who has garnered some of the most prestigious awards in the field of children’s literature including the 2010 Caldecott Medal for “The Lion & The Mouse,” five Caldecott Honors, five Coretta Scott King Awards, four New York Times Best Illustrated Book awards and a Boston Globe-Horn Book Award for “John Henry.” In 2016, he was honored with two prestigious awards celebrating his body of work: the Coretta Scott King-Virginia Hamilton Award for Lifetime Achievement and the Children’s Literature Legacy Award. The US Postal Service, National Parks Service and National Geographic Magazine have commissioned Pinkney’s illustrations, and his art has been exhibited in the Art Institute of Chicago and the Norman Rockwell Museum.
http://www.jerrypinkneystudio.com/

To find out more information about the conference, visit www.wwuclc.com.