9:30 – 10:45am
Holding Our Own: How Teachers, Authors, and Librarians Can Fight Book Bans And Protect Diverse Curricula
Featuring Dashka Slater (The 57 Bus) and George M. Johnson (All Boys Aren’t Blue: A Memoir-Manifesto)
Location: Convention Center, Room 213-CD

9:30 – 10:45am
Catching the Light of Our Past and Finding Strength in Family Stories
Featuring Adrianna Cuevas, author of Cuba in My Pocket
Location: Convention Center, Room 206-A

9:30 – 10:45am
Promoting a Classroom Culture of Empathy and Compassion Through Diverse Picture Books
Featuring Karina González, author of The Coquíes Still Sing: A Story of Home, Hope, and Rebuilding
Location: Convention Center, Room 252-C

11:00am – 12:15pm
Birds Aren’t Real: Literature as Truth and Light in Dark Times
Featuring Carole Lindstrom, author of the 2021 Caldecott Medal Winner, We Are Water Protectors
Location: Convention Center, Room 212-A

2:00 – 3:15pm
Book Banning and Erasure of The Whole Child: How Removing or Limiting Access to Books Impacts Children
Featuring Anna-Marie McLemore, author of Lakelore and Self-Made Boys: A Great Gatsby Remix
Location: Convention Center, Room 209-B

3:30 – 4:45am
Advocating for Young Adult Literature in Politically Divided Times: Creating Alliances to Face the Challenges
Featuring George Matthew Johnson, author of a Kirkus Reviews Best Book of 2020, All Boys Aren’t Blue: A Memoir-Manifesto
Location: Convention Center, Room 264-BC

3:30 – 4:45pm
History’s Heartache and Hope: What’s Known, Unknown, and Why It Matters
Featuring Steve Sheinkin, author of Fallout: Spies, Superbombs, and the Ultimate Cold War Showdown and Bomb (Graphic Novel): The Race to Build–and Steal–the World’s Most Dangerous Weapon
Location: Convention Center, Room 208-B

12:30 – 2:30pm
Secondary Section Luncheon Keynote
Featuring keynote speaker Anna-Marie McLemore, author of Lakelore and Self-Made Boys: A Great Gatsby Remix
Location: Convention Center, Ballroom D

2:45 – 4:00pm
#Why Middle Matters — Middle Grade Literature As Dreams and Possibility – The Middle Level Mosaic
Featuring Julian Randall, author of a Washington Post 2022 Summer Book Club Pick, Pilar Ramirez and the Escape from Zafa
Location: Convention Center, Room 210-CD

4:15 – 5:30pm
Writing Illuminated: Fantasy Authors Share Inspiring Story Passages for Classroom Study
Featuring Lizz Huerta author of The Lost Dreamer
Location: Convention Center, Room: 253-BC

6:00 – 7:15pm
Highlighting International Stories for Children and Adolescents
Featuring Achut Deng author of Don’t Look Back: A Memoir of War, Survival, and My Journey from Sudan to America
Location: Convention Center, Room: 253-BC

9:00 – 10:15am
Building Critical Hope: Envisioning Better Futures with Recent Young Adult Literature
Featuring Anna-Marie McLemore, author of Lakelore and Self-Made Boys: A Great Gatsby Remix
Location: Convention Center, Room 201-B

8:50 – 9:15am
Fighting Injustice
Featuring Jas Hammonds author of We Deserve Monuments
Location: Hilton Anaheim, California Ballroom C/D (2nd Floor)

9:15 – 9:35am
Find Hope From Within
Featuring Achut Deng & Keely Hutton authors of Don’t Look Back: A Memoir of War, Survival, and My Journey from Sudan to America
Location: Hilton Anaheim, California Ballroom C/D (2nd Floor)

Tuesday, November 22nd – ALAN Workshop

9:20 – 9:40am
Encourage Reflection Through Literature: Historical Fiction During the AIDS Epidemic
Featuring Tucker Shaw author of When You Call My Name
Location: Hilton Anaheim, California Ballroom C/D (2nd Floor)

10:05 – 10:25am
Get Lost in the Realm of Magic
Featuring Axie Oh, author of a New York Times Bestseller, The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea
Location: Hilton Anaheim, California Ballroom C/D (2nd Floor)

10:50 – 11:10am
Rise to Overcome Adversity and Evil
Featuring Aiden Thomas, author of a YALSA 2021 Best Fiction for Young Adults Top Ten pick, Cemetery Boys
Location: Hilton Anaheim, California Ballroom C/D (2nd Floor)