Nine Acclaimed Authors, Illustrators to Present at Mazza Museum Summer Conference ‘19

University of Findlay’s Mazza Museum will be filled to the brim with artistically-rendered tales of puppies, turkeys, whales and much more during the annual Summer Conference, which will take place from July 15-17.

The three-day event will feature educational and engaging presentations from nine top artists and authors in the children’s book industry. Conference attendees will also be able to choose from daily breakout sessions led by in-service teachers and librarians offering techniques for using picture books in fun, educational ways.

To register, click here.

Keynote speakers:

Fred Koehler, an artist and storyteller whose real-life misadventures include sunken boats, covert border crossings, and fighting off robbers in the dead of night. Whether free diving in the Gulf of Mexico or backpacking across Africa, Fred’s sense of adventure and awe of nature overflow into his characters’ stories. His books include “What If?” “Then We…,” “How to Cheer up Dad,” and “Puppy, Puppy, Puppy.”

Emma Virjan, an author-illustrator of the Pig in a Wig book series, which includes “What This Story Needs is a Pig in a Wig,” “What This Story Needs is a Hush and a Shush,” “What This Story Needs is a Munch and a Crunch,” and “What This Story Needs is a Bang and a Clang.” She lives in Austin, Texas.

Gregory Christie, an Atlanta, Georgia-based children’s book illustrator with over 2 years of experience and more than 60 books to his credit. He recently received a Caldecott Honor for his work in “Freedom in Congo Square.” He is a 3-time recipient of the New York Times 10 Best Illustrated Children’s Books of the Year Award, a 5-time recipient of the Coretta Scott King Honor Award in Illustration, and a winner of the Boston Globe’s Horn Book Award, and the NAACP’s Image Award.

Jessixa Bagley grew up in the suburbs of Portland, Oregon. She decided to follow her childhood dreams of becoming a cartoonist and picture book maker. She attended the University of Washington and Cornish College of the Arts where she graduated in 2004 with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in painting and printmaking. Her picture books include “Boats for Papa,” “Laundry Day,” and “Vincent Comes Home.”

Adam Watkins lives in southern Ohio. He graduated from the Columbus College of Art and Design in 2004, where he majored in illustration. His books include “R is for Robot,” “Ray Bot,” “Talking Turkey,” and “Stubborn as a Mule.”

Allison Black, an upstate New York resident who now lives in Columbus, Ohio received a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Syracuse University. Some of her books include “All These Things I Wish for You,” “Barnyard Boogie,” and “What Do They Do with All That Poo?” Along with being a picture book maker, she has a stationery company called Hip-Hip.

Erin Stead is an award-winning illustrator from Ann Arbor, Michigan. Before creating picture books, she worked at Books of Wonder in New York City and was also an assistant in the publishing industry. She and her husband, Philip, collaborated on “A Sick Day for Amos McGee,” which won the Caldecott Medal in 2011, and “Bear Has a Story to Tell.” Erin’s other books include “And Then It’s Spring,” “Tony,” and “If You Want to See a Whale.”

Philip Stead is the author of the Caldecott Medal-winning book “A Sick Day for Amos McGee,” also named a New York Times Best Illustrated Book of 2010 and a Publishers Weekly Best children’s Book of 2010. Also an artist, he has written and illustrated several of his own books, including “Hello, My Name is Ruby,” “Jonathan and the Big Blue Boat,” and “A Home for Bird.”

Matthew Cordell, a Chicago resident, is an award-winning author and book illustrator. His books include “Wish, Dream, Hope” (a 3-book series), “King Alice,” “Another Brother,” and the 2018 Caldecott Medal book, “Wolf in the Snow.”