Join us for a three-day virtual and interactive conference full of educational and engaging presentations from some of the top authors and illustrators in the picture book industry. Conference attendees can also choose from daily breakout sessions that are led by in-service teachers and librarians offering techniques for using picture books in fun, educational ways.
July 12-14, 2021
Speakers will include Julia Denos, Matthew Forsythe, Sarah Jacoby, Corinna Luyken, April dela Noche Milne, and Hannah Salyer.
Sessions will be offered virtually through Zoom. All presentations and breakout sessions will be presented and recorded via Zoom and then accessible via password to paid attendees for up to 3-months after the conference on a special Mazza virtual conference website.
Please sign up for a free account and download Zoom prior to the start of Conference.
8:30 a.m., Welcome, Announcements & Door Prizes
8:45 a.m., Corinna Luyken
9:45 a.m., Break
10 a.m., Breakout Sessions
11 a.m., Break
11:15 a.m., Julia Denos
12:15 p.m., Closing / Meeting for all taking conference for credit
8:30 a.m., Welcome, Announcements & Door Prizes
8:45 a.m., Matthew Forsythe
9:45 a.m., Break
10 a.m., Breakout Sessions
11 a.m., Break
11:15 a.m., April dela Noche Milne
12:15 p.m., Closing
8:30 a.m., Welcome, Announcements & Door Prizes
8:45 a.m., Hannah Salyer
9:45 a.m., Break
10 a.m., Breakout Sessions
11 a.m., Break
11:15 a.m., Sarah Jacoby
12:15 p.m., Closing
Corinna Luyken is the author-illustrator of the NY Times bestseller, My Heart; as well as The Book of Mistakes, which received four starred reviews and has been praised by Entertainment Weekly, the Wall Street Journal, NPR, and more. She also illustrated Adrian Simcox Does Not Have a Horse, written by Marcy Campbell; Weird Little Robots, written by Carolyn Crimi, and Nothing In Common, written by Kate Hoefler. She lives in Olympia, Washington.
Julia Denos is an award-winning author and illustrator of many books for children, including the ALA Notable, SWATCH, The Girl Who Loved Color (Balzer+Bray), Here & Now (HMH) and Ezra Jack Keats Honor and Massachusetts Book Awarded Windows (HMH) both illustrated by E.B. Goodale. Her newest book, Starcrossed (HMH) earned stars from Kirkus and Booklist. Inspired by words and watercolor and the wild, Julia lives and works on the north shore of Massachusetts.
Matthew Forsythe is an award-winning comic book artist and illustrator. His first children’s book, My Name Is Elizabeth! by Annika Dunklee, was named a 2011 New York Times Notable Children’s Book. His first comic, Ojingogo, was nominated for an Eisner Award and won a Doug Wright Award for Best Experimental Comic. Matthew also was the Lead Designer on the animated show, Adventure Time on Cartoon Network. He lives in Montreal.
April dela Noche Milne is a Filipino-Canadian artist based in the unceded, ancestral, and occupied, traditional lands of Musqueam, Squamish and Tsleil-Waututh Nations of the Coast Salish peoples, also known as Vancouver. Her work is inspired by grief, memories, everyday narratives, and issues of identity. She is the artist for the graphic novel The Blue Road: A Fable of Migration. April illustrated The Imperfect Garden, a children’s book written by Melissa Assaly (2019). Her work has also been featured in Briarpatch Magazine, Ricepaper Magazine, and EVENT Magazine, as well as various public places around Vancouver.
Hannah Salyer is a writer and illustrator of picture books, but she also does graphic design, custom ceramics, fabrication, editorial, and advertising illustration work. Her debut picture book, Packs, Strength in Numbers was published in January of 2020. She lives in Brooklyn, New York.
Sarah Jacoby’s illustrations have won awards from the Society of Illustrators (Gold Medal), Creative Quarterly, American Illustration, and Communication Arts. She illustrated Rabbit and Motorbike, by Kate Hoefler, and The Important Thing About Margaret Wise Brown, by Mac Barnett. She is also the author and illustrator of Forever or a Day. She lives in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
