ATLANTA — Award-winning author Renée Watson will deliver the third annual Lecture on Diversity and Justice in Children’s Literature on Wednesday, Jan. 23, at 1 p.m. in Georgia State University’s College of Education & Human Development, room 1030 (30 Pryor St. S.E., Atlanta).
“Ms. Watson’s books explore and make visible those who are too often underrepresented in children’s literature and media,” said associate professor Thomas Crisp, one of the faculty coordinating the event. “Her work is both culturally specific and universal, and I am delighted we will have this opportunity to learn from one of the preeminent voices in youth literature today.”
Watson is a New York Times bestselling author, educator and activist whose young adult novel, “Piecing Me Together,” received a Coretta Scott King Award and Newbery Honor. Her children’s picture books and novels for teens have received several awards and international recognition. She has given readings and lectures at many renowned places, including the United Nations, the Library of Congress and the U.S. Embassy in Japan. Watson’s poetry and fiction often center on the lived experiences of black girls and women and explore themes of home, identity and the intersections of race, class and gender. Her picture book, “Harlem’s Little Blackbird: The Story of Florence Mills” received several honors, including an NAACP Image Award nomination in children’s literature.
Watson will be available to sign copies of her books prior to the lecture.
The College of Education & Human Development’s Lecture on Diversity and Justice in Children’s Literature series engages teacher educators, teachers, media specialists, artists and others in critical conversations about issues of representation, the politics of children's publishing, literacy and the role of art and artists.