Dan Santat joins Joanna and Caroline to celebrate the launch of their book The Day the Books Disappeared! They share an honest conversation around the impacts of book banning, challenges within the publishing industry at large, and the need for art that continues to push back. To snag swag and copies of The Day the Books Disappeared signed by both Joanna and Caroline, order from Linden Tree Books To get swag and a signed, personalized copy by Caroline, order from Politics and Prose

Here are some highlights from our episode with the #1 NYTimes bestselling, National Book Award-winning, former National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature Jacqueline Woodson:   Starting stories with questions Writing "quiet" books that speak loudly The wisdom of young people, especially before that wisdom is silenced Deconstructing “show don’t tell” How to write about complicated topics with honesty and hope Separating yourself as a writer from the character and the story The questions Jackie is wrestling with right now Some things that have (and haven’t) changed about publishing   Jacqueline Woodson is an American writer of books for adults, children, and adolescents. She is best known for her National Book Award-Winning memoir Brown Girl Dreaming, and her Newbery Honor-winning titles After Tupac and D Foster, Feathers, and Show Way. Her picture books The Day You Begin and The Year We Learned to Fly were NY Times Bestsellers. After serving as the Young People’s Poet Laureate from 2015 to 2017, she was named the National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature by the Library of Congress for 2018–19. She was awarded the Hans Christian Andersen Medal in 2020. Later that same year, she was named a MacArthur Fellow.   Links from the episode: Mychal Threet’s “The Library Is for Everyone” shirt via Out of Print The Baldwin Fellowship Program Harbor Me by Jacqueline Woodson Before the Ever After by Jacqueline Woodson The Other Side by Jacqueline Woodson After Tupac and D Foster by Jacqueline Woodson

Highlights from our conversation with Founder and Publisher of Kokila, Namrata Tripathi:   The power of celebrating not just our communal work, but also ourselves Voice as an essential point of view with no illusion of neutrality How cheap workarounds subvert the hard work of uncovering our own voice  The power of words like “intuition” (despite how it may come off as fluffy or weak) Supporting writers in identifying who they are actually in conversation with on the page The lifelong work of knowing how to be more honest with ourselves and the world The priceless bit of publishing wisdom a former boss shared How Kokila’s intentional approach to each facet of publishing is intrinsically tied to the books they put out into the world.   Namrata Tripathi is Founder and Publisher of Kokila. Previously, Namrata held editorial positions at HarperCollins, Disney-Hyperion, and Simon and Schuster. She is the editor of New York Times bestsellers Hair Love by Matthew A. Cherry and Vashti Harrison and Antiracist Baby by Ibram X. Kendi and Ashley Lukashevsky; the Newbery Honor-winning middle grade novel The Night Diary by Veera Hiranandani; and the National Book Award Finalists Noggin by John Corey Whaley, Patron Saints of Nothing by Randy Ribay, and The Legend of Auntie Po by Shing Yin Khor. Namrata grew up in Afghanistan, India, Canada, Pakistan, Germany, and Poland, and has happily called New York City home for the last twenty-five years.

They’re back!!! Here are some highlights from Joanna and Caroline’s first episode after their five-month KLHH hiatus: Joanna’s major recent life events! Caroline’s crisis of faith around her Enneagram number Book launches and Big Book Energy Where Caroline and Joanna have been finding hope recently What’s next for Kidlit Happy Hour Some links from today’s episode: Preorder BECOMING BOBA along with the Jilly Bing doll bundle This American Life episodes: #857 Museum of Now #850 If You Want to Destroy My Sweater, Pull this Thread as I Walk Away #859 Chaos Graph #849 The Narrator

Here are some highlights from our conversation with the NYTimes bestselling, award-winning cartoonist and graphic novelist Raina Telgemeier:  Why hearing her teacher's name was the first time Raina ever considered "voice" One gripe with Judy Blume How her voice has (or hasn’t) changed since middle school Power and difficulty of putting yourself back in headspace of child self Forming three dimensional pictures from memories Why emotional arcs matters more than details Sneak peek behind the scenes of her next graphic novel: The Cartoonist Club Raina Telgemeier is the #1 New York Times bestselling, multiple Eisner Award–winning creator of Smile, Sisters, and Guts, which are all graphic memoirs based on her childhood. She is also the creator of Drama and Ghosts, the adapter and illustrator of the first four Baby-sitters Club graphic novels, and, with Scott McCloud, the co-creator of The Cartoonists Club. Facing Feelings: Inside the World of Raina Telgemeier is based on an exhibition that was held at The Ohio State University’s Billy Ireland Cartoon Library & Museum, and will be published in October 2025. Raina lives in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Our conversation with Aida Salazar is here! Aida shares about how one workshop radically changed her approach to voice, why writing is a spiritual practice, how she stays open to receiving stories from our ancestors, and so much more.   Aida Salazar is an award-winning author, arts activist, and translator whose writings explore issues of identity and social justice. Her critically acclaimed verse novels and picture books have received numerous awards including: a Caldecott Honor, the Malka Penn Award, the Américas Award, Tomás Rivera Book Award, International Latino Book Awards, California Library Association Beatty Award, Northern CA Book Award, Jane Addams Peace Honor, an NCTE Charlotte Huck Honor among other distinctions. She lives with her family of artists in Oakland, CA.     

Here are some highlights from our conversation with NYTimes-bestselling, award-winning author Jasmine Warga!: Excavating not simply WHAT your characters want, but WHY they want it The necessity of internal contractions  Becoming a collector of ideas and moments throughout the drafting and revision process How images drive her plotting process The role of alchemy in storytelling The consistent theme at the root of her stories, and writing for our inner 10-year-olds The art of crafting the twist Jasmine Warga is the #1 New York Times-bestselling author of middle grade novels Other Words For Home, The Shape of Thunder, A Strange Thing Happened in Cherry Hall and A Rover’s Story. Other Words For Home earned multiple awards, including a John Newbery Honor, a Walter Honor for Young Readers, and a Charlotte Huck Honor. The Shape of Thunder was a School Library Journal and Bank Street best book of the year, a finalist for the Barnes & Noble Children's and YA Book Award, and has been named to several state award reading lists. A Rover’s Story, her latest novel, was an instant New York Times bestseller, a Indie Next List and a Junior Library Guild selection, and was named a best book of the year by Publishers Weekly and The Washington Post. She is also the author of young adult novel, My Heart and Other Black Holes, which has been translated into over twenty different languages. Originally from Cincinnati, she now lives in the Chicago-area with her family in a house filled with books.

Here are a few highlights from our conversation with the award-winning Adib Khorram: How his notes app has come to be bursting with character ideas and peoples' idiosyncrasies Impact of theater school on character-building Operating as a subconsciously-driven artist How his starting place for creating character differs from other authors Prioritization of character vs plot vs world building Revision as the time to sharpen or dull edges of character Why you may want to think twice before eating a D.C. taco from a gas station  ADIB KHORRAM is the author of DARIUS THE GREAT IS NOT OKAY, which earned the William C. Morris Debut Award, the Asian/Pacific American Award for Young Adult Literature, and a Boston Globe–Horn Book Honor, as well as a multitude of other honors and accolades. His followup, DARIUS THE GREAT DESERVES BETTER, received three starred reviews, was an Indie Bestseller, and received a Stonewall Honor. His latest novel, KISS & TELL, received four starred reviews. His debut picture book, SEVEN SPECIAL SOMETHINGS: A NOWRUZ STORY was released in 2021. He lives in Kansas City, Missouri, where people don’t usually talk about themselves in the third person.   LINKS: Website: www.adibkhorram.com IG: Adib Khorram First listen to Adib's overshare, then watch him white-knuckle (and crush) his speech at the FYE Conference in 2020

Here are highlights from our conversation with award-winning, NYTimes-bestselling author Randy Ribay:   How characters explore the same internal questions he’s grappling with in his own life Writing towards ideas rather than adhering to a firm outline Doing the work of finding your own process What compels a reader to take off their own mask The genius of Succession’s character building Why Caroline gets all Randy’s royalties on the next book   Randy Ribay is an award-winning author of young adult fiction. His most recent novel, Patron Saints of Nothing, earned five starred reviews, was selected as a Freeman Book Award winner, and was a finalist for the National Book Award, LA Times Book Prize, Walden Book Award, Edgar Award, International Thriller Writers Award, and the CILIP Carnegie Medal. His other works include Project Kawayan, After the Shot Drops, and An Infinite Number of Parallel Universes. His next novels, The Chronicles of the Avatar: The Reckoning of Roku (Abrams) and Everything We Never Had (Kokila/Penguin) will be out in 2024.    Born in the Philippines and raised in the Midwest, Randy earned his BA in English Literature from the University of Colorado at Boulder and his Ed.M. in Language and Literacy from Harvard Graduate School of Education. He currently lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with his wife, son, and cat-like dog.    Randy's website   Randy's Instagram

Highlights from our episode with the bestselling, awards-winning, queen herself, Grace Lin: Picking a setting where you *want* to spend time Identifying as a storyteller vs. a writer Why she is the 1% of writers who do NOT start their story with character Her pals persistence and doggedness The role of faith in writing How publishing has shape-shifted over the past 30 years Grace Lin, a NY Times bestselling author/ illustrator, won the Newbery Honor for “Where the Mountain Meets the Moon” and the Theodor Geisel Honor for “Ling and Ting.” Her novel “When the Sea Turned to Silver” was a National Book Award Finalist and her picture book, “A Big Mooncake for Little Star” was awarded the Caldecott Honor. Grace is also an occasional commentator for New England Public Radio, a reviewer for the NY Times, a video essayist for PBS NewsHour, and the speaker of the popular TEDx talk, “The Windows and Mirrors of Your Child’s Bookshelf,” as well as the co-host of the Book Friends Forever podcast.  In 2016, Grace’s art was displayed at the White House where Grace, herself, was recognized by President Obama’s office as a Champion of Change for Asian American and Pacific Islander Art and Storytelling. In 2022, Grace was awarded the Children’s Literature Legacy Award from the American Library Association. 

Here are some highlights from our conversation with award-winning, bestselling author Liz Garton Scanlon:   📚 Why setting is not relevant only in hsitorical fiction or fantasy and how it impacts every single experience of ourselves and our characters 📚 Setting as context, and reverse engineering elements of craft   📚Honoring the rhythms of being a s l o w writer 📚 Stories emerging in a dreamscape 📚 How what we know about our fledgling stories becomes self-perpetuating; ask the questions questions, follow the pathways 📚 What to do with envy in a publishing career   Liz Garton Scanlon is the author of numerous beloved books for young people, including picture books Frances in the Country; Kate, Who Tamed the Wind; One Dark Bird; the Caldecott honored All the World, and many others, illustrated by some of the very best artists in the business. She's also co-authored several books with her pal Audrey Vernick, including the hilarious Bob, Not Bob, and the upcoming World’s Best Class Plant. Scanlon’s middle grade novels are The Great Good Summer and Lolo's Light, and her delightful chapter book series Bibsy Cross debuted in 2024. Liz has taught at Austin Community College, the Writing Barn, the Writers’ League of Texas, and at countless schools and conferences. She currently serves on the faculty and is faculty co-chair of the Writing for Children and Young Adults program at the Vermont College of Fine Arts, but lives in Austin, Texas.  Liz's Facebook: Liz Garton Scanlon Liz's IG @LizGardenSalad Liz's Website: www.LizGartonScanlon.com   EPISODE LINKS: Snag your copy of Liz's irresistable Bibsy Cross! Joanna's latest A City Full of Santas is out TODAY! Get your copy at your local independent bookstore HERE! That Instagram post we couldn't stop blabbing about....  

Highlights from this episode include: Starting with a story and discovering theme along the way Propping up a story with telephone poles and burying the wires in between Leaving space for readers to lean in and discover things for themselves Minh Lê is the award-winning author of household favorites Drawn Together (winner of the 2019 Asian/Pacific American Award for Literature), Real to Me, The Blur, Lift (an Eisner Award nominee). He also writes popular middle grade graphic novels, including Green Lantern books and Enlighten Me. He is also a has been a contributor to a number of national publications including the New York Times, The Horn Book, HuffPost, NPR, Book Riot, and Reading Rainbow, and was until very recently, on the Board of We Need Diverse Books. He's also on the faculty of the Hamline MFA in Writing for Children and Young Adults. IG: @bottomshelfbks

We're thrilled to introduce our first guest of Season 2, the brilliant author Laurel Snyder. Highlights in this episode include: Theme bumping against character, setting, plot and more in order to find its path Writing from the heart in a capitalist system Writing like a cook, not a baker Why the outline changes the minute she starts writing The realities of loving, and envying!, authors like Kate Messner Episode links: Laurel's episode on the Commonplace Podcast with Rachel Zucker The Ezra Klein Show podcast episode with Wilco's Jeff Tweedy   Laurel Snyder is the beloved author of many picture books and novels for children, including National Book Award nominee Orphan Island, the Geisel Award winner Charlie & Mouse, and the Sydney Taylor Award winner The Longest Night. A graduate of the Iowa Writers’ Workshop, she teaches in Hamline University’s MFA in writing for children and young adults program. She lives in Atlanta with her family and can be found online at laurelsnyder.com. IG: @ohmylorelai  

In which we share ways we've taken our KLHH guests' advice to live life as inspiration for craft, and attempt to buckle down for this upcoming year - because the year actually follows the academic calendar, right? We've got things cooking for you this season, and we hope we can find ways to connect with our listeners more. One way you can do that is by dropping your questions for upcoming guests on our KidlitHappy Hour IG! We're excited to be back for Season 2 - we've already got some gems ready for you!     

It’s our final episode of the inaugural season of Kidlit Happy Hour!!! Join us as we surprise one another with favorite moments from each episode, reflect on the season, and talk through where we’re going from here.   We will officially be back in August with our second season that is PACKED TO THE BRIM with brilliant minds across kidlit. In the meantime, be sure to follow the podcast on Apple, Spotify or wherever you listen and catch up on any episodes you missed!

Highlights from our conversation with NYTimes bestselling and award-winning author Claribel A. Ortega: The #1 way to connect to your audience Claribel's tried and true mantra in publishing Risks and benefits of sharing your writing journey online Why writing your interests into your stories is a smart bet The joys of trolling (not the kind you may be thinking) and why she loves receiving "hate mail" from readers  The brilliant approach to making self-promo work for you Why supporting the writing community is everything, and focusing on online conversation vs. discourse Ways to cultivate in-person community  What it's like drafting in Windings 3...   New York Times Bestselling and award-winning author, Claribel A. Ortega is a former reporter who writes middle-grade and young adult fantasy inspired by her Dominican heritage. When she's not busy turning her obsession with eighties pop culture, magic, and video games into books, she’s co-hosting her podcast Bad Author Book Club. Claribel is a Marvel contributor and has been featured on Buzzfeed, Bustle, Good Morning America and Deadline. Claribel’s NYT Bestselling debut middle grade novel Ghost Squad is being made into a feature film. Her latest book Witchlings (Scholastic) was an Instant NYT and #1 Indie Bestseller. Her graphic novel Frizzy with Rose Bousamra was winner of the 2023 Pura Belpré Award for Children's Text and an Indie Bestseller.    Instagram, X and Tiktok @Claribel_Ortega Twitch @radbunnie Website at claribelortega.com

Some highlights from our conversation with marketing guru Emily Lyman:   Reframing self-promotion as a celebration with your community Individuals understand their “brand” Good marketing IS storytelling Why sharing your values, even if controversial, generates more loyal connections and community Empathetic marketing   Emily spent nearly a decade working in-house with global publishers such as Penguin Random House and Simon & Schuster managing both corporate and title marketing initiatives. Emily is now the CEO and Founder of Branch and Bramble, a digital marketing company. As an award-winning data artist, Emily specializes in blending data with heart and values to create meaningful audience connections for brand partners which include Patagonia, Paramount, and Penguin Random House. She's worked with companies with household names to individual authors just trying to get their books out in the world. She also runs the Mountain Brook Inn in the Catskills in upstate New York.   Branch and Bramble Book influencer guide IG @emilylyman LinkedIn @Emily Lyman

Here are select highlights from our conversation with NYtimes bestselling, award-winning author Cynthia Leitich Smith:   Story as a circle, gathering, and communal effort Figuring out where your voice can best serve and where your heart beats with hope Building on “and” instead of “vs” Inviting people into the conversation AND being a part of the conversation Social media dynamics as both tricky and powerful Approaches to book promotion that start locally How we can never surrender progress made by generations before Only asking kids to take on battles we’re willing to engage in ourselves    Cynthia Leitich Smith (Muscogee) is a NYTimes bestseller, 2024 Southern Mississippi Medallion Winner, and 2021 NSK Neustadt Laureate. Her titles include HEARTS UNBROKEN, which won an American Indian Youth Literature Award, the anthology ANCESTOR APPROVED, an Indigenous PETER PAN retelling titled SISTERS OF THE NEVERSEA, HARVEST HOUSE, which is one of five Bram Stoker Award® Nominees for Superior Achievement in a Young Adult Novel, and—the BLUE STARS series, also by Kekla Magoon and Molly Murakami. Cynthia looks forward to ON A WING AND A TEAR for middle graders. She is the author-curator of Heartdrum, a Native-focused imprint of HarperChildren’s.   Website: https://cynthialeitichsmith.com/ IG: @cynthialeitichsmith

Highlights from our conversation with football coach Tavita Pritchard:   Centering relationships over x’s and o’s How who you are shows up on the tape How embracing his family history guides his coaching style Believing in your process instead of over-indexing on an individual result Connections between coaching and the writing process   Pritchard played quarterback at Stanford University from 2006-09 and joined the coaching staff in 2010. He worked his way from a graduate assistant, to defensive assistant, to running backs coach, to wide receivers coach, to quarterbacks coach, and ultimately assumed the role of offensive coordinator from 2018-22. During Pritchard’s time at Stanford, the team won three Pac-12 titles and two Rose Bowl championships. Pritchard coached a range of remarkable future NFL players, including QB Kevin Hogan, a fifth-round draft pick of the Kansas City Chiefs, who led the team to the 2015 Pac-12 title and a Rose Bowl win. Pritchard is now in his second year as the Quarterbacks Coach for the NFL’s Washington Commanders. He lives with his wife Caroline Kusin Pritchard (oh, hey!!!) and four kids in Oakton, Virginia.

Highlights from our conversation with Andrea Davis Pinkney:   - Why riding the Coney Island cyclone is one of the earliest steps to polishing a manuscript - Relying on an inner circle that we trust with our unpolished work - Physically dIsmatling a piece and then stitching it back together - Making homemade audio book read alouds as part of the revision process - The "page one pact" and “hook, pull, hold" - How to push part deluding ourselves that we've done our best work - Deconstructing the greats to find inspiration   Andrea Davis Pinkney is the New York Times bestselling and award-winning author of more than 50 books for children and adults.  Her numerous awards including multiple Coretta Scott King Book Awards, the Boston Globe—Horn Book Honor, and the Parenting Publications gold medal, among other citations. She is a four-time NAACP Image Award nominee, recipient of both the Regina Medal and the Arbuthnot Honor Awar for her singular body of work and distinguished contribution to the field of literature. She's been named one of the “The 25 Most Influential People in Our Children’s Lives” by Children’s Health magazine, is among The Network Journal’s “25 Most Influential Black Women in Business,” and is one the “50 Over 50 Extraordinary Women” and “Women Who Light up the Arts Scene” noted by Good Housekeeping and Woman’s Day magazines. Andrea lives in Brooklyn, NY with her husband.