National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature Invites Families for One-on-One Conversations at the Library
National Ambassador for Young People's Literature Meg Medina is launching a news series to engage with local children, teens and families beginning on Oct. 7.
Meet Meg Medina: Family Office Hours with the National Ambassador for Young People's Literature is an opportunity for families to engage directly with Medina in person at the Library of Congress. In each 20-minute Meet Meg Medina session, children, teens and their loved ones can expect to talk about their favorite books, ask questions about writing and the writing process, and hear a master “book talker” suggest ways to connect young readers’ passions to books they may enjoy. Families may also discuss how books they love help create and strengthen their chosen communities.
Medina will share her favorite Library of Congress resources for children and teens, many of which can be accessed after families leave the Library. Families will also be encouraged to visit the Young Reader’s Center and Programs Lab, a dedicated kids’ space with activities based on Library collections.
Due to high demand, and in an effort to create equitable access, tickets are required and will be selected by lottery. The lottery is open for registration between 12 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 14, and 12 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 21. If selected, guests will receive an e-mail on Sept. 22 with notification that they have secured tickets. Register for the lottery here.
Each registration group must include at least one adult (at least 19 years old) and one child (ages 7 – 18). Up to four of the requested tickets can be for children (ages 7 – 18), but groups with two or more children must be accompanied by two adults. Groups may not exceed six people. The total number of participants per registration does not affect the likelihood of being selected for the lottery.
The initiative is a first for the National Ambassador program and offers direct access to the nation’s preeminent children’s literature expert. This program will occur quarterly; upcoming dates include Jan. 13, 2024, April 20, 2024, and June 8, 2024. Registration for these dates will be available in the future.
Medina’s signature platform, Cuéntame!: Let’s talk books is inspired by the phrase Spanish-speaking friends and families use to catch up with one another, and its primary goal is to encourage connection amongst classrooms, libraries and communities by talking about books — books that reflect readers’ lives and books that expose readers to new perspectives. As part of her two-year ambassadorship, Medina tours the country to meet with schools and libraries across the nation.
About Meg Medina
Meg Medina is the author of the Newbery Medal–winning book “Merci Suárez Changes Gears,” which was followed by two more acclaimed books about the Suárez family: “Merci Suárez Can’t Dance” and “Merci Suárez Plays It Cool.” Her young adult novels include “Yaqui Delgado Wants to Kick Your Ass,” which won the 2014 Pura Belpré Author Award and will be published in 2023 as a graphic novel illustrated by Mel Valentine Vargas; “Burn Baby Burn,” which was long-listed for the National Book Award; and “The Girl Who Could Silence the Wind.” She is also the author of picture books “Evelyn Del Rey Is Moving Away,” illustrated by Sonia Sánchez, Jumpstart’s 2020 Read for the Record selection; “Mango, Abuela, and Me,” illustrated by Angela Dominguez, which was a Pura Belpré Author Award Honor Book; and “Tía Isa Wants a Car,” illustrated by Claudio Muñoz, which won the Ezra Jack Keats New Writer Award; and the biography for young readers “She Persisted: Sonia Sotomayor.” The daughter of Cuban immigrants, she grew up in Queens, New York, and now lives in Richmond, Virginia. To learn more about Meg Medina, her platform, or about the National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature program, visit Medina’s LibGuide in English and in Spanish.
About the National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature
The National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature is an initiative of the Library of Congress, in partnership with Every Child a Reader, with generous support from The Library of Congress James Madison Council, The Capital Group Companies Charitable Foundation and Dollar General Literacy Foundation.
The program was established in 2008 by the Library, the Children’s Book Council and Every Child a Reader to emphasize the importance of young people’s literature as it relates to lifelong literacy, education and the development and betterment of the lives of young people.
Previous National Ambassadors include authors Jon Scieszka (2008–2009), Katherine Paterson (2010–2011), Walter Dean Myers (2012–2013), Kate DiCamillo (2014–2015), Gene Luen Yang (2016–2017), Jacqueline Woodson (2018–2019) and Jason Reynolds (2020-2022).
The Library of Congress is the world’s largest library, offering access to the creative record of the United States — and extensive materials from around the world — both on-site and online. It is the main research arm of the U.S. Congress and the home of the U.S. Copyright Office. Explore collections, reference services and other programs and plan a visit at loc.gov; access the official site for U.S. federal legislative information at congress.gov; and register creative works of authorship at copyright.gov.
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Media Contact: Leah Knobel, lknobel@loc.gov
Public Contact: Anya Creightney, acre@loc.gov
PR 23-082
09-14-2023
ISSN 0731-3527