Authors & Illustrators

From quiet books that took off to those that just gave him 'that feeling,' Neal Porter takes the lessons of legends and puts his own spin on an award-winning collection of books spanning decades. 

Serena Kaylor, who earned a star for her debut novel Long Story Short, shares her journey to publication. 

With her graphic memoir Messy Roots, Laura Gao followed an unconventional publishing path from viral tweet to indie bestseller. She illustrates her path to publication in this SLJ-original comic.

“We’re like jazz musicians in that we decide on a structure, but a lot is left up to improvisation,” says Griffin about working with Reynolds. Read more about how this SLJ starred book came together.

The ALA community was elated to be face-to-face again, talking about issues that matter to the industry. Comments made during a Unite Against Book Bans panel set off a Twitter firestorm that laid bare the emotion and complexities of the censorship discussion.

Author and educator Torrey Maldonado has once again asked his industry friends why  Juneteenth matters.

ALA, the Virginia Association of School Librarians, PEN America, and more speak out against a lawsuit attempting to require parental consent for minors to purchase Gender Queer and A Court of Mist and Fury at Barnes and Noble in Virginia and more in our latest roundup of book censorships attempts around the country.

A.S. King, winner of the Margaret A. Edwards Award, speaks to SLJ about reckoning with trauma, censors, and the need to stop bullying teens.

It's Jewish American Heritage Month, and SLJ spoke with authors about the importance of writing Jewish characters and stories.