TED, a nonprofit dedicated to promoting great ideas in technology, entertainment, and design, has been hosting short, inspiring talks since 1984. Browsing their incredible online archive is a delightful way to spend a free afternoon—and many of their videos (each of them no longer than 18 minutes) are ideal for sharing with kids, teens, parents, and fellow educators. Here are three videos from TEDx conferences (independently organized, local TED events) featuring kid lit authors. Listen to Mac Barnett describe the intersection between the real and the fictional, why kids are the ideal readers of literary fiction, and why one of his fans leaves voicemail messages for a blue whale.   Linda Sue Park tells a rapt crowd about the real-life inspirations behind her critically acclaimed middle grade novel, A Long Walk to Water, and how reading builds empathy that provokes engagement.   If you still have a few tissues in the box left over, watch Jarrett Krosoczka talk about his childhood, family, and how a school visit from Jack Gantos changed his life forever.