Following a jam-packed day of illuminating author panels and moving keynotes at SLJ's annual Day of Dialog in New York City, about 200 librarians attended the Eighth Annual Children's Librarians' Author & Illustrator Dinner at the Princeton Club, sponsored by SLJ, Macmillan Children's Publishing Group, Harper Collins Publishers, Random House Children's Books, Scholastic, Holiday House, and Penguin Young Readers. The annual event, organized by Chris Vaccari, director of library marketing at Sterling Publishing, and Dina Sherman, school and library marketing director at Disney Worldwide Publishing, brought together a dynamic mix of beloved children's book creators as well as exciting new debut authors. SLJ's own Mahnaz Dar, reference and professional reading editor, served as MC.

(From top left: David Yoon, Tim Tingle, and Eric Velasquez; from bottom left: Julie Murphy, Deborah Heiligman, and Morgan Parker. Photo credit: Chris Vaccari)

Deborah Heiligman, the award-winning and critcally acclaimed author known for her impeccably researched narrative nonfiction (Vincent and Theo; Charles and Emma), spoke about her forthcoming book, Torpedoed: The True Story of the World War II Sinking of 'The Children's Ship' (Holt/Godwin, Oct. 2019), which tells the story of the S.S. City of Benares, a ship that set sail from England in 1940 carrying more than100 British children, which was attacked by German torpedoes. Heiligman spent several years researching the tragedy, mining the archives of the Imperial British Museum, and meeting with the few remaining survivors. She revealed how difficult it was to work on this story during this current political moment, when so many parents are forced to send their children out into the world, often to far away countries, for their protection.

Julie Murphy, fan favorite and New York Times best-selling author of Dumplin' (which was recently turned into a feature film on Netflix), spoke candidly about how her work is informed by her activism for fat acceptance and body image positivity. Her latest novel, Dear Sweet Pea (HarperCollins/Balzer + Bray, Oct. 2019), was partly inspired by her own experiences as a tween and the interactions she's had with fans who've connected deeply with Dumplin'. Murphy told the crowd about an email she received from a mother who read Dumplin' after seeing how much it impacted her daughter. The mom revealed that Murphy's story inspired her to be more sensitive and thoughtful about the way she thinks and talks about her body, especially with her daughter. Murphy was likewise inspired to create a middle grade narrative featuring a strong and happy fat protagonist, offering younger readers the type of representation she wished she had seen in her youth.

Who Put This Song On? (Delcorte, Sept. 2019) is Morgan Parker's debut YA novel, though the acclaimed poet, essayist, and editor has been working in the industry for several years. Largely based on Parker's teen experiences, the prose novel draws heavily on primary sources: the author's own teenage diaries and ephemera. Parker moved the audience with her humor and vulnerability, talking about how she grappled with depression as a teen and wished that she had books that reflected both the universality of her experience but also the specificity of being a black emo California girl growing up in the suburbs. Back matter in the novel includes straightforward information for teens on how to find a therapist—something that Parker said captures the message of the book: seeking treatment for depression or other mental illness "is not a big deal. It's basic information that shouldn't be shrouded or hidden," Parker explained. 

Tim Tingle headed to the podium next and, inspired by Parker's speech, honored her courage with an impromptu rendition of the "Choctaw National Anthem," also known as Choctaw Hymn #48. Set to the familar tune of "Amazing Grace," Tingle's song had many in the audience wiping away tears. Tingle, whose award-winning novels include How I Became a Ghost, House of Purple Cedar, and When a Ghost Talks, Listen, told the crowd about his forthcoming middle grade book, Doc and the Detective in Graveyard Trouble (Scholastic, Oct. 2019). The real-life inspiration behind the story was Tingle's dear friend and frequent collaborator, Dr. Joe M. "Doc" Moore, a professor at Southwest Texas State University who coauthored several books with Tingle. As Doc Moore slid into dementia in his later years, Tingle discovered that a maid had stolen more than $10,000 worth of precious Navajo jewelry from Doc; unfortunately, because Doc could not testify due to his illness, the crime went unpunished and the Indigenous jewelry was never recovered. The theft, along with Doc's legacy and impact, inspired Tingle to craft a Hardy Boys–esque caper featuring an intrepid Choctaw boy who discovers a similar crime and sets out to uncover the criminals.

Next, author and illustrator Eric Velasquez charmed the audience with the story of how his latest picture book, Octopus Stew (Holiday House, Sept. 2019), is rooted in a true tale told many times over the years by Velasquez's father. In this joyous and gorgeously illustrated version, Velasquez embellishes and exaggerates the tale, which features a no-nonsense abuela, her heroic grandson, and a very large and demanding octopus who—spoiler alert!—makes it to the dinner table, but not exactly in the way that Abuela intended.

Finally, debut author David Yoon spoke about his forthcoming YA novel, Frankly in Love (Putnam, Sept. 2019), a romantic comedy that plays with a YA trope—in his story, two Korean American teens pretend to date each other for the sake of their conservative parents so they can secretly date their true loves—while exploring deeper issues of family, cultural expectations, and finding oneself. Yoon described how confronting the mortality of his own parents—his father was diagnosed with an aggressive form of cancer while Yoon was working on the book—forced him to reconsider his parents, their history, and his own relationship with and to them. 

Many of the featured authors at the Dinner and at SLJ's Day of Dialog will be appearing on panels and/or doing book signings at Book Expo and Book Con this week.