Armida Espinoza is a first-generation Mexican American who has faced many challenges that English Learners endure today. Through her writing, Armida aims to validate the experiences of these learners and help all children conquer their fears and insecurities about learning.

Armida is the author of Brave Lolis Learns English and Brave Lolis' Box of Hope.

Armida Espinoza website

Kristina Holzweiss is a high school edtech librarian who was selected as the 2015 School Librarian of the Year, a Library Journal Mover & Shaker, a National School Board "20 to Watch," and a New York State School Librarian of the Year.

Recently Kristina's library was selected as the National School Library of the Year. She was invited to Washington, D.C. to represent her region during the National Week of Making, and she was featured in the STEM calendar "Princesses with Power Tools." She is also the co-author of Hacking School Libraries, and author of children's books including eight makerspace books, My First Book of Trains, and My First Book of Airplanes.  She was the founder of Edcamp Cardigan Camp and the Canva Librarians and Teachers quarterly showcases.

Certified in secondary English, educational technology, library media, and computer science, she began her career in 1995 teaching 7th grade English. Kristina aims to create an inclusive and supportive learning environment where all students can thrive and contribute their unique strengths.

By combining technology and hands-on experience she helps students to overcome barriers and realize their full potential while fostering a sense of accomplishment and confidence.

https://www.kristinaholzweiss.com

Molly Dettmann is a Teacher Librarian at Norman North High School in Norman, OK. She was named her school's teacher of the year and a district finalist for teacher of the year in 2021-2022 and the Oklahoma School Librarian of the Year in 2023. She is also the 2023 recipient of the AASL Frances Henne Award.

@normannorthlibrary on Instagram
Norman North Library Website

Matt de la Peña is the #1 New York Times Bestselling, Newbery Medal-winning author of seven young adult novels (including Mexican WhiteBoy and We Were Here), two middle grade novels, and eight picture books (including The Perfect Place and Last Stop on Market Street).

In 2016 he was awarded the NCTE Intellectual Freedom Award. Matt received his MFA in creative writing from San Diego State University and his BA from the University of the Pacific where he attended school on a full basketball scholarship. In 2019 Matt was awarded an honorary doctorate from UOP.

https://mattdelapena.com/

Last Stop on Market Street: https://amzn.to/3YA03at

The Perfect Place: https://amzn.to/48iqhBs

Other Books by Matt de la Peña: https://amzn.to/40dyhBR

Dr. Bob Nelson, until recently, was the Superintendent of Fresno Unified (7 years) and Chawanakee Unified (3 years). He has recently transitioned to Fresno State as an Assistant Professor of Educational Leadership.

Bob is a strong advocate for libraries, books, and reading.

Among his other talents, Bob hosts the Militant Positivity Podcast that you can find here:

https://militantpositivity.com

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https://GoldenLibraries.com

https://BookFloodPodcast.com

Deborah Salyer is an international speaker with 30 years of experience in the classroom and school libraries. Deborah spent a handful of years in the bookseller market and professional development with Media Source.

She is currently the California TeachingBooks Implementation and Training Specialist, which brings her back to work with her former librarian colleagues. She is also a senior presenter with 21  years of experience at the Bureau of Education and Research. Her current seminar is the annual, What’s New in Children’s Books, K-6 where she travels across the country doing book reports.

You can register for her seminars at BER.org.

Contact her about your TeachingBooks access at [email protected].

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https://GoldenLibraries.com

https://BookFloodPodcast.com

Margarita Engle is the Cuban-American author of books such as Enchanted Air, Drum Dream Girl, Dancing Hands, and The Surrender Tree, which received a Newbery Honor. She served as the national 2017-2019 Young People’s Poet Laureate. Other awards include Pura Belpré Medals, the Golden Kite Award, Walter Honors, Américas Awards, Jane Addams Award, PEN U.S.A., and NSK Neustadt Prize. Recent young adult verse novels include Wings in the Wild and Wild Dreamers. Recent picture books include Eloísa’s Musical Window and Water Day. Engle’s next verse novel is Island Creatures.

Margarita was born in Los Angeles, but developed a deep attachment to her mother’s homeland during childhood summers with relatives on the island.  She studied agronomy and botany along with creative writing, and now lives in central California with her entomologist husband and squirrel-chasing Border Collie.

Margarita Engle on GoldenLibraries.com

Wild Dreamers⁠

⁠Eloísa's Musical Window

Do libraries need to be protected in 2024? The answer that surprises no one is that they most certainly do. In this podcast, John Chrastka and host Tom Nixon take a look at the current state of libraries and what they might look like in the future.

John Chrastka is executive director of EveryLibrary, the first nationwide political action committee for libraries, and the EveryLibrary Institute, a nonprofit focused on research and training to stabilize and extend library funding.

Since 2012, EveryLibrary has helped 130 library communities in the United States with ballot measures for funding, operations and buildings, winning more than 85% and securing over $2.8 billion in funding on Election Days.

Website: https://www.everylibrary.org/

Donations: https://www.everylibrary.org/donate

Golden Libraries: https://GoldenLibraries.com

Acclaimed children's author Nikki Shannon Smith discusses her forthcoming book, "Stranded."

Stranded: https://amzn.to/4e89GSA

Shawn Thrasher, president of the California Library Association, discusses how CLA supports its members. He also discusses its upcoming conference in Pasadena, CA.

CLA Conference: https://www.cla-net.org/

CLA Organization: https://www.cla-net.org/