Author in Residence

The Author in Residence program is an annual presentation series hosted by the School of Education. The program invites one children’s book author or illustrator per year to present on the ways that future educators can use children’s literature to improve learning and foster the development and practice of the creative arts.

The invited author gives three presentations during the course of their residency. These events include a:

• Workshop with multiple subject credential candidates 
• Workshop with social studies and English Language Arts credential candidates
• Book reading with children and parents at a local elementary school

After completing the Author in Residence series, the invited guest presents at Words Take Wing, an annual celebration hosted by the School of Education that honors diversity in children’s literature. Learn more about Words Take Wing.

Previous Authors in Residence

Mitali Perkins, 2024

Mitali Perkins is an accomplished author known for her remarkable works for readers across grade levels from picture books to novels to nonfiction texts for adults. Her notable books include You Bring the Distant Near, which received a National Book Award nomination, and Rickshaw Girl, which was adapted into a film. Through her compelling storytelling, Perkins delves into themes of crossing various borders, both physical and metaphorical. Her aim is to evoke a range of emotions from her readers, striving to make them laugh, cry, and ultimately broaden their hearts. Currently residing and writing in the East Bay, Perkins continues to captivate audiences with her thought-provoking narratives. Learn more about Mitali Perkins.

Thanhhà Lại, 2023

Thanhhà Lại is a Vietnamese-American writer of middle-grade and young adult novels. Her first novel, Inside Out & Back Again (2011), which won the National Book Award and a Newbery Honor, was partly based on her childhood as a refugee growing up in the southern United States. Other books include Listen, Slowly (2015), a middle-grade novel, and Butterfly Yellow (2019), her young adult debut. Hundred Years of Happiness (2022) is Thanhhà’s first picture book. Her latest novel is When Clouds Touch Us (2023), the long-awaited sequel to Inside Out & Back Again. Learn more on Thanhhà Lại’s website.

Aida Salazar, 2022

Author, arts activist, and translator Aida Salazar​ was born in Mexico and grew up in a family of seven children in Southeast Los Angeles. Her fiction and nonfiction writings for adults and children explore issues of identity and social justice. Salazar is the author of the critically acclaimed middle grade verse novels, The Moon Within (International Latino Book Award Winner) and Land of the Cranes (Américas Award, California Library Association Beatty Award, Northern CA Book Award, NCTE Charlotte Huck Honor, Jane Addams Peace Honor, International Latino Book Award Honor). Read more about Aida Salazar.