Last night was a true treat! I attended the Coretta Scott King Book Awards Round Table‘s 55th anniversary celebration. Shuttle buses took us to the University of San Diego’s breathtakingly beautiful campus. (It is on a hill overlooking the city!)
Kwame Alexander acted as the Master of Ceremonies and took the audience through the 55-year history of the CSKs before introducing some of this year’s CSK winners, Carole Boston Weatherford, Jeffery Boston Weatherford, Dare Coulter, and Vashti Harrison. Three children, who are avid readers and fans, then interviewed the winners. The audience got to learn more about their award-winning books, what inspires them, and the importance of perseverance. When asked, “What should I do if I ever write a book with my mother?” Jeffery Boston Weatherford made me get teary-eyed as he talked about mothers as angels who take care of us and guide us. The answer to the final question was a resounding yes–“Will you sign our books?”
The Weatherfords then led the audience in “Black Means: Roll Call and Rap.” Brilliantly written, it named many CSK winners from the 55 year history. It was delightful seeing this uber-talented mother and son team together and getting to participate in the call and response poem.
Before taking the buses back to the hotels, there was a reception in the Garden of the Sea. It was a beautiful and inspiring night. I am looking forward to some of the CSK’s upcoming events at conference: The Virginia Hamilton Award for Lifetime Achievement Celebration and the CSK Breakfast (one of my favorite conference events!)
All photos courtesy of Conference Blogger.
Guest Contributor Soline Holmes (she/her/hers) is a librarian and the Information Services Department chair at Academy of the Sacred Heart in New Orleans, Louisiana. She is the Secretary for ALA’s Graphic Novels and Comics Roundtable, co-chair of ALSC’s Children and Libraries Editorial Advisory Committee, and a member of ALSC’s Public Awareness and Advocacy Committee. She also serves on the Louisiana Young Readers Choice Award committees for K-2 and 3-5 and is a Teaching with Primary Sources Network Mentor. She has given presentations on graphic novels, Mother Goose and STEM, Primary Sources, and Global Education at local and national conferences. At ALA, she is looking forward to some of her favorite events: GameRT’s ALAPlay, the GNCRT Magical Comics Tea, and the Newbery/Caldecott/Legacy Banquet. When she was little, Soline wanted to be the first person to direct and star in the first musical on the moon….
Please note that as a guest post, the views expressed here do not represent the official position of ALA or ALSC.