Authors Emma Straub, Jason Reynolds Highlight NBF’s Why Reading Matters Confab
Designed to bring together reading activists and professionals to find new ways to engage readers and support books, the National Book Foundation’s Why Reading Matters conference will be held June 15 in New York City and feature appearances by authors Emma Straub and Jason Reynolds.
The NBF’s second annual Why Reading Matters conference brings together publishing professionals, educators, non-profits, librarians, authors and academics to work towards finding new and diverse ways to discover and encourage reading and a love of books within their communities.
Novelist Emma Straub, who is also the owner and founder of Books Are Magic, a new indie bookstore that opened in Brooklyn in 2017, will give the keynote address. National Book Award finalist novelist Jason Reynolds will also make an appearance.
The conference will also feature breakout sessions that highlight efforts to create inclusive, welcoming communities of new readers. Breakout sessions will examine the Harry Potter Alliance and how fan culture can support activism, how crowdfunding helped Noëlle Santos raise the funds to open a bookstore in the Bronx, how the Drag Queen Story Hour encourages inclusivity at the Brooklyn Public Library, and how Alvin Irby, founder of Barbershop Books, works to encourage African American boys to read.
The conference will be held from 9 AM – 3 PM on Thursday, June 15 at the Frank Sinatra School of the Arts in Long Island City, NY. Registration is open to the public; tickets are $35 and can be purchased at nationalbook.org.
Lisa Lucas, executive director of the National Book Foundation, said, “Our annual conference is an amazing opportunity to celebrate and learn from the inspiring and innovative work that so many individuals and organizations are doing to reach and support readers.”
