Mazza Summer Conference to Feature Nine Renowned Authors & Illustrators

By Press release submission

May 12, 2022

University of Findlay’s Mazza Museum will hold the 2022 annual Summer Conference July 11-13. The three-day conference, which will be available in-person and virtually, features educational and engaging presentations from numerous internationally-known children’s book authors and illustrators.

“It seems like it has been forever since we were last together for a Mazza Museum Summer Conference,” said Benjamin Sapp, director of the Mazza Museum. “Please join us for a three-day conference with nine different authors and illustrators and breakout sessions for teachers, librarians, and anyone with a love for picture books.”

Cost of the full three-day conference for in-person attendance is $265 and includes all keynote sessions, breakout sessions, daily continental breakfast, chances to win door prizes, and access to recordings of all keynote presentations. Cost of virtual participation is $150 and includes access to recordings of keynote sessions after the event. Registration ends July 8. Three hours of undergraduate and graduate credit from the University of Findlay are available at an additional cost.

The 2022 Mazza Museum Summer Conference keynote speakers, authors, and artists include:

Lesa Cline-Ransome is the author of many award-winning and critically acclaimed nonfiction books for young readers, including “Game Changers: The Story of Venus and Serena Williams”; “My Story, My Dance: Robert Battle’s Journey to Alvin Ailey”; and “Before She Was Harriet.” She is also the author of the novel “Finding Langston,” which received a Coretta Scott King Honor Award and five-starred reviews. She lives in the Hudson Valley region of New York.
James E. Ransome’s highly acclaimed illustrations for “Before She Was Harriet” received the 2018 Coretta Scott King Illustrator Honor. His other award-winning titles include the Coretta Scott King winner “The Creation”; Coretta Scott King Honor Book “Uncle Jed’s Barbershop”; “Sweet Clara and the Freedom Quilt”; and “Let My People Go,” winner of the NAACP Image Award. He frequently collaborates with his wife, author Lesa Cline-Ransome. One of their recent titles is “Game Changers: The Story of Venus and Serena Williams,” which received four-starred reviews and was an ALA Notable Children’s Book. Ransome is a professor and coordinator of the MFA Illustration Graduate Program at Syracuse University. He lives in New York’s Hudson River Valley.
Michelle Houts is the award-winning author of a dozen books for young readers, ranging from picture books to middle-grade novels. “Sea Glass Summer”; “Silent Swoop”; “WinterFrost”; “Count the Wings”; “The Practical County Drama Queen”; and “Kammie on First” are some of the books that she has written. Houts lives in Celina, Ohio.
Angela DiTerlizzi is a mom, wife, and author who loves writing books for children. Her picture books include “Some Pets”; “Some Bugs”; “Baby Love”; and “Just Add Glitter.” She and her husband, bestselling author/illustrator Tony DiTerlizzi, reside with their daughter in Amherst, MA.
Liz Garton Scanlon is the author of numerous beloved books for young people, including the highly-acclaimed, Caldecott-honored picture book, “All the World”; illustrated by Marla Frazee, and her debut novel for middle-grade readers, “The Great Good Summer”; as well as “Another Way to Climb a Tree”; “In the Canyon”; “Bob, Not Bob” (co-authored with Audrey Vernick), and several others. Scanlon serves on the faculty of the Vermont College of Fine Arts and currently lives in Austin, Texas.
Mikela Prevost’s illustrations have won awards and have been recognized by the Society of Illustrators. “Let’s Have a Dog Party!” was her first picture book as both author and illustrator. Prevost currently lives in Arizona with her husband, three children, two desert tortoises, and one dog.
Salina Yoon is the author, illustrator, and format designer of nearly two hundred innovative novelty books for young children, specializing in formats that are unique and interactive. She has created books that have play-appeal, like “Rock & Roll,” that make kids laugh and learn, like “Opposnakes,” and that surprise and mesmerize, like “Kaleidoscope.” Many of her books have flaps, tabs, die-cuts, and wheels. She also has created a character named Penguin for a picture book series who will make his debut with “Penguin and Pinecone.” She lives in San Marcos, CA.
Amy Hevron is an author, illustrator, and fine artist who draws inspiration from wildlife, nature, and travel. She is the illustrator of picture books “Trevor” by Jim Averbeck; “Moon Babies” by Karen Jameson; and “Dust Bunny Wants a Friend,” which she also wrote. Currently, she is illustrating “The Definitive Guide to Finding the Perfect Pet” by Estelle Laure, to be published in fall of 2021 from Harper Collins, and writing and illustrating “The Longest Journey: An Arctic Tern’s Migration,” out Spring 2022 from Neal Porter Books. Hevron lives in Seattle, WA.
Tony DiTerlizzi has been creating children’s books for twenty years. From fanciful picture books like “The Broken Ornament” and “The Spider & The Fly” (a Caldecott Honor book), to chapter books like “Kenny and The Dragon” and “The Search for WondLa,” DiTerlizzi imbues his stories with rich imagination.