Learn about life, art, and telling your story with bestselling author, illustrator and syndicated cartoonist, Jerry Craft. Join us for a conversation about his works and journey to success, including a drawing demo that will be fun for the whole family!

Jerry Craft (https://jerrycraft.com) is the author-illustrator of #1 New York Times bestselling graphic novels New Kid, and its companion book, Class Act. New Kid was the first book in history to win the Newbery Medal (2020), The Coretta Scott King Author Award (2020), and the Kirkus Prize for Young Readers’ Literature (2019). In his latest book, School Trip, Jerry hopes to share his love of travel in order to inspire kids and their families to see the world and embrace new cultures. Craft is also the creator of Mama’s Boyz, an award-winning comic strip which won the African American Literary Award five times. He is a co-founder of the Schomburg Center’s Annual Black Comic Book Festival.

Craft will be joined in conversation by Ronell Whitaker, a founding member of the Lit-X Teacher Cohort. Whitaker is the English Curriculum Director for Community High School District 218 in Oak Lawn, Illinois. He has over 15 years of education experience and is a champion for comics in the classroom. He has presented across the country at conferences and conventions on the virtues of comics in the classroom. Whitaker also sits on the Board of Directors for Reading With Pictures. He believes in comics, and he likes to think that comics believe in him.