From I Am Jazz to Freakboy: Best Trans-themed Books for Kids
Workshop Description
In this workshop we'll discuss the best recent fiction and nonfiction featuring transgender and gender expansive themes. We'll also discuss how to approach schools and libraries about including these books in their curriculum, the pros and cons of LGBTQ/Rainbow sections in libraries and bookstores, and the importance of these books for cisgender children as well. A takeaway list of books appropriate for each age will be provided.
Conference Track
Family
Primary Contact
M. G. Hennessey, Young Adult Authors Supporting LGBTQIA Youth
Workshop Presenters
Brie Spangler, Young Adult Authors Supporting LGBTQIA Youth
Presenter Bio
Brie Spangler graduated from the Rhode Island School of Design and is the author-illustrator of two picture books: Peg Leg Peke and The Grumpy Dump Truck. She made her YA debut with Beast.
M. G. Hennessey, Young Adult Authors Supporting LGBTQIA Youth
Presenter Bio
M.G. Hennessey (she/her) loves Star Wars, the San Francisco Giants, strawberry ice cream, and dancing. A supporter of the Transgender Law Center, Gender Spectrum, and the Human Rights Campaign, she volunteers as a mentor with the LA LGBT Center’s Lifeworks program, helps organize the LA Gender Odyssey conference, and is the dean of Camp Transcend. She lives in Los Angeles with her family. Her book The Other Boy is a heartfelt story about a transgender boy’s journey toward acceptance. The Other Boy was called “a terrific read for all ages” by Jill Soloway, the award-winning creator of Transparent, and “an emotionally complex and achingly real read” by Ami Polonsky, author of Gracefully Grayson.
Kristin Elizabeth Clark
Presenter Bio
Kristin Elizabeth Clark is the author of critically acclaimed books FREAKBOY (2013, FSG Macmillan), and Jess, Chunk, and the Road Trip to Infinity (2017, also from Macmillan). Clark speaks at local and national conferences, presenting programming on literature, LGBTQ themes, and social justice. She lives in San Francisco, where she writes, teaches craft workshops, studies healing arts, and moonlights as a bookseller. You can visit her online at kristinelizabethclark.com or follow her on Twitter @KristinClarkYA.