Events and Appearances

WE ARE NO LONGER ACCEPTING PROPOSALS FOR 2023. THE 2024 PROPOSAL WINDOW WILL OPEN THIS FALL.

Official Visit Components

Each official visit will follow a format that allows Meg to interact directly with students as well as the community at large.

Each official visit must support these key components:

• One (1) daytime school visit with students at a local school or summer program (specific age range must be selected)
• One (1) evening public visit at a local library (with the option of book sales and signing)
• A private tour of the public library for Meg Medina. The tour will yield a short video featuring Medina that highlights a space/program in the library that is useful for kids and families (makerspace, special collections items, summer reading program, etc.)

Important Information

• Proposals featuring public events at local libraries will be prioritized, but community sites (recreation/youth centers, bookstores, etc.) may also be considered.
• Some official National Ambassador events may take place in May-July, so please consider your annual calendar and/or any programs you host during the summer, e.g., required summer school, tailored in-school camps, summer reading programs, etc.
• Please complete the form to the best of your ability with the information you have now. We will work with selected locations to finalize all details and personalize/modify the public-facing programming.
• Proposals collected in 2023 will be considered for 2023 events only. There will be a separate opportunity to submit for 2024 visits.
• Travel expenses for official National Ambassador events are covered by Every Child a Reader and the Library of Congress. Books will be provided for every student at Medina’s school event. Event locations will need to provide appropriate security. We will work with each location regarding logistics, security, and possible book sales at the public event.

Proposal Checklist

The online submission form includes five sections:
– General Information
– Public Evening Event Information
– Private Daytime Student Event Information
– Event Promotion Information
– Helpful Travel Information

Each proposal must include a private event and a public event. We ask that all participating organizations coordinate to submit a single, unified proposal.

To successfully submit, gather all information before completing the online form. Use this proposal checklist to see the order of the required information.

About Meg Medina and her National Ambassador Platform

Medina, a Cuban-American, is the first author of Latina heritage to serve as National Ambassador in the program’s history. She succeeds Jason Reynolds, who served as the National Ambassador from 2020 through 2022.

Medina’s books examine how culture and identity intersect through the eyes of young people. Her middle-grade novel “Merci Suárez Changes Gears,” the first of three books in a trilogy about the Suárez family, received the 2019 Newbery Medal and was named a notable children’s book of the year by the New York Times Book Review. Her most recent picture book, “Evelyn Del Rey Is Moving Away,” received multiple honors, including the 2021-2022 Charlotte Zolotow Award. Raised in Queens, New York, Medina now lives with her family in Richmond, Virginia.

For her two-year term as National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature, Medina will engage readers across the country through her platform Cuéntame!: Let’s Talk Books. Inspired by the Spanish phrase that friends and families use when catching up with one another, “¡Cuéntame!” encourages connection among families, classrooms, libraries, and communities by talking about books—both those books that reflect the readers’ lived experiences and those books that expose readers to new perspectives.

Read More.

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2023 National Ambassador Appearances

January 23: Inauguration Ceremony at the Library of Congress. Watch the Inauguration event.