Events and Appearances

2024 National Ambassador Appearances

Los Angeles and Santa Monica, CA – April 4 & 5
Public event at Santa Monica Public Library Pico branch, 4pm on April 5
School event with Stevenson Middle School
See highlights from Meg’s visit of the public library.

Nashua, NH – May 12 & 13
Public event at Nashua Public Library, 2pm on May 12
School event at Fairgrounds Middle School
See highlights from Meg’s trip.

Brownsville, TX – July 17 & 18
Public event at Brownsville Public Library (main branch). 11am on July 17
See highlights from Meg’s visit of the Public Library.

Milwaukee, WI – June 24 & 25
Milwaukee Public Library and United Community Center
(in partnership with the Wisconsin Center for the Book)

Salina, KS – October 21 & 22
Public event at Salina Public Library, 6pm on October 22
School event at Salina South High School
See highlights from Meg’s visit of the Public Library.

Kansas City, MO – October 24 & 25
Public event at Mid-Continent Public Library, 6pm October 24
School event at Grandview Middle School
Public event at The Rabbit hOle, 7pm October 25
See highlights from Meg’s last ambassador tour visit in Kansas, MO.

2023 National Ambassador Appearances

Washington, DC – January 23
Inauguration Ceremony at the Library of Congress. Watch the Inauguration event.

Virtual Event – May 15
Fairview Elementary in Lake Charles, LA

Newburgh, NY – June 13 & 14
Public event at the Newburgh Free Library, 6pm on June 13
School event with Horizons-on-the-Hudson Magnet School​ and Balmville Elementary School
See highlights from Meg’s visit and her exploration of the public library.

Lake Charles, LA – July 18
Public event at Calcasieu Parish Public Library, 6pm on July 18
See highlights from Meg’s visit.

Washington, DC – August 12
National Book Festival

Nashville, TN – September 12
School event with J.E.Moss, Westmeade, and Mt. View Elementary schools
Public event at Nashville Public Library, 6pm on September 12. See highlights from Meg’s visit and her exploration of the city.

Kent, WA – November 13 & 14
School event with Mill Creek Middle School
Public event at Kent Library, 6pm on November 14. See highlights from Meg’s visit and her exploration of the public library.

Nampa, ID – November 16 & 17
Public event at Nampa Public Library, 6pm on November 16
School event with Sage Valley Middle School
See highlights from Meg’s visit.

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.

Information on Proposal Submissions — THE 2024 PROPOSAL WINDOW IS NOW CLOSED.

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