The Virginia Hamilton Conference on Multicultural Literature for Youth
will return in April 2025. 

Advisory Board Chair, Mary Anne Nichols Speaks About The Importance Of The Virginia Hamilton Conference on Multicultural Literature for Youth


 

The Virginia Hamilton Conference on Multicultural Literature for Youth is the longest-running event in the United States to focus exclusively on multicultural literature for children and young adults.  With a strong following of librarians, educators, authors, illustrators, scholars, faculty, staff, students and fans, conference attendees gather to honor award-winning author Virginia Hamilton.

The conference mission is to promote cultural awareness and affirmation of lived experiences, such as finding one’s place in the world.

The conference is held at Kent State University in Kent, Ohio. 

Over the years, the Virginia Hamilton Conference on Multicultural Literature for Youth has elevated creators (authors, illustrators, publishers, storytellers) who craft stories for youth that celebrate culture and lived experiences. It has provided tools and resources to those who work with youth such as librarians and educators, so they can identify culturally authentic stories that promote appreciation and acceptance.  And, it has created advocates who will help youth to identify themselves in stories and to understand and appreciate cultural differences which develop healthy communities and positive relationships. 

The Conference is sponsored by the College of Communication and Information and the School of Information

 

  • ​Growing up on a small farm near Yellow Springs, Ohio, in the 1940s, Virginia Hamilton was lovingly embraced by the sights, sounds and smells of rural America, and by a big extended family of cousins, uncles, and aunts. All these things would come into play in the children’s stories Hamilton would spin as an adult.  read more

  • With the 2020 Conference postponed, the Arnold Adoff Poetry Committee has decided to announce the 2020 awards and honor the poets virtually. Please join us in congratulating the recipients as we continue to celebrate diverse poets and poetry.

  • April 28, 2023

    Kent State University