Carmen Agra Deedy is a New York Times bestselling author and has been writing and traveling around the world telling stories for more than 20 years. Her books, including 14 Cows for America, The Rooster Who Would Not Be Quiet, The Yellow Star, and Martina the Beautiful Cockroach, have received numerous awards and honors. Carmen has performed in many prestigious venues, but children are her favorite audience. Born in Havana, Cuba, she came to the United States as a refugee and like most immigrants sees the world from multiple perspectives.
Carnegie Corporation of New York was created by Andrew Carnegie in 1911 to promote the advancement and diffusion of knowledge and understanding.� Building on its history and past programs in the field, Carnegie Corporation will dedicate a major part of its grant funds over the next few years to education reform, beginning with early childhood education and extending to higher education.
Carole Boston Weatherford is a children’s book author and poet who “mines the past for family stories, fading traditions, and forgotten struggles.” A number of Weatherford’s books tell the stories of African-American historical figures such as Harriet Tubman, Jesse Owens, and Billie Holiday. Other books recount historical events such as the Greensboro Sit-ins and the bombing of the Sixteenth Street Baptist Church in Birmingham. Weatherford’s books have received a wide variety of awards, including the 2022 Coretta Scott King Book Award for Unspeakable: The Tulsa Race Massacre.
Carol Jago taught English in middle and high school for more than 30 years and is a popular speaker at national education conferences. She is a past president of the National Council of Teachers of English, and serves as an associate director of the California Reading and Literature Project at UCLA.
