What's Up with KidLit? Industry Experts Panel

What’s Up with KidLit? Industry experts on crafting stories for young readers

From enchanting picture books to riveting young adult novels, books have the power to turn young people into lifelong readers. But children’s literature has also become a battleground in the culture wars, readership is in deep decline, and AI is everywhere. What is the state of children’s literature today? And what will make your story stand out from the crowd?

This panel features three industry professionals with comprehensive knowledge of the field. Our discussion will provide candid insights into the current children’s literary landscape, evolving children’s publishing trends, and provide practical tips for aspiring writers and insights for parents and educators into the unique challenges and opportunities of children’s publishing today. 

If you want a clear understanding of how books make a difference, and how yours can stand out in a competitive field, join us.

PANELISTS:
Maria Russo is an Editor-at-Large at Union Square Kids, an imprint of Grand Central Publishing, part of Hachette Book Group. Previously she was an Editorial Director at Astra Books for Young Readers. Maria also worked for many years as a cultural journalist, including five years as Children's Books Editor of The New York Times Book Review. She is the co-author of How to Raise a Reader (Workman) and lives in Montclair, NJ.

Carter Hasegawa has been in the children’s book world for over 20 years—as a book seller for various indies across the US, as an editor at Candlewick Press, and now, as a literary agent with Tugeau 2 Art and Literary Agency. Originally from Seattle, Carter now lives in Boston with his librarian wife and their two young sons.

Kat Brzozowski is a senior editor at Feiwel & Friends, an imprint of Macmillan Children's Publishing Group, where she has worked since 2016 after seven years at St. Martin’s Press. She has edited a wide range of titles, including the New York Times-bestselling picture I Love You More Than You’ll Ever Know by Leslie Odom Jr. and Nicolette Robinson, with art by Joy Hwang Ruiz, Anna-Marie McLemore’s When the Moon was Ours and The Mirror Season, both longlisted for the National Book Award, and new Fear Street books in R.L. Stine’s best-selling series, which has sold over eighty million copies worldwide.