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Author & Publisher Events
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Author and publisher events are a must-do at PLA Conference. Join your fellow book lovers to hear from award-winning authors, socialize with your colleagues, and get your books signed!
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All times are Central Daylight Saving Time. ($) indicates an in-person event requiring a separate paid registration or ticket. (★) indicates an in-person event requiring a separate free registration or ticket. (V) indicates a virtual event requiring registration for the PLA Virtual Conference or the Virtual Conference add-on. Schedule is subject to change.
Audio Publishers Association Lunch ($)
Wednesday, April 1, 2026, 12:30 PM–1:45 PM
$70
This event is presented by the Audio Publishers Association.
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Sayantani DasGupta is the New York Times bestselling author of the critically acclaimed Bengali folktale and string theory-inspired Kiranmala and the Kingdom Beyond books, the first of which—The Serpent's Secret—was a Bank Street Best Book of the Year, a Booklist Best Middle Grade Novel of the 21st Century, and an E. B. White Read Aloud Honor Book. She is also the author of Debating Darcy, a contemporary young adult reimagining of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice. Sayantani is a pediatrician by training, but now teaches at Columbia University. When she's not writing or reading, Sayantani spends time watching cooking shows with her trilingual children and protecting her black Labrador retriever Khushi from the many things that scare him, including plastic bags. She is a team member of We Need Diverse Books, and can be found online at sayantanidasgupta.com and on Twitter at @sayantani16.
Sayantani appears courtesy Scholastic.
Kody Keplinger grew up in a small Kentucky town. During her senior year of high school, she wrote her debut novel, The DUFF, which is a New York Times bestseller, a USA Today bestseller, a YALSA Top Ten Quick Pick for Reluctant Readers, and a Romantic Times Top Pick. It has since been adapted into a major motion picture. Kody is also the author of Lying Out Loud, a companion to The DUFF; That's Not What Happened; Run; Shut Out; and A Midsummer's Nightmare, as well as the middle-grade novels Lila and Hadley and The Swift Boys & Me. Kody lives in New York City, where she teaches writing workshops and continues to write books for kids and teens. You can find more about her and her books at kodykeplinger.com.
Kody Keplinger appears courtesy Scholastic.
Jennifer Hillier is the author of the bestselling Little Secrets (finalist, Los Angeles Times Book Prize and Anthony Award), and Jar of Hearts (winner, ITW Thriller Award, and finalist for the Anthony and Macavity Awards). A Filipino-Canadian born and raised in Toronto, she spent several years in Seattle before returning home to Canada. She currently lives in Oakville, Ontario with her family.
Jennifer Hillier appears courtesy Macmillan Audio.
Isabel J. Kim lives near New York City in an apartment filled with books and swords. She is the author of numerous short stories and has won the Nebula, Locus, and the Shirley Jackson Award. Her work has been translated into multiple languages and reprinted in multiple best of the year anthologies. When she’s not writing, she’s practicing law or podcasting. Sublimation is her first novel.
Isabel J. Kim appears courtesy Macmillan Audio.
Ariel Sullivan is the author of Conform and Beneath. She lives in Connecticut with her husband, two sons, and their two French bulldogs. Growing up a military brat, Ariel moved every two years as a perpetual new kid; Ariel often observed from the outskirts, where a deep love of reading was born. When she isn’t writing, Ariel loves to read everything from poetry to psychology, bake with her sons, listen to live music, and travel.
Ariel Sullivan appears courtesy Penguin Random House Audio.
Author Spotlight with Mac Barnett (V)
Wednesday, April 1, 2026, 1:30 PM–2:15 PM
Requires Virtual Conference registration or add-on
A book for adults about books for children, a rallying cry for art and imagination, and a celebration of the power of storytelling in all our lives. Make Believe is bestselling children’s author Mac Barnett’s incisive, intimate, and timely invitation to approach children’s literature not only as an art form worthy of deep study and criticism, but as a portal into the lives of the children. And at a time when we are faced with a national literacy crisis, he champions the profound joys of literature and the importance of reading for pleasure.
Mac Barnett is the ninth U.S. National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature, appointed by the Library of Congress and Every Child a Reader. He’s a New York Times-bestselling author of stories for children and the writer, with Jon Klassen, of Looking at Picture Books, a newsletter for adults about how picture books work. Barnett’s work has been translated into more than thirty languages and sold more than 5 million copies worldwide. His books have won many prizes, including two Caldecott Honors, three New York Times/New York Public Library Best Illustrated Awards, three E.B. White Read Aloud Awards, the Boston Globe-Horn Book Award, Germany’s Jugendliteraturpreis, China’s Chen Bochui International Children’s Literature Award, The Netherlands’ Silver Griffel, and Italy’s Premio Orbil.
Mac Barnett appears courtesy Hachette/Little, Brown.
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Children's-Author Breakfast (★)
Thursday, April 2, 2026, 7:00 AM–8:00 AM
This event requires a separate registration but is currently sold out.
Start your day with a complimentary breakfast and hear from renowned children’s authors.
Donna Barba Higuera is the New York Times bestselling author. Her books reinvent history, folklore, and her own life experience into compelling storylines. She lives in Washington State with her family. Her books have been translated into over a dozen languages and include Lupe Wong Won't Dance, El Cucuy Is Scared, Too!, The Last Cuentista Series, The Yellow Handkerchief, and have won awards including: the Newbery medal, both Pura Belpré medal and honor, PNBA best book of the year award, and the Sid Fleischman award for best children's humor book of the year.
Sara Pennypacker is the author of several acclaimed novels for middle-grade readers, including The Lions’ Run; the #1 New York Times bestselling Pax (a National Book Award Longlist title) and Pax, Journey Home; the Clementine series (Boston Globe-Horn Book Award Honor) and its spinoff series, Waylon; and Summer of the Gypsy Moths, Here in the Real World, and Leeva at Last. She divides her time between Cape Cod and Southern California.
Marley Dias made headlines as a sixth grader when she started the #1000BlackGirlBooks campaign to collect children's books featuring Black protagonists. Her initiative led to national media attention and served as a springboard to Marley’s global literacy advocacy work and social activism. Her book Marley Dias Gets It Done: And So Can You! was hailed in a Kirkus Reviews starred review as “an irresistible call to action for people of all ages.” Marley is currently the Ambassador of National Educational Association (NEA) Read Across America and serves as Host and Executive Producer of Netflix’s “Bookmarks: Celebrating Black Voices.” The Dias family lives in New Jersey. To learn more, visit marleydias.com/about.
Katherine Applegate is the Newbery Medal-winning and #1 New York Times bestselling author of numerous books for young readers, including the One and Only series, the Endling series, Wombat Waiting, Crenshaw, Wishtree, Willodeen, Odder, the Roscoe Riley Rules chapter books series, and the Animorphs series. She lives with her family in Nevada.
Author Lunch with Ann Patchett & Kate DiCamillo ($)
Thursday, April 2, 2026, 12:30 PM–1:45 PM
$70
Join us on Thursday to hear from award-winning authors Ann Patchett and Kate DiCamillo!
Ann Patchett is the author of novels, most recently the #1 New York Times bestselling Tom Lake, works of nonfiction, and children's books. She has been the recipient of numerous awards, including the PEN/Faulkner, the Women's Prize for Fiction in the UK, and the Book Sense Book of the Year. Her novel The Dutch House was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize. Her work has been translated into more than thirty languages, and Time magazine named her one of the 100 Most Influential People in the World. President Biden awarded her the National Humanities Medal in recognition of her contributions to American culture. She lives in Nashville, Tennessee, where she is the owner of Parnassus Books. Her novel Whistler is forthcoming in June of 2026.
Kate DiCamillo is one of America’s most beloved storytellers. She is a former National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature and a two-time Newbery Medalist. Born in Philadelphia, she grew up in Florida and now lives in Minneapolis.
Summer Sizzlers from BookPage (V)
Thursday, April 2, 2026, 12:30 PM–1:30 PM
Requires Virtual Conference registration or add-on
Millions of readers across the country rely on BookPage to discover their next great book. In this buzz panel, publisher and editor-in-chief Trisha Ping will cover our editors' top adult picks for summer—from bestsellers to midlist to hidden gems—featuring a diverse range of authors, genres and topics.
Trisha Ping is publisher and editor-in-chief at BookPage, an editorially independent recommendation guide for readers, highlighting the best new books across all genres as chosen by our editors.
Author Lunch with Colson Whitehead ($)
Friday, April 3, 2026, 12:30 PM–1:45 PM
$70
Join us on Friday to hear from Pulitzer Prize-winning author Colson Whitehead!
Colson Whitehead is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of twelve works of fiction and nonfiction, and is a two-time winner of the Pulitzer Prize, for The Nickel Boys and The Underground Railroad, which also won the National Book Award. A recipient of MacArthur and Guggenheim fellowships, he lives in New York City.
Book Buzz Stage
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Hear the latest publisher buzz for 2026 at the Book Buzz Stage, located in the Exhibits Hall!
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Thursday, April 2, 2026
Friday, April 3, 2026
PLA thanks Ingram for its support of the Book Buzz Stage.
Ingram is a platinum-level sponsor of the PLA 2026 Conference.
