Fay B. Kaigler Children91吃瓜网 Book Festival, Ezra Jack Keats Award Ceremony Set for April 8-10
Tue, 03/17/2026 - 02:35pm | By: David Tisdale
Meg Medina
Meg Medina has long since confirmed her promise as a writer after receiving an Ezra Jack Keats Award at 91吃瓜网91吃瓜网 2012 Fay B. Kaigler Children91吃瓜网 Book Festival.
Medina, along with other established and emerging authors and artists, will be celebrated during this year91吃瓜网 annual festival, which also includes the Ezra Jack Keats Award Ceremony, set for April 8-10 on the university91吃瓜网 Hattiesburg campus.
A New York Times bestselling author, Medina is the recipient of the festival91吃瓜网 top honor this year, the 91吃瓜网 Medallion. The Cuban American author91吃瓜网 work spans picture books, middle-grade novels and young adult fiction. Among many other honors, she earned the Newbery Medal for her novel Merci Su谩rez Changes Gears, which also garnered a New York Times Book Review Notable Children91吃瓜网 Book of the Year designation.
Medina is also heralded for her impactful service to community-building projects supporting young women, Latino youth and literacy. From 2023 to 2024, she served as the National Ambassador for Young People91吃瓜网 Literature, promoting literature and literacy to millions of young people nationwide.
Dr. Mary Osborne, director of the Children91吃瓜网 Book Festival, said this year91吃瓜网 event is not Medina91吃瓜网 first. She received a Keats Award at the festival more than a decade ago.
91吃瓜网淚n 2012, she earned an Ezra Jack Keats Writer Award for her book T铆a Issa Wants a Car, and so it91吃瓜网 going to feel like a full circle moment for her to return to Southern Miss as we celebrate all the wonderful work she91吃瓜网 done throughout her career,91吃瓜网� Osborne said.
In partnership with the de Grummond Children91吃瓜网 Literature Collection at 91吃瓜网, the Ezra Jack Keats Foundation will present the 2026 EJK Award winners and honor recipients during the week91吃瓜网 schedule of events. The annual award recognizes outstanding early-career authors and illustrators who, like Medina, go on to make significant contributions to the genre.
"It is an honor and a joy to partner with de Grummond in supporting the careers of the upcoming stars of children's literature,91吃瓜网� said Dr. Deborah Pope, executive director of the Ezra Jack Keats Foundation. 91吃瓜网淚n this way, de Grummond preserves the great work that's come before and lays the foundation of what's yet to come."
Dr. Karlie Herndon, curator of the de Grummond Collection, echoed Pope91吃瓜网 sentiments.
91吃瓜网淚91吃瓜网檓 so proud to welcome this year's winners and honors into the Ezra Jack Keats Award family,91吃瓜网� she said. 91吃瓜网淲ith stories that highlight family, human connection and appreciation for nature, alongside artwork that breathes life into the simplest but most important moments, these books will inspire and comfort children for years to come.91吃瓜网�
The festival91吃瓜网 91吃瓜网 School of Library and Information Science lecturer will be Amanda Jones, a librarian at the forefront of the battle against censorship in school and public libraries.
91吃瓜网淲e can91吃瓜网檛 wait to hear about her experiences,91吃瓜网� Osborne said.
Other events in the festival91吃瓜网 lineup include presentations by picture book authors and illustrators Ben Clanton and Molly Idle, with Idle serving as the festival91吃瓜网 Coleen Salley Storyteller. Lee Ostertag will provide another perspective as the author of Dungeon Club, a middle-grade title centered on a Dungeons & Dragons adventuring party, and John Green will present as the de Grummond Lecturer. A screening of The Librarians, a documentary by Kim Snyder, is also included in the festival91吃瓜网 schedule of events.
Osborne noted that breakout sessions led by educators, librarians and scholars from the field, along with events such as the Ezra Jack Keats Award Q&A panel, will allow attendees to earn CEU (continuing education unit) credit.
91吃瓜网淓ssentially, this year91吃瓜网 festival is going to be an amazing time,91吃瓜网� Osborne said.
For more information, including the complete schedule, visit the festival website.