Join NCTE for a members-only event with children’s book author Minh Lê, sponsored by NCTE’s Standing Committee on Global Citizenship. Members Darius Phelps and Jess Terbrueggen will moderate this evening conversation, which will explore the legacy of Lê’s work and how it, and diverse literature as a whole, can be utilized as a pathway to emancipation for this generation of students. See Phelps’s recent blog post as background reading before the event.

Wednesday, January 17, 7:00–8:00 p.m. ET

This is a members-only event, and registration is required. Please contact profdev@ncte.org with any questions.

Register here

There is also a separate classroom event with Minh Lê scheduled for earlier in the day. Find information about the afternoon event here.

Minh Lê is the author of several children’s books, including Drawn Together, which won the 2019 Asian/Pacific American Award for Literature, and Lift, which was an Eisner Award Nominee. His other books include Let Me Finish!, The Perfect Seat, and The Blur. Minh has written for the New York Times, the Horn Book, and the Huffington Post. He currently lives in San Diego, California, with his wife and kids. Visit him online at minhlebooks.com or on Instagram and Twitter @bottomshelfbks.

Photo © Daniel Corey

Darius Phelps is a PhD candidate at Teachers College, Columbia University, and a 2023 recipient of the NCTE Early Career Educator of Color Award. He is the Assistant Director of Programs at the Center for Publishing and Applied Liberal Arts (PALA) at New York University and is a manager at Brooklyn Poets. An educator, poet, spoken word artist, and activist, Darius writes poems about grief, liberation, emancipation, and reflection through the lens of a teacher of color experiencing Black boy joy. His poems have appeared in NYSEC’s English Record, NCTE’s English Journal, Pearl Press magazine, ëëN magazine, and many more. Recently, he was featured on WCBS and highlighted the importance of Black male educators in the classroom.

Jess Terbrueggen is an international educator, human rights practitioner, and literary arts advocate. She holds an MA in English education from Teachers College, Columbia University. Her global leadership experience has included advancing innovative education models in China, India, South Korea, Ecuador, and the United States. Presently, she lives and works in Washington, DC, at the District of Columbia International School. Additionally, she consults with a variety of human rights education organizations, including Human Rights Education Associates, the Council of Europe, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Generation Human Rights, and more. She serves on the Steering Committee and as the Washington, DC, Regional Representative for Human Rights Educators USA and is a member of the NCTE Standing Committee on Global Citizenship, as well as a mentor and guide for fellows in the Resolution Project.