Join our webinar format zoom with your class or small group as a virtual author visit to meet the multilingual and multicultural author for a read aloud and sharing of their lived experience. Questions and comments for the author can be submitted ahead of time using the link below

One event will be in the evening for families to join and/or for districts to host a group viewing event as part of their family engagement plan.

We suggest using grant funds to support access to the authors’ books for classrooms who plan to participate or as part of the family engagement event.

Reach out to OS ELD for links to session recordings.

1. Register in Zoom for each featured author event you'd like to attend. Links below for each author.
2. Sign up for one or multiple author visits.
3. Submit questions and ideas for the author using this Google Request Form prior to the visit.
4. Join the Zoom Webinar LIVE with your students!

José Olivarez is the son of Mexican immigrants, and the author of two collections of poems, including, most recently, Promises of Gold—which was long listed for the 2023 National Book Awards. His debut book of poems, Citizen Illegal, was a finalist for the PEN/Jean Stein Book Award and a winner of the 2018 Chicago Review of Books Poetry Prize. Along with Felicia Rose Chavez and Willie Perdomo, he co-edited the poetry anthology, The BreakBeat Poets Vol. 4: LatiNEXT. Alongside Antonio Salazar, he published the hybrid book, Por Siempre in 2023.

In 2018, he was awarded the first annual Author and Artist in Justice Award from the Phillips Brooks House Association and named a Debut Poet of 2018 by Poets & Writers. In 2019, he was awarded a Ruth Lilly and Dorothy Sargent Rosenberg Poetry Fellowship from the Poetry Foundation. His work has been featured in The New York Times, The Paris Review, and elsewhere.

Learn more about him and his work at José Olivarez's website.

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Saadia Faruqi is a Pakistani American author. She writes the popular children’s series “Yasmin” and other books, including chapter books, graphic novels, and picture books. In this session, Saadia will give a book talk about her graphic novel “Saving Sunshine,” which was nominated for the Eisner and Harvey awards in 2024, and was a Kirkus Best Book in 2023.

Learn more on Saadia Faruqi's website.

Register here for zoom link.

Supriya is an award-winning author, illustrator, and screenwriter who grew up in the Midwest, where she learned Hindi as a child by watching three Hindi movies a week.

Honored by the Michigan Congress on the House floor for her contributions to children’s literature, Supriya has worked on the writing teams for several Hindi films, including Lage Raho Munna Bhai and Eklavya: The Royal Guard, India’s entry into the 2007 Academy Awards.

Learn more on Supriya's website.

In accordance with state and federal law, Oakland Schools does not discriminate, nor permit discrimination, on the basis of race, color, national origin, ethnicity, religion, sex, pregnancy or parental status, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, disability, age, height, weight, marital status, military service, veteran status, genetic information, or any other legally protected status, in its educational programs and activities, employment, or enrollment. The District also provides equal access to the Boy Scouts and other designated youth groups.

For questions or complaints regarding unlawful discrimination or harassment, employees should contact the Assistant Superintendent of Human Resources, Personnel Management and Labor Relations at (248) 209-2429 or HR@oakland@k12.mi.us. Students and others should contact the Civil Rights/Title IX Coordinator at (248) 209-2590 or Jacqueline.Zablocki@oakland.k12.mi.us.