Joy of Literacy and Literature Conference
Discovering Joy in Reading
Join us as we cultivate the joy of reading, with a full day of interactive and engaging sessions by teachers and other experts in K-12 literacy and literature. Come explore ways to kindle your students’ passion for reading a good book!
Donalyn Miller is an award-winning educator and free reading advocate. She is the author or co-author of numerous books and articles about independent reading, book and library access, and the development of positive reading communities. Her seminal work, The Book Whisperer (Wiley, 2009), was called “a primer of the heart on how to make reading magical again” by Carol Ann Tomlinson. Her most recent books are The Joy of Reading (Heinemann, 2022), co-written with Dr. Teri Lesesne and The Commonsense Guide to Your Classroom Library (Scholastic, 2022), co-written with Colby Sharp. Donalyn is the co-founder of The Nerdy Book Club blog and the founder of the summer and holiday reading challenge, #bookaday.
New York Times bestselling author Nikki Grimes was inducted into the Black Authors Hall of Fame in 2023. Her honors include the CSK Virginia Hamilton Lifetime Achievement Award, the ALAN Award for significant contributions to young adult literature, the Children’s Literature Legacy Medal, and the NCTE Award for Excellence in Poetry for Children. Author of the Coretta Scott King Award-winner Bronx Masquerade, and five Coretta Scott King Author Honors, she won the Printz Honor and Sibert Honor for her memoir Ordinary Hazards. Her latest titles include Garvey’s Choice:The Graphic Novel, a School Library Journal 2023 Best Book; Lullaby for the King, one of Book Riot’s 25 Best Christmas Books of All Time; and A Walk in the Woods, recipient of 8 starred reviews, and 11 Best Book listings for 2023, including the New York Times, NPR, and Smithsonian Magazine. Ms. Grimes lives in Corona, California.
Details
- Tuesday, February 24, 2026
- 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.; Registration opens at 8:00 a.m.
- W&M School of Education
Audience
- K-12 General & Special Education Teachers, Literacy Specialists
Fees
- $200/person - SURN Division Member
- $275/person - General (Non-SURN Division Member)
Includes morning coffee, conference, materials, & lunch
SURN Division Member Registration:
Credit Card StoreCheck/Invoice Store
General (Non-SURN Division Member) Registration:
Credit Card StoreCheck/Invoice Store
Please contact surn@wm.edu with any dietary needs you may have prior to February 10, 2026. After this date, we are not able to accommodate dietary requests.
SURN is unable to provide a refund for this event. If a registered individual cannot attend, a substitute can be sent in their place. Please email surn@wm.edu with this change.
Registration will close approximately one week in advance of this event or earlier, if the event reaches capacity. We will update this webpage when registration closes.
If you're interested in your division joining SURN, please have your Superintendent or Superintendent's designee contact Amy Colley at accolley@wm.edu.
Email surn@wm.edu with questions about this event or registration.