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Spring Institute For Youth Services 2025 Featured Speakers

Opening Keynote with Gary Schmidt - 'To Watch the Woods Fill Up with Snow':  The Promises We Keep as People of the Book

Thursday, April 10 9:15 - 10:15 AM

In a time when books are so often targeted and banned at a rate well beyond anything we saw in the 1950s and 1960s it is proper to ask what it is that is so important about bringing children and books together, and what is so dreadful about the loss of such connections? Beyond literacy, what does a work of fiction bring to a middle grade or young adult student? What does a poem bring? A work of nonfiction?  The response may not be this:  Answers.  It may be something very different.

Gary Schmidt is an award-winning author of children’s and young adult literature, including Orbiting Jupiter (2015), Pay Attention, Carter Jones (2019), Just Like That (2021), and The Labors of Hercules Beal (2023). He has received two John Newbery Honor Awards for Lizzie Bright and the Buckminster Boy (2005) and The Wednesday Wars (2008). A professor at Calvin University since 1985, Schmidt holds a PhD in medieval literature and has written on topics ranging from children’s books to medieval imagery. He lives on a historic farm in Alto, Michigan, where he splits wood, plants gardens, and writes.

Afternoon Keynote with Kathy MacMillan - Welcoming Deaf Kids and Families to Your Library

Thursday, April 10 4:00 - 5:00 PM

In this interactive overview, you'll learn communication tips for interacting with D/deaf kids and parents, information about American Sign Language and Deaf Culture, best practices for program access, and even some basic ASL vocabulary to introduce yourself and help families navigate the library.

Kathy MacMillan is a nationally certified American Sign Language interpreter, librarian, and storyteller. She is the author of the Little Hands Signing series from Familius Press and Little Hands and Big Hands: Children and Adults Signing Together (Hands Up Press), as well as many other books for children, teens, librarians, and educators. She specializes in trainings that helps library staff better connect with the Deaf Community. Learn more at StoriesByHand.com.

Morning Keynote - Celebrating Our Stories: Fireside Chat with Author Aisha Saeed

Friday, April 11 9:00 - 10:00 AM

Aisha never saw herself in the stories she read as a child, so she knows how important it is for kids to feel seen. As an author she aims to write stories that underscore the common threads of humanity that bind us together and wants children realize just how important their stories are and how much their voice matters. Join acclaimed author Aisha Saeed for an intimate fireside chat as she shares insights into the power of storytelling and its role in shaping our identities, communities, and future. Aisha will discuss her journey as a storyteller, the inspiration behind her works, and the importance of amplifying diverse voices.

Aisha Saeed is an award-winning and New York Times bestselling author of books for children. Her middle grade novel Amal Unbound received multiple starred reviews and was a Global Read Aloud for 2018. Her picture book, Bilal Cooks Daal, received an APALA honor. Aisha is also a founding member of the nonprofit We Need Diverse Books. She lives in Atlanta with her family.

Closing Keynote with Kaitlin Johnstone - From Classroom to Kind Cotton: Building a Legacy of Literacy

Friday, April 11, 3:15 - 4:15 PM

In this inspiring keynote, Kaitlin Johnstone, co-founder of Kind Cotton, shares her powerful journey from kindergarten teacher to social entrepreneur. With a deep passion for children's education and literacy, Kaitlin recognized a critical gap in book access for kids and decided to make a difference. Together with her partner Kevin, Kaitlin launched Kind Cotton—a clothing company with a unique mission to donate books to children with every purchase.

Kaitlin Johnstone was a 7-year Kindergarten teacher and co-founder of a company called Kind Cotton. Kind Cotton is a clothing company dedicated to redefining kindness and putting books in the hands of kids. Their inclusive clothing helps to inspire others to rethink kindness as more than simple pleasantries, but rather take a deeper look into kindness being rooted in justice and grounded in action. With every purchase made, a book is directly given to a child through the Kind Cotton Reading Program. To date, Kaitlin and her husband Kevin have donated close to 150,000 books to children and teachers across the country.