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Diversity Guest Author Series

Our Diversity Guest Author Series seeks to expose students from Charlotte area schools—both public and independent—to award-winning writers and literary voices. The program serves our mission and brings to life our Affirmation of Community.   

Joseph Bruchac and students

Giving students access to a caliber of writers promotes a love of reading and increases literacy.  Reading great literature that is relevant to the lives and daily experiences of students helps to build empathy and compassion within them.

Welcoming Literary Giants

Since 2006, every year we invite an award-winning writer or literary voice whose work introduces students to diverse cultural backgrounds. We have proudly welcomed the following literary giants:

  • Joseph Bruchac 
  • Justina Chen 
  • Jerry Craft
  • Matt de la Peña 
  • I.W. Gregorio
  • Nina LaCour 
  • Sonia Levitin
  • Kekla Magoon
  • Guadalupe Garcia McCall 
  • Walter Dean Myers
  • Charles R. Smith, Jr. 
  • Nic Stone
  • Neela Vaswani 
  • Alicia Williams
  • Jacqueline Woodson 

Read more about our visiting authors.

CMS Partnership

The Diversity Guest Author Series has benefitted over 5,000 Charlotte-Mecklenburg middle and high school students at the following schools:
 
Berean Junior Academy 
Bradley Middle School 
Cochrane College Academy 
Collinswood Language Academy 
E. E. Waddell Language Academy
Francis Bradley Middle School 
Independence High School
James Martin Middle School 
McClintock Middle School 
Military & Global Leadership Academy 
Myers Park High School 
Oaklawn Language Academy
Northridge Middle School    Olympic High School 
Piedmont Middle School 
Ranson IB Middle School 
Ridge Road Middle School 
Smith Middle School  
South Academy of Language
South Mecklenburg High School 
SouthWest Middle School 
Wilson Middle School