Fay B. Kaigler Children's Book Festival

Celebrating excellence in children’s and young adult literature

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The 2027 Fay B. Kaigler Children’s Book Festival will take place March 3-5 on campus at The University of Southern Mississippi in Hattiesburg, MS. We’re thrilled to announce that Nikki Grimes is the 2027 Southern Miss Medallion winner. There's not much that Nikki Grimes hasn't done. She's an author, artist, storyteller, and poet. She was inducted into the Black Authors Hall of Fame in 2023 and her other 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 -- among other awards. We're thrilled to welcome Nikki Grimes to the festival and celebrate her work.

Other 2027 Keynotes include Coleen Salley Storytelling Lecturer Joanna Ho, Jonathan Stutzman, Brittany Williams, de Grummond Lecturer Darcie Little Badger, and SLIS Lecturer Jerid P. Woods.