WIL TO BE A GUEST AUTHOR AT THIS YEAR’S NJASL FALL CONFERENCE IN DECEMBER

The 2023 fall conference for the New Jersey Association of School Librarians, which will follow the wonderful theme of ‘A World of Stories: A Celebration of Diversity in School Libraries,’ will feature numerous authors and illustrators from around the state, Wil among them. Wil is the author of more than 300 books, both fiction and non, and a past NJASL Author of the Year. The conference will take place at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Atlantic City, New Jersey, from December 3rd to 5th. If you haven’t yet signed up, you are strongly encouraged to do so, for the sessions and networking opportunities are always fantastic. The main portal page for this event is here—

https://www.njasl.org/FallConf

As a featured participant in ‘Authors and Illustrators Alley,’ Wil is going have copies of his ‘Twisted’, ‘Izzy Jeen the Big-Mouth Queen’, and ‘Kid from Planet 27’ books on hand, along with varied offering of FREE posters, bookmarks, and informational flyers (including new ones for his ‘Best Bang for Your Budget’ author visits!). So if you attend, please make a point of stopping by to see him and say hello!

To visit Wil’s main site, which has further information about all of his books, please go to—

http://www.wilmara.com/

To contact us, please use general@wilmara.com. All emails are answered within 24 hours.

WIL TO BE A PANELIST AT THIS YEAR’S NYC ‘BEYOND ACCESS FORUM’

Wil is going to be participating in this year’s ‘Beyond Access Forum’ event, hosted by the New York City Department of Education, as a panelist for the session on ‘Navigating Book Challenges: Insights and Advice from School Librarians and a Children’s Author’. Primary topics will include the rising threat of book banning, against which Wil has spoken out publicly on many occasions. 

He will be joined on the panel by Lindsay Klemas, former high school librarian, who will be discussing her experiences around inclusive displays, collections, and the emotional toll of pushing back on challenges. Also, Patricia Sarles, Library Coordinator and moderator of the session. And finally Melissa Jacobs, Director of Library Services, who will discuss NYC Public Schools Collection Development Policy and Selection Criteria, and why it’s essential to focus on building inclusive collections.

Please note that this is an entirely online event that will take place on Tuesday, November 7th. It features many other sessions and networking opportunities to aid in professional development. For full details and to register, please use the following link—

https://www.techlearningevents.com/nycbeyondaccess-november2023/home?ref=J23

WIL ON PBS TO DISCUSS BANNED BOOKS

Wil taped an interview segment last month for PBS’s ‘New Jersey Spotlight News’ on the red-hot topic of banned books. The threat of censorship in our school and public libraries is growing at an alarming rate. National Banned Book Week ran from September 18-24 this year, and PBS contacted Wil for an author’s perspective as part of a larger report on the issue. Also interviewed was New Jersey librarian Martha Hickson, who received the Lemony Snicket Prize for Noble Librarians earlier this year and has endured considerable challenges of her own where book banning is concerned.

Click on the image below to check out the segment.

For contact, please use general@wilmara.com. All emails are answered within 24 hours.

WIL’S ‘TWISTED’ SERIES IS NOW AVAILABLE INTERNATIONALLY

One of the fastest-growing new series of middle-grade novels, Wil’s ‘Twisted’ books have now begun distributing to more than a dozen nations around the world, including China, Japan, England, New Zealand, Canada, Ireland, Australia, and the Czech Republic. This follows the recent success of two new titles—‘A Pool of Deathly Blue’ and ‘The Other’—to add to the original five that launched the series shortly before the Covid pandemic. More ‘Twisted’ stories will be releasing later this year, including ‘The Mystery of Locker 24’, which was announced a short time ago.

The ‘Twisted’ books have already become a staple among library collections, noted for their ‘Twilight Zone’-esque storylines, real-world themes, fully formed characters, and particular appeal among reluctant readers. The Junior Library Guild made the second title, ‘House of a Million Rooms’, one of their Main Selection Picks while also giving it their Gold Standard Award for middle-grade fiction writing. The latest title, ‘The Other’, received a superb review in ‘Booklist’, and the series as a whole has received ringing endorsements from librarians all across the United States, including one from American Library Association president emeritus Betty Turock.

To order titles direct from the publisher—

http://www.enslow.com/series/twisted

For contact, please use general@wilmara.com. All emails are answered within 24 hours.

WIL MARA IS THE 2020 NEW JERSEY AUTHOR OF THE YEAR

We are thrilled to announce that Wil Mara has been chosen by the New Jersey Association of School Librarians as the 2020 New Jersey Author of the Year! Wil is a 35-year veteran of the publishing industry with more than 300 books to his credit. He has penned both fiction and nonfiction for all ages, written over a span of more than thirty years and released through some of the biggest houses in the world, including Rosen, Macmillan, Dorling Kindersley, Scholastic, St. Martin’s Press, Tor, and others. Most recently, his ‘Twisted’ series has become a hit with parents, teachers, librarians, and middle-grade students, including those in the challenging reluctant and hi-lo categories.

Wil also served inside the industry as an editor, production manager, and executive for twenty years, with tenures at Prentice Hall, McGraw-Hill, and Harcourt Brace. He has since entered the realm of Hollywood, now developing his ‘Twisted’ series for television with one of the leading LA-based production companies, as well as three other projects based on his published works. Peripherally, he does numerous appearances to teach writing skills for schools and other institutions, is an executive committee member on the board of directors for the New Jersey Center for the Book, the host of the ‘Voice of American Libraries’ podcast, and was the 2019 recipient of the Literary Lion of New Jersey Award, whose past winners include Gus Friedrich, Dean Emeritus of Rutgers University, and Joyce Carol Oates, National Book Award winner and Pulitzer Prize finalist.

For contact, please use general@wilmara.com. All emails are answered within 24 hours.

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