Children's Literature Festival at the University of Central Missouri

04/08/2026

Can you believe it’s been a full month since CLF 2026?! 🫨 Check out these fantastic pictures of some of our presenters taken by photographer, Andrew Mather!

03/11/2026

CLF 57 is complete! Thank you to everyone who came out! We can't wait to do it again next year!

03/10/2026

We love our CLF Presenters! 🙌🎉

03/10/2026

The Sunday luncheon and book signing were fantastic! Thank you to everyone who came out!

03/06/2026

CLF Staff are working hard to make this CLF 57 the best ever! We're excited to see everyone next week! Who's ready???

03/03/2026

Say hello to new CLF presenter, Sherri Winston! Winston is the author of Walter Award winner, Kirkus Prize Finalist, and Schneider Family Award Honoree Shark Teeth, National Book Award longlist title Lotus Bloom and the Afro Revolution, as well as President of the Whole Fifth Grade, The Sweetest Sound, Jada Sly: Artist & Spy, and The Kayla Chronicles. Before Sherri was an author, she was a longtime newspaper writer and columnist. She grew up in Michigan and now resides in North Carolina.

03/02/2026

Check out this article about the festival!

The University of Central Missouri (UCM) will celebrate the 57th annual Children’s Literature Festival March 8-10, welcoming 25 nationally recognized authors and illustrators to campus.

03/02/2026

Registration closes tomorrow, March 3 @ noon! Complete your registration today if you haven't already! If you need any help with registration after that point, please reach out to us at [email protected].

03/02/2026

Welcome, new CLF presenter, Dave Valeza! Valeza is an artist based in Savannah, GA. He is best known for his work on the graphic novel trilogy by Rex Ogle: Four Eyes, Pizza Face, and Fruitcake. Emigrating with his family from the Philippines, Dave grew up in Covina, California. From an early age he nurtured his imagination by reading, and learned to express himself through drawing. Pursuing this love of drawing, Dave found outlets for making art and comics in school, and has earned college degrees in both illustration and sequential art. His favorite subjects to draw are people, fashion, and technology. Find out more about Dave and his work at davevaleza.com.

02/28/2026

Welcome returning CLF presenter, Erin Stewart! Stewart is an award-winning author of realistic fiction for teens and tweens. Her novels for teens include The Words We Keep (an ALA Schneider Award recipient and 2025 Missouri Gateway winner) and Every Borrowed Beat. Her middle-grade debut, The Forgotten Magic of Zoey Turner, hit shelves last year followed by The Mysterious Magic of Lighthouse Lane in 2026. Erin is a heart failure survivor, mother of three and firm believer that Hot Tamales should be a recognized food group.