Visiting Authors

This May, we are very lucky to welcome three authors to SPS: Javier Zamora, Vashti Harrison, and Tommy Orange.

Javier Zamora is the author of the award-winning memoir, Solito. In it, he recounts his journey to the U.S. as an unaccompanied child, giving us a glimpse into the realities of child migration as well recounting his quest to reunite with his family. Written from the point of view of his 9-year-old self, readers can never forget that this journey is being experienced by a child. That child grew up to be both an author and a poet. In their review, The New York Times remarked, “Solito proves that giving a poet an opportunity to turn his eye to nonfiction is a gamble that clearly pays off.” You can hear Mr. Zamora’s story during his chapel talk on Monday May 5th.

Vashti Harrison is the author of Big, which won the 2024 Caldecott Medal. In her acceptance speech, she said “There is no dedication in Big. I wanted this book to be for anyone who needs it. For the kids who might use it as a mirror or a window into someone else’s experience. For the adults who spend time with young people and want to be more thoughtful with the words they use. For every person who has felt like there was something wrong with their body”. You can hear from Ms. Harrison during her chapel talk on Tuesday May 6th.

Tommy Orange is the author of There There and Wandering Stars. An enrolled member of the Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes of Oklahoma, he writes about the lives of urban Native Americans. There There won the 2019 American Book Award and was a finalist for the 2019 Pulitzer Prize. In an interview, Mr. Orange talked about writing from his own life. “Literature did not represent me or my experience at all,” he said. “The limited amount that I was exposed to at the time was very reservation based.” You can hear from Mr. Orange during his chapel talk on Monday May 12th.