Margaret Atwood
Award-Winning Author
Margaret Atwood is the author of more than fifty books of fiction, poetry, and critical essays. Her novels include Cat’s Eye, The Robber Bride, Alias Grace, The Blind Assassin, and the MaddAddam trilogy.
Speakers
Meet the voices shaping the future of literacy education at NCTE 2026.
Opening General Session
Photo: Ruven Afanador
Friday General Session
Misty Copeland
New York Times bestselling author and former American Ballet Theatre principal dancer
The first African American woman ever to be promoted to principal dancer in ABT’s 75-year history, Copeland is the author of several books for young readers and adults.
Saturday General Session
Photo: Paul Smith
LeVar Burton
Actor, Director, Producer, Educator & Literacy Advocate
Join us Saturday morning for a fireside chat with LeVar Burton, the actor, author, and former Reading Rainbow host.
Closing General Session
© Caroline Fiss
Tomi Adeyemi
Hugo and Nebula Award-Winning Writer, Speaker & Model
Named one of Time magazine’s 100 Most Influential People, Tomi Adeyemi is the author of Children of Blood and Bone, Children of Virtue and Vengeance, and Children of Anguish and Anarchy.
Speaker information for this category coming soon.
College Section Luncheon
Photo: Bella Wang Photography
Natasha Singer
Author & New York Times Technology Reporter
New York Times reporter Natasha Singer has covered technology in schools for more than a decade and is the author of the forthcoming book Coding Kids: Big Tech’s Battle to Remake Public Schools.
Middle Level Luncheon
Photo: Nigel Livingstone
Nic Stone
#1 New York Times Bestselling Author
Author of the #1 New York Times bestseller Dear Martin, its sequel Dear Justyce, and the middle-grades novels Clean Getaway and Fast Pitch.
Children’s Book Awards Luncheon
Photo: Dave Clendenan
Megan Clendenan
Orbis Pictus Award Winner
Author of Just In Case: Saving Seeds in the Svalbard Global Seed Vault and Cities: How Humans Live Together, writing at the connections between history, society, and the environment.
Photo: Joe Cicchese
Brittany Cicchese
Orbis Pictus Award Winner, Illustrator
Illustrator of The Kitten Story: A Mostly True Tale and No More Señora Mimí, drawn to capturing emotion above all else.
María Dolores Águila
Charlotte Huck Award Winner
Chicana poet and author from San Diego whose novel-in-verse A Sea of Lemon Trees won the Charlotte Huck Children’s Book Award and was named a Newbery Honor Book.
ALAN Breakfast and Literary Session
Elizabeth Acevedo
New York Times Bestselling Author
New York Times bestselling author of The Poet X, winner of the National Book Award for Young People’s Literature, the Michael L. Printz Award, and the Pura Belpré Award.
Children’s Literature Assembly Breakfast
Photo: Blue Lo
Grace Lin
Award-Winning Author and Illustrator
Award-winning and bestselling author and illustrator of Where the Mountain Meets the Moon, Chinese Menu, and A Big Mooncake for Little Star.
Speaker information for this category coming soon.