* * * Countdown to BookExpo * * * The Buzz on African American, Children's, and Latin American/Latino Books

Booksellers with an interest in hearing about the newest offerings from publishers of African American, children's, and Latin American/Latino books will have the opportunity at Book Buzz Workshops at BookExpo America on Thursday, May 29, in Los Angeles. The workshops, new this year, are similar in concept to BEA's popular Editor and Bookseller Buzz Forum.

The African American Book Market Buzz, offered as part of the African American Booksellers Conference, will be held from 2:00 p.m. - 3:30 p.m. A panel of editors and publishers of African American imprints will give attendees updates on their new and upcoming titles and their efforts to help booksellers sell more books in this niche. Participants include Melody Guy, editor of Strivers Row; Jackie Carter, editorial director of Hyperion/Jump at the Sun; Karen Thomas, editorial director of Kensington; Linda Gill, vice president/publisher of BET Books; and Janet Hill, vice president/executive editor of Doubleday Harlem Moon.

As part of an all-day program co-sponsored by the American Booksellers Association, Association of Booksellers for Children, and the Children's Book Council Children's Booksellers and Publishers Committee, the Children's Book Buzz Workshop will be held from 2:30 p.m. - 3:45 p.m. At small roundtable discussions, editors and marketing staff from a variety of publishing houses will present exciting new titles. Participants include Karen Lotz and Lorraine Tauches of Candlewick Press; Allyn Johnston and Steve Kasdin of Harcourt Trade Publishers; Katherine Tegen and Diane Naughton of HarperCollins Children's Books; Laura Godwin and Sharon Hancock of Henry Holt Books for Young Readers; Liza Baker and Angus Killick of Hyperion Books for Children; Cynthia Eagan and Allison Devlin of Little, Brown & Co. Children's Books; Kathy Landwehr and Barbara Witke of Peachtree Publishers; Bonnie Verburg and Jennifer Pasanen of Scholastic/Blue Sky Press; David Gale and Michelle Montague of Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers; and Emily Easton and Beth Eller of Walker & Co.

New and forthcoming Spanish-language titles and English-language titles by Latino and Latin American authors will be the subject of a third Book Buzz Workshop. From 2:30 - 3:30, on Thursday, Adriana Lopez, editor of Críticas magazine, will moderate a panel featuring Rene Alegria of Rayo; Lee Byrd of Cinco Puntos Press; Marla Norman of Planeta; Roberto Rivas of Oceano; and others.

For complete BEA program information, click here.