About this Event
Three Powerhouse Creators. One Unforgettable Conversation: Meet Vashti Harrison and Traci N. Todd w/ Renée Watson in person, chat about books, and get your copies signed!
Author Chat & Book Signing: Join Third Eye Books for a special evening with three bestselling creators as they come together to celebrate That You Are Here Is No Small Thing.
Tracie N. Todd: is a Sibert Honor–winning writer and book editor whose work focuses on Black culture and social justice. Her books Nina: A Story of Nina Simone, illustrated by Christian Robinson, and Holding Her Own: The Exceptional Life of Jackie Ormes, illustrated by Shannon Wright, both won the Coretta Scott King Honor Award. Please visit her at TraciTodd.com.
Vashti Harrison: won the Caldecott Medal and the Coretta Scott King Honor Award and was a National Book Award Finalist for Big, which she authored and illustrated. She is also a two- time recipient of the NAACP Image Award for Literary Work for Children and has created many New York Times bestsellingbooks. She lives in New York City.
Renée Watson is a #1 New York Times bestselling author with over one million books sold. She has spent her career writing about Black girls finding their power, communities rebuilding after loss, and the quiet dignity of being seen. Her novel All the Blues in the Sky received the John Newbery Medal, awarded to the author of the most distinguished contribution to American literature for children. Her novel Piecing Me Together received a Coretta Scott King Award and a Newbery Honor. TIME named Watson a 2026 Visionary, honoring her commitment to helping children and young people reach their full potential. She splits her time between Portland, Oregon, and New York City.
TIME named Watson a 2026 Visionary, honoring her commitment to helping children and young people reach their full potential.
Watson was among the first authors invited to give a reading at the Obama Presidential Center. She has also given keynotes and readings at the United Nations, the Library of Congress, and U.S. embassies in South Korea, Japan, and New Zealand. She serves on the Education Advisory Council for the Academy of American Poets. She splits her time between Portland, Oregon, and New York City.
Penguin Young Readers is proud to publish THAT YOU ARE HERE IS NO SMALL THING (Viking Children’s Books; on sale September 1, 2026; ages 4-8), a stunning and unforgettable exploration of Black culture and history from Sibert Honor-winning author Traci N. Todd and Caldecott Medalist Vashti
Harrison. At once honest and empowering, this picture book is a story about the resilience of a people through incredible hardship. With its focus on Black history and Black culture, THAT YOU ARE HERE IS NO SMALL THING reveals painful moments of American history, while celebrating the future of Black children.
Traci N. Todd wrote this book having been inspired by the words of Octavia E. Butler and a trip to Senegal and Ghana, where she visited The Door of No Return, a final exit point through which millions of enslaved Africans were forced onto ships to the Americas. In contemplating this journey and hundreds of years of violence and oppression, Todd found the very survival and existence of Black children today to be nothing less than a miracle. “Our world is very loud. Messages come from all directions about who we should be and how and why. With this book, I want to help quiet that noise for Black children (and adults), especially those descended from enslaved Africans. We are here. That is enough. We were not meant to survive or remember. Yet here we are, dreaming. And here is this book, beautiful beyond all my wildest imaginings. But of course it is, because dear, brilliant Vashti gave it life.”
On collaborating with author Traci N. Todd, illustrator Vashti Harrison noted “It was an honor to work on a book with Traci and to feel her support throughout the process. Her rich, lyrical text was deeply evocative and opened a door for me to explore the African diaspora, from sculpture to textiles to hairstyles and beyond. I wanted the art to honor the depth of her words while expanding them into a story young readers could move through and discover. It was a challenging process that required lots of reference and research, but it ultimately allowed me to transform that door into a visual portal, inviting readers to stepinside and explore our history, culture, and future.”
Throughout these pages, descendants of enslaved Africans are guided through the history that led them to exist and thrive today. Through their young eyes, we see how Black Americans have always relied on each other to fight against oppression and the ways in which the strength of their ancestors continues to course through their veins. In acknowledging the painful past that Black Americans have endured, this stirring text celebrates the important survival story that Black children carry and their hope for a radiant future.
Event venue & nearby stays
34 NW 1st Ave, 34 Northwest 1st Avenue, Portland, United States
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