Children's Activities
Children’s Author Spotlight: Raven Daley
10:30 a.m. – 11:20 a.m.
Multi-purpose Room (Ground Floor Campus Center West)
Raven Daley is a passionate storyteller, author, and advocate for diverse representation in childrens literature. As the founder of Daley Publishing Co., Raven is dedicated to creating meaningful stories that celebrate the life experiences of Black and Brown children. Her work emphasizes love, empowerment, and identity, encouraging young readers to embrace their uniqueness. She is the author of Kingston’s Mane, Oh Brother! I’m a Big Brother, and journals including the guided journal, My Story is Still Being Written.
Children’s Open Mic Reading
11:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.
Multi-purpose Room (Ground Floor Campus Center West)
Come hear featured young writers from Skribblers Magazine and the Capital District Writing Project as they share their writing.
Online Workshops
If you want to publish a picture book, start here with publishers
Ambika Sambasivan & Suhani Parikh
Wednesday, September 23, 7:00 p.m.
If you dream of publishing a picture book, understanding your goals and publishing pathways is step number one. In this interactive, workshop-style webinar, we will walk you through how to think about your picture book idea before you even write your first word. We will discuss the basic questions we ask ourselves and explore for any picture book concept
Ambika Sambasivan & Suhani Parikh Sambasivan & Parikh is a women-owned children press based in the Capital Region. We are proud to publish stories that feel like home and create books that highlight the experiences of children growing up across geographies and between cultures. Our imprints are: Yali Books Modern Marigold Books, and First Person Press.
Ambika discovered her love for crafting books as an illustrator and launched Yali Books with her mother Kala Sambasivan in 2014. Ambika is passionate about shaping stories that reflect and validate the experiences of children of color, particularly those of South Asian descent, through relatable and inspiring stories.
Suhani is a second-generation Indian-American author and mom of three. Her experience growing up with alopecia areata led her to write her debut book, Shreya's Very Own Style. Suhani launched Modern Marigold Books in 2019 to publish stories that promote social and emotional growth while amplifying early-generation diasporic voices.
Ambika and Suhani brought Yali Books and Modern Marigold Books together in 2024 under Sambasivan & Parikh, to continue building a space for diasporic perspectives in children's literature.
To learn more about Sambasivan & Parikh, visit their website here.