Community Literacy Conference

The annual CLiF Community Literacy Conference, designed around broad themes connecting to literacy, offers the chance for personal learning combined with meaningful connection. Most importantly, this conference is based around the JOY of reading and writing! That is what CLiF is all about and what we hope to inspire in this conference.

Date: March 26, 2026
Location: Fireside Inn in West Lebanon, NH
Keynote Speaker: Jarrett J. Krosoczka
Registration: Opening in January, 2026!

We invite all CLiF partners – librarians, teachers, school staff, administrators, out-of-school time providers, early educators, informal educators, mentors, supporters, and other friends of CLiF. Certificates of professional development will be provided upon request after completion of the conference.

The 2026 conference will include all the beloved aspects of the CLiF Community Literacy Conference:

• Presentations with ideas you can use in your classroom, learning space, or library with opportunities to share with the group and ask questions of the presenters and attendees.
• Low-cost registration fee to make this professional development opportunity accessible to all.
• High-quality presenters who offer a wonderful mix of experience.

2026 Agenda*

• 9-9:30: Arrival, check-in, breakfast
• 9:30-9:45: CLiF announcements and news
• 9:45-10:45: Breakout Workshops 1
• 10:45-11: Coffee/tea break & stretch your legs
• 11-12: Keynote with Jarrett Krosoczka
• 12-1: Book sales & signing with Jarrett + lunch
• 1-1:45: Creating a Community Around Literacy – Panel Discussion with Former & Current CLiF Grantees
• 2-2:45: Breakout Workshops 2
• 2:45-3: Wrap-up and Book Raffle

*Agenda is subject to change. Please note that we are unable to accommodate any special dietary requests; gluten-free and vegetarian options will be available.

2026 Keynote Speaker: Jarrett J. Krosoczka

​​​​​Jarrett J. Krosoczka, known since boyhood as “JJK,” is the New York Times bestselling author/illustrator behind more than forty books for young readers, including his wildly popular Lunch Lady graphic novels, select volumes of the Star Wars™: Jedi Academy series, and Hey, Kiddo, which was a National Book Award Finalist. Krosoczka creates books with humor, heart, and deep respect for his young readers—qualities that have made his titles perennial favorites on the bookshelves of homes, libraries, and bookstores over the past twenty years. 

In addition to his work in print, Krosoczka produced, directed, and performed in the full-cast audiobook adaptations of his graphic novels. The Hey, Kidoo audiobook garnered both Audie and Odyssey Awards for excellence in audiobook production. The Lunch Lady audiobook, led by Kate Flannery (The Office), garnered an Odyssey Honor.

Krosoczka has been a guest on NPR’s Fresh Air with Terry Gross,profiled in The New York Times, featured on Good Morning America, and delivered three captivating TED Talks that have accrued millions of online views. Krosoczka garners millions more views online monthly via the tutorials he produces for YouTube and TikTok.  As well as working on his books’ film and television adaptions, Krosoczka has also written for The Snoopy Show (Apple TV+) and served as a consultant for Creative Galaxy (Prime Video), and appeared in live segments for the show.

Realizing his books can inspire young readers beyond the page, Krosoczka founded School Lunch Hero Day, a national campaign celebrating school lunch staff. A consummate advocate for arts education, Krosoczka also established the Joseph and Shirley Krosoczka Memorial Youth Scholarships, which fund art classes for underprivileged children in his hometown of Worcester, Massachusetts.

Krosoczka lives in western Massachusetts with his spouse and their three children, a pug named Frank and a French bulldog named Bella Carmella.