Join Latinx in Publishing and LKBF Latinx Storytellers Conference for The Only Latine in the Room: How to Advocate for Latinx Stories, a seminar for publishing professionals!

Latines working in publishing face a twofold burden—not only are we expected to excel at our professional role, but because there are so few of us in the room, we’re also expected to speak on behalf of our entire community as if we were a monolith. This is a heavy responsibility and its demands can feel exhausting, frustrating and disheartening.

In this landscape, how can we advocate for Latinx voices without carrying the heavy burden of a monolith? How do we push back against unspoken diversity quotients and tokenism? How do we rise above DEI fatigue and the dismissal of diversity efforts? And how do we continue existing at a time of violent erasure?

Join us Friday, Sept. 12, 2025 from 3:30–5:00 PM at Scholastic HQ in SoHo, NYC for a powerful in-person gathering centered on community, empowerment, and advocacy.

The goal of this event is to find strength in community, identify potential mentorship and partnership opportunities, and exchange ideas on how to empower Latinx book workers to continue to uplift Latinx stories and storytellers.

REGISTER HERE (This is a ticketed event and spaces are limited.)
🎟️ $30 General Admission
🎓 $20 Student Admission (w/ college email)
🤝 $20 Networking Add-On

This event is for publishing professionals + college students pursuing a career in the industry. (Not for writers/illustrators seeking publication.)

Latinx In Publishing Presents The Future is Latinx: New Generation at the 2025 Brooklyn Book Festival Bookend Event.

Join a discussion with debut authors on the challenges they faced as Latinx writers entering the literary world, and how they balance the pressure of writing for the Latinx community while still reaching wider audiences.

Thursday, September 18, 2025

7:00pm ET   (check your time zone:  4pm PT/ 5pm MT/ 6pm CT/ 7pm ET & PR)

Virtual panel via zoom. Register here.

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.

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Panelists and debut novels

Veronica Chapa – MALINALLI (Simon & Schuster)

Carolina Flórez-Cerchiaro – BOCHICA (Atria Books/Primero Sueño Press)

Alejandro Heredia – LOCA (Simon & Schuster)

Sofia Robleda – DAUGHTER OF FIRE (Amazon Crossing)

Moderator:   Sandra Proudman – SALVACIÓN (Wednesday Books)

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 Veronica Chapa is an author, essayist, and award-winning copywriter with a master’s degree in advertising from Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism. She lives in the Chicago area with her husband.  MALINALLI (Simon & Schuster) is her debut novel.  Follow her on Instagram @veronicachapa.author.

Carolina Flórez-Cerchiaro is a Colombian author of genre bending speculative fiction based in Bogotá, Colombia. Her gothic horror debut novel BOCHICA, pitched as Mexican Gothic meets The Shining is coming out in May 2025 from Atria Books/Primero Sueño Press. Find more at www.CarolinaFlorezAuthor.com

Alejandro Heredia is a writer from the Bronx, NY. He has received fellowships from LAMBDA Literary, Dominican Studies Institute, UNLV’s Black Mountain Institute, and elsewhere. He received an MFA in fiction from Hunter College. LOCA (Simon & Schuster) is his debut novel.  Visit him at www.aleheredia.com.

Sofia Robleda is a Mexican writer.  DAUGHTER OF FIRE (Amazon Crossing) is her debut novel.  Sofia spent her childhood and adolescence in Mexico, Saudi Arabia and Singapore.  She completed her undergraduate and doctorate degrees in psychology at the University of Queensland, in Australia.  She currently lives in the UK with her husband and son, and splits her time writing, raising her son, and working as a psychologist, supporting people with brain injuries and neurological conditions.  Learn more about Sofia at www.sofiarobleda.com.

Moderator:   Sandra Proudman (she/her/ella) is the editor of the YA Latinx SFF anthology, RELIT: 16 LATINX REMIXES OF CLASSIC STORIES (Inkyard Press, Out Now!), a contributor to THE HOUSE WHERE DEATH LIVES (Page Street Kids, Out Now!), and the author of the YA fantasy SALVACIÓN (Wednesday Books, May 20, 2025). She has more fun book news coming soon! She is also a literary associate and agent at Gallt & Zacker Literary Agency, assisting Marietta Zacker and representing a small list of authors and author-illustrators. When not busily immersed in all things publishing, you can find her spending time with her amazing husband and adorable toddler, catching up on all her shows, and attempting to take care of her many plants. Connect with her on Instagram and Bluesky: @SandraProudman.