The 8th annual Children’s Institute [7] (Ci8) kicked off today, July 15, with an array of events and programming on Hopin, the virtual events platform where booksellers are gathering for the largest Children’s Institute in the event’s history.

So far, booksellers have attended education sessions on Representation in Science Fiction and Fantasy Young Adult and Middle Grade Books [8] and Store Voice, Online Sales, and Profitability [9]; a workshop on White Anti-Racist Allyship: What Is our Role in the Struggle? [10]; and a presentation of the Indies Introduce the Best Middle Grade and Young Adult Debuts [11].

At press time, booksellers were heading to a keynote with author Isaac Fitzgerald, followed by Virtual Hangouts to chat with one another as well as publishers, authors, and other guests.

Programming continues tomorrow, July 16, with two Rep Picks sessions, two showings of Jerry Craft and Kwame Alexander in conversation, plus one-on-one meetings with the IndieCommerce team and vendors in the Expo area.

Watch next week’s issue of BTW for a full recap of Ci8.

Attendees experiencing technical difficulties can email [email protected] [12]. General questions can be sent to [email protected] [13].