36th Annual Mortenson Distinguished Lecture - Jeff Chiba Stearns

The Mortenson Center for International Library Programs is proud to bring Jeff Chiba Stearns to campus to present the 36th Annual Mortenson Distinguished Lecture and Youth Literarture Festival (YLF) Keynote during YLF Community Day. 

For more than two decades, Emmy-nominated and award-winning animation and documentary director, author, and illustrator Jeff Chiba Stearns has used visual storytelling to explore the intersections of Japanese Canadian history, mixed-race identity, family, and culture. Jeff will reflect on his creative journey—from his early animated and documentary films exploring what it means to be mixed-race and a fourth-generation Japanese Canadian, to his current work addressing these themes through children’s books and graphic novels. 

Drawing from his projects such as One Big Hapa Family, Mixed Match, On Being Yukiko, Tomey: The Unyielding Spirit of Tomekichi Homma, and his latest graphic novel, Ojiichan’s Dragon, Jeff will share how his own experiences and family stories have shaped the subjects, characters, and worlds he creates. As a social justice advocate and educator, Jeff will discuss the importance of reclaiming and preserving Japanese Canadian stories, including the history of the more than 22,000 Japanese Canadians who were forcibly removed from their homes and incarcerated during the Second World War, and why this history remains relevant today. 

Through behind-the-scenes stories, artwork, film clips, and personal reflections, Jeff will explore how a creative practice can evolve over 25 years—and how animation, illustration, comics, and film can make history accessible while creating space for conversations about identity, belonging, intergenerational memory, and cultural inheritance.

     Film Screening & Discussion  [FREE Registration]
     Thursday, September 24, 2026; 5:45 p.m. CT 
     School of Information Sciences, Room 126; 501 E. Daniel Street, Champaign, IL

The Youth Literature Festival brings award-winning authors of youth literature to area schools over three days, culminating in a Community Day Celebration on September 26 with author panels, activities for kids, and performances for the whole family. A biennial event, the Festival is offered at no cost to participants or school districts, thanks to volunteers and generous sponsors. 

A Youth Literature Festival, Community Day Exhibit, located on the second floor of the Main Library in the Media Commons (220 Corridor Exhibition Space), runs through September and features participating authors and their books.