One of the privileges of attending Book Expo America on May 31 was attending the #WeNeedDiverseBooks panel. The event was covered widely by the media, but at the time, I wa able to peck out some live tweets for those who didn’t attend the panel. Here’s a selection.

#weneeddiversebooks Lamar Giles: "in order for dialogue to be effective both sides need to be willing to change"

— Kell Andrews (@kellandrewsPA) May 31, 2014

#WeNeedDiverseBooks Jacqueline Woodson:"I didn't realize what I missed until I saw it on the page. I've been hungry for it since."

— Kell Andrews (@kellandrewsPA) May 31, 2014

#WeNeedDiverseBooks M Jung: I could have created a world that wasn't ethnically diverse but I would have needed a reason. There wasn't one.

— Kell Andrews (@kellandrewsPA) May 31, 2014

#WeNeedDiverseBooks Matt de la Pena: Educators are so ahead on diverse books and I owe my career to librarians and teachers.

— Kell Andrews (@kellandrewsPA) May 31, 2014

#WeNeedDiverseBooks Matt de la Pena: The campaign isn't "either/or." It's "also."

— Kell Andrews (@kellandrewsPA) May 31, 2014

#WeNeedDiverseBooks Woodson: "there's an idea in books that the world is white unless otherwise qualified. I want there to be no "other.""

— Kell Andrews (@kellandrewsPA) May 31, 2014

#WeNeedDiverseBooks Grace Lin: I've started to realize people don't know why they're saying no to diverse books. We need to open their eyes.

— Kell Andrews (@kellandrewsPA) May 31, 2014

#WeNeedDiverseBooks Lin: we hate labels but if you show a diverse book, it gets labeled multicultural. We need to put it into a category …

— Kell Andrews (@kellandrewsPA) May 31, 2014

#WeNeedDiverseBooks … Put it in a category that interests them. It's not multicultural, it's adventure or romance

— Kell Andrews (@kellandrewsPA) May 31, 2014

#WeNeedDiverseBooks de la Pena: there is momentum around publishing. It's coming no matter what. We need to push.

— Kell Andrews (@kellandrewsPA) May 31, 2014

#WeNeedDiverseBooks Jung: it feels risky to be involved with these issues. It requires bravery.

— Kell Andrews (@kellandrewsPA) May 31, 2014

#WeNeedDiverseBooks Giles: if there's a reality that diverse books don't do well, that's a reality we have the power to change.

— Kell Andrews (@kellandrewsPA) May 31, 2014