Matilda Young

“Matilda Young: Local History from Suffrage to the Children’s Book Guild” 

Marcie Flinchum Atkins’s debut young adult historical fiction novel-in-verse, One Step Forward (Versify, 2025), shines a spotlight on a local teenager, Matilda Young. Matilda fought for suffrage and was imprisoned at nineteen for protesting in front of the White House. She went on to make an impact in Washington, DC by opening a children’s museum and becoming a founding member of the Children’s Book Guild. Marcie will highlight local history that had national impact through the eyes of Matilda Young and talk about how she chose to tell her story in verse. 

Marcie Flinchum Atkins is a teacher-librarian by day and a children’s book writer in the wee hours of the morning. She holds an M.A. and M.F.A. in Children’s Literature from Hollins University. Her debut picture book, Wait, Rest, Pause: Dormancy in Nature (Millbrook Press, 2019) was one of…