Youth authors/activists Bailey and Elle Harris will discuss their experiences of growing up in a secular family in a highly religious area of the country. They will also talk about how they came to be writers and what inspired them at such a young age to be advocates of Humanism and science.
Bailey Harris, now 14 years old, is on a mission to inspire a love of science and a sense of wonder about the universe, promote freethought, and work towards acceptance of scientific fact in society and government. She is the author of the Stardust series of science books for young readers. Bailey was eight years old when she was inspired to write her first book, a beautifully illustrated children’s book that presented sound science in a manner accessible to young readers and pre-readers.
Bailey’s sister Elle Harris, now 9 years old, is the author of the books Wonderful Earth (2019) and the upcoming release, Elle the Humanist (2020). Elle loves sharing her passion for life with others through her books.
My Name Is Stardust was released in 2017 and has sold thousands of copies worldwide. Follow-ups Stardust Explores the Solar System (2018) and Stardust Explores Earth’s Wonders (2019) have continued in that tradition, presenting concepts of astronomy, geology, biology, and principles such as the Big Bang and evolution.
The success of the Stardust books has enabled Bailey to carry her message in person to people all across the United States. While at BookCon in New York in 2017 promoting her first book, she appeared on iHeartRadio’s “The Public Library Podcast,” where she spoke to host Helen Little about the importance of books and learning in her life. More recently, she was a featured speaker at the Freedom From Religion Foundation’s 2018 conference and the Center For Inquiry’s CSICon 2019 conference. Bailey was the youngest featured presenter in the history of these events.