I’m Jewel Davis (she/her), a librarian, professor, and artist whose work centers youth literature and creative practices in education. I am the Director of the Instructional Materials Center and the Martha and Nancy Lee Bivens Distinguished Professor for Children and Reading at Appalachian State University.

My work brings together teaching, research, and artmaking as connected ways of thinking about stories, images, and care. I am especially interested in how youth literature and visual storytelling shape learning, belonging, and imaginative possibility for young people and the educators who support them.

Living and working in the Appalachian mountains of Western North Carolina deeply shapes my thinking. My scholarship and creative work are informed by close attention to place, nature, and ecological relationships, as well as reflective and visual approaches that honor lived experience.

I am deeply engaged in professional service within national youth literature communities. I currently serve as Chair of the 2026 Randolph Caldecott Award Selection Committee and have been actively involved with the Assembly on Literature for Adolescents of the National Council of Teachers of English of the National Council of Teachers of English, including serving as president. This work reflects my commitment to supporting youth, educators, and the broader field of youth literature through thoughtful leadership and collaboration.

I also maintain an active creative practice grounded in visual journaling and artmaking. These practices inform my teaching and research and support my ongoing interest in building reflective, sustaining communities within higher education.

For a full list of scholarly, professional, and creative activities, see my CV.