May
Angela May is the co-author of The Islanders, a New York Times bestselling series created with Mary Alice Monroe. All three books in their middle grade series are rooted in the magic of nature. Angela graduated from the University of South Carolina with a degree in broadcast journalism and worked more than a decade in […]
Sriram
Meera draws from her life straddling the East and West to tell stories. She grew up in India and moved to the United States at the turn of the millennium. An electrical engineer in the past, she now writes for children and advocates for diversifying bookshelves. Meera felt compelled to tell her stories when she […]
Mo
Cherry Mo is the Caldecott-Honor winning author-illustrator of her debut picture book, Home In A Lunchbox (June 2024), from Penguin Workshop. This book is inspired by Cherry’s personal experience of moving from Hong Kong to America at the age of ten. Through writing and illustrating, she hopes to bring young readers a sense of comfort […]
Faruqi
When Reem Faruqi taught second grade, her favorite time was “Read Aloud” time. Now, her favorite time at home is reading with her daughters. Reem Faruqi is the award-winning author of Lailah’s Lunchbox, a picture book based on her own experiences as a young Muslim girl immigrating to the United States. Of Pakistani origin, Reem […]
Rogers
Kim Rogers is the author of Just Like Grandma, winner of the 2024 Charlotte Zolotow Award, 2024 Ezra Jack Keats Award Honor for Writer, illustrated by Julie Flett; A Letter for Bob, winner of the 2024 American Indian Youth Award (AIYA), 2024 Charlotte Zolotow Highly Commended Title, illustrated by Jonathan Nelson; and I Am Osage: […]
Leali
Michael Leali (he/him) is an author and educator born and raised in the Chicago suburbs and currently living in the San Francisco Bay Area. He holds an MFA in Writing for Children and Young Adults from Vermont College of Fine Arts. When Michael isn’t writing, he enjoys reading, playing board games, and a nice long […]
Malia
Jen Malia speaks to students, parents, teachers, librarians, administrators, community leaders, and writers about children’s books, autism, and neurodiversity. An autistic mom of three autistic kids, she is the author of the children’s chapter book series The Infinity Rainbow Club and the picture book Too Sticky! Sensory Issues with Autism. With over twenty-five years of […]
Ortega
New York Times Bestselling and award-winning author, Claribel A. Ortega is a former reporter who writes middle-grade and young adult fantasy inspired by her Dominican heritage. When she’s not busy turning her obsession with eighties pop culture, magic, and video games into books, she’s co-hosting her podcast Bad Author Book Club. Claribel is a Marvel […]
Magaziner
Lauren Magaziner is the author of the Case Closed series, The Mythics series, The Only Thing Worse Than Witches, Pilfer Academy, Wizardmatch and an upcoming upper middle grade fantasy series call The Incorruptibles. Originally from New Hope, Pennsylvania, Lauren started writing novels when she was thirteen–and never stopped. A proud graduate of Hamilton College’s creative […]
Wong
Jack Wong (黃雋喬) is the Boston Globe–Horn Book Award-winning author/illustrator of WHEN YOU CAN SWIM (Scholastic) as well as the picture books THE WORDS WE SHARE (Annick Press, Fall 2023), and ALL THAT GROWS (Groundwood Books, Spring 2024) and The Music Inside Us: Yo-Yo Ma & His Gifts to the World (Spring 2025). Jack was […]
