Academics & Education

Omar

Abed

Children’s Author

Dulles, VA

Eddie

Ahn

Graphic Novelist & Artist

San Francisco, CA

Erica

Bauermeister

Bestselling Author & Educator

Seattle, WA

Emily

Bingham

Author of Historical Nonfiction

Louisville, KY

Isaac

Blum

Jewish Writer and Educator

Philadelphia, PA

Marina

Budhos

Young Adult and Middle Grade Author

Newark, NJ

Angela

Burke Kunkel

Award Winning Children’s Author

Burlington, VT

Greg

Cajete

Indigenous Educator

Albuquerque, NM

Willie

Carver

Award Winning Author

Lexington, KY

Wiley

Cash

Bestselling & Award Winning Novelist

Wilmington, NC

Charlotte

Cheng

Children’s Author

San Mateo, CA

John

Chester

Emmy Award Winning Filmmaker

Burbank, CA

John

Coy

Award Winning Children’s Author

Minneapolis, MN

Julie C.

Dao

Critically Acclaimed Author

Boston, MA

Jasmin

Darznik

Novelist & Memoirist

San Francisco, CA

Lisl H.

Detlefsen

Picture Book Writer

Wisconsin Rapids, WI

Chitra Banerjee

Divakaruni

Award Winning Author

Houston, TX

Violet

Duncan

Children’s & Middle Grade Author

Phoenix, AZ

Matt

Eicheldinger

Bestselling Author

Minneapolis, MN

Phyllis

Elmore

Author & Speaker

Orlando, FL

Ashley

Erdely

Educator & Nature Enthusiast

Portland, OR

Carolyn

Finney

Storyteller & Cultural Geographer

Burlington, VT

Claudia J.

Ford

Honored Scholar and Fellow

Buffalo, NY

Amitav

Ghosh

Award Winning Author & Global Thinker

New York, NY

Mariah

Gladstone

Indigenous Cookbook Author

Kalispell, MT

Allegra

Goodman

Award Winning Author

Boston, MA

Jessica

Goudeau

Critically Acclaimed Nonfiction Writer

Austin, TX

Byron

Graves

Award Winning Novelist

Denver, CO

Winona & Priya

Guo & Vulchi

TED Residency Fellows

San Francisco, CA

Chris

Harris

New York Times Bestselling Children’s Poet

Los Angeles, CA

Quartez

Harris

Poet of the Year

Cleveland, OH

Alison

Hawthorne Deming

Award Winning Poet and Essayist

Tucson, AZ

Jon

Hickey

Indigenous Writer

San Francisco, CA

Brandon

Hobson

Critically Acclaimed Novelist

La Cruces, NM

Deborah

Hopkinson

Award Winning Children’s Author

Portland, OR

Rebecca Gayle

Howell

Award Winning Poet

Fayetteville, AR

Renée

Kurilla

Children’s Author

Boston, MA

Meg Eden

Kuyatt

Middle Grade Novelist

Baltimore, MD

Jean

Kwok

New York Times Bestselling Author

New York City

Justin

Lee

Bridge-Builder

Charlotte, NC

Ken

Liu

Award Winning Fantasy Author

Boston, MA

Zelda

Lockhart

Award-Winning Novelist

Durham, NC

Debra

Magpie Earling

Author of Fiction

Missoula, MT

Jen

Malia

Professor of English & Creative Writing

Virginia Beach, VA

Ira

Marcks

Award-Winning Cartoonist

Albany, NY

Angela

May

Bestselling Middle Grade Author

Charleston, SC

Bernice

McFadden

Bestselling Novelist

New York, NY

Margot

Mifflin

Nonfiction Writer

Newark, NJ

Tanisia

Moore

Children’s, YA & Adult Author

Birmingham, AL

Jason

Mott

Bestselling & Award Winning Novelist

Wilmington, NC

Vita

Murrow

Award Winning Children’s Author

Boston, MA

Suyi Davies

Okungbowa

Award Winning Author

Ottawa, CAN

Matthew

Pearl

Novelist and Nonfiction Writer

Fort Lauderdale, FL

Jayne Anne

Phillips

Pulitzer Prize Winner for Fiction

Boston, MA

Ron

Rash

Novelist & Poet

Charlotte, NC

Sarah Jaquette

Ray

Environmental Humanist and Professor

Arcata, CA

Helena Ku

Rhee

Award Winning Children’s Author

Los Angeles, CA

Vanessa

Riley

Award Winning Historical Novelist

Atlanta, GA

Jennifer

Robson

Bestselling Author

Toronto, ON

Kim

Rogers

Award Winning Children’s Author

Oklahoma City, OK

Etaf

Rum

NYT Best Selling Author

Raleigh-Durham, NC

Elizabeth

Rush

Nonfiction Writer

Providence, RI

Hannah V.

Sawyerr

Award Winning Author

Los Angeles, CA

Saïd

Sayrafiezadeh

Award-Winning Memoirist & Fiction Writer

New York, NY

Zoë

Schlanger

Bestselling Author

New York, NY

Nikki

Shannon Smith

Award Winning Children’s Author

Sacramento, CA

Brendan

Slocumb

Author and Educator

Washington, DC

Deborah

Taffa

Award Nominated Author

Santa Fe, NM

Ryan Bani

Tahmaseb

Children’s & Middle Grade Author

York, ME

Candacy

Taylor

Award Winning Cultural Documentarian

New York, NY

Ari

Tison

Award Winning Author

Minneapolis, MN

Frank X

Walker

Poet

Lexington, KY

Barbara

Wall

Storyteller& Educator

Keene, ON

Robin

Wall Kimmerer

Plant Ecologist, Educator & Writer

Syracuse, NY

Irvin

Weathersby

Writer & Journalist

New York, NY

Kinari

Webb

Nonfiction Writer

San Francisco, CA

Seina

Wedlick

Picture Book Author

San Francisco, CA

Kyle

Whyte

Professor

Detroit, MI

Dan

Wildcat

Nonfiction Writer

Kansas City, MO

Crystal

Wilkinson

Poet Laureate, Kentucky

Lexington, KY

Ian

Williams

Author of Fiction, Nonfiction & Poetry

Toronto, ON