Hammonds
Jas Hammonds (they/she) was raised in many cities and between the pages of many books. They have received support for their writing from the Highlights Foundation, Baldwin for the Arts and Lambda Literary. They are also a grateful recipient of the MacDowell James Baldwin Fellowship. Their debut novel, We Deserve Monuments, won the 2023 Coretta […]
Williams
Brittany N. Williams is the author of the YA historical fantasy THAT SELF-SAME METAL, Book #1 in the FORGE & FRACTURE SAGA. She is a classically-trained actress who studied Musical Theatre at Howard University and Shakespearean performance at the Royal Central School of Speech & Drama in London. Previously she’s been a principal vocalist at […]
Tavares
New York Times bestselling author-illustrator Matt Tavares was born in Boston, and grew up surrounded by books and reading. From the time he was very young, his mother read to him every night, and his family made countless trips to the public library. Years later, as a studio art major at Bates College, he rediscovered […]
Hopkinson
Deborah Hopkinson is the award-winning author of more than 70 books for young readers including picture books, historical fiction, and nonfiction. Deborah’s nonfiction includes Titanic, Voices from the Disaster, which received a YALSA Excellence in Nonfiction honor and a Robert F. Sibert Honor, Courage & Defiance, Stories of Spies, Saboteurs, and Survivors in WWII Denmark, […]
Kurilla
Renée Kurilla is a children’s illustrator, author, and designer who loves drawing nature, animals, and working on projects that require a little bit of research. Renée has illustrated many books for kids including ORANGUTANKA (by Margarita Engle), CHICKS RULE! (by Sudipta Bardhan-Quallen), and the ADA LACE series (by Emily Calandrelli). She has written a few […]
Sorell
Best-selling author Traci Sorell writes inclusive, award-winning historical and contemporary fiction and nonfiction in a variety of formats for young people. She is a two-time Sibert Medal and Orbis Pictus honoree and award-winning audiobook narrator and producer. Her first five books have received awards from the American Indian Library Association. Other accolades include Charlotte Huck […]
Coy
John Coy is the author of young adult novels, the 4 for 4 middle-grade series, and nonfiction and fiction picture books including Night Driving, Hoop Genius, Two Old Potatoes and Me, Their Great Gift, Dads, My Mighty Journey, and the unique collaboration Where We Come From. This fall he has three new picture books, The […]
Rhee
Helena Ku Rhee is an award-winning author of books for kids and the young at heart. Her latest book, Sora’s Seashells, won a 2024 Ezra Jack Keats Award Honor for Writing. Her bestselling book The Paper Kingdom was included on many year-end Best Books lists, including NPR, BookPage, Kirkus, Parents Magazine and the Los Angeles […]
Charlton-Trujillo
Described as a “force of nature” by Kirkus Reviews, e.E. Charlton-Trujillo is unquestionably one of the most dynamic and inspiring speakers for youth today. The one-time, small-town Texas native is an award-winning author, filmmaker, and youth literacy activist. They have written several books for teens and children such as the ALA winning Fat Angie series […]
Thompkins-Bigelow
Jamilah Thompkins-Bigelow, M.S.Ed, is a Philadelphia-based, award-winning children’s book author. A former English teacher, she educated children and teens in traditional and alternative learning settings for more than 15 years. As an inaugural fellow with the Muslim Anti-Racism Collaborative (MuslimARC), she also developed foundational curricular frameworks for youth and adult anti-racist programming and this work continues […]
