Mendez
Jasminne Mendez is a Pura Belpré Honor award author and best-selling Dominican-American poet, educator, translator, and playwright of several books for children and adults. Born and raised all over the country due to her father’s military service, She is the daughter of immigrants and considers herself an Afro-Latina of The South since she was raised […]
Bowen Cohen
Emily Bowen Cohen creates comics that explore intersectional identity. She is Jewish and a member of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation. She uses personal experience to tell stories that examine contemporary American and Jewish culture. Emily grew up in rural Oklahoma. Her father was the Chief of Staff at their tribal hospital and her mother is […]
Abed
Omar Abed writes children’s books, poetry, and computer code. While studying computer engineering in college, Omar turned to spoken-word poetry as a creative outlet for self-expression. His passion for rhyme and rhythm set him on an unplanned path to writing picture books. He self-published his first book, You, Me, and a Tree, in order to […]
Graves
Byron Graves is Ojibwe and Lakota. They were born and raised on the Red Lake Indian Reservation, where they played high school basketball. When they aren’t writing, they can be found playing retro video games, skateboarding, or cleaning up after his cats. Rez Ball, Byron’s debut novel won the William C Morris Young Adult debut […]
Mora
Oge Mora is a collage artist and storyteller. Her picture book, Thank You, Omu!, was a Caldecott Honor, Coretta Scott King/John Steptoe New Talent Award winner, and Ezra Jack Keats Book Award recipient. Her second book, Saturday won the 2020 Boston Globe—Horn Book Picture Book Award. Oge’s artwork has been applauded by The Washington Post, […]
Detlefsen
Lisl H. Detlefsen is the author of a growing number of picture books. Her first, TIME FOR CRANBERRIES (Macmillan/Roaring Brook Press, illustrated by Jed Henry) was a Junior Library Guild selection, a 2016 Notable Social Studies Trade Book for Young People (K–2), and the 2017 Wisconsin Ag in the Classroom Book of the Year. IF […]
Kuyatt
Meg Eden Kuyatt is an award-winning autistic novelist and poet based in the DC area. She is the author of six poetry chapbooks, the novel Post-High School Reality Quest (2017), the 2021 Towson Prize for Literature winning poetry collection Drowning in the Floating World and children’s novels including a 2024 ALA Schneider Family Book Award […]
Moises
Yesenia Moises is an Afro-Latina Author, Illustrator, and Toy Designer. She uses her colorful illustrations and whimsical designs to create wonder and magic for young readers. In addition to her original Picture Books Sound Like Joy and Stellas Stellar Hair, she also serves as illustrator for Tennis Olympian Serena Williams’ The Adventures of Qai Qai […]
Lloyd
Natalie Lloyd is the New York Times Bestselling Author of novels for young readers. Her first novel, A Snicker of Magic (2014), was an ALA Notable Book, a New York Times Book Review Editors’ Choice, a top 10 Kids Indie Next Pick and an NPR, iBooks and Parents Magazine best book of the year for […]
Stone Leahy
Elisa Stone Leahy is a queer, Peruvian-American children’s author who lives with her husband and kids in Columbus, Ohio. She likes writing about characters with complicated identities because her own identity has plenty of layers. Elisa was born in Ica, Peru, to American parents and lived there most of her life. She left Peru to […]