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 […]
Velasquez
Elisabet Velasquez is a Boricua writer, mother of two children from Brooklyn, New York, now living in Jersey City, New Jersey. Velasquez uses poetry to share her own transformative narrative, illustrating how life’s diverse experiences—especially her experiences, growing up in Bushwick, Brooklyn as a first generation Puerto-Rican teen mother and GED recipient have been instrumental […]
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, and Wizardmatch. Originally from New Hope, Pennsylvania, Lauren started writing novels when she was thirteen–and never stopped. A proud graduate of Hamilton College’s creative writing program, she wrote her debut children’s book while studying […]
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 forthcoming picture books THE WORDS WE SHARE (Annick Press, Fall 2023), and ALL THAT GROWS (Groundwood Books, Spring 2024). Jack was born in Hong Kong and raised in Vancouver. In 2010, he left behind a […]
Sterling
Michelle Sterling is a children’s book author, photographer and speech-language pathologist living in Orange County, California. Many of her stories are inspired by her heritage, family traditions, and her love of gastronomy and food history. When Lola Visits, Michelle’s first picture book illustrated by Aaron Asis, received four starred reviews, was an ALA Notable Children’s […]
Mazeika
Katie Mazeika is an award-winning author and illustrator specializing in telling stories based on real people and events. She is passionate about highlighting disabled voices in her work. Her author/illustrator debut, “Annette Feels Free: The True Story of Annette Kellerman, World-Class Swimmer, Fashion Pioneer, and Real-Life Mermaid,” was a Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection, […]
Burke Kunkel
Angela Burke Kunkel is an educator by day and a writer in the very early mornings. Her debut picture book, DIGGING FOR WORDS, JOSÉ ALBERTO GUTIÉRREZ AND THE LIBRARY HE BUILT (Schwartz & Wade), celebrates perseverance, community, and the power of books. DIGGING FOR WORDS was named an ALA-ALSC Notable Children’s Book, and is the […]
Agostini
Buffalo, NY native Alliah L. Agostini is an award-winning marketer who has marketed everything from iconic brands to scrappy start-ups, but motherhood helped her return to her first love: children’s literature. She writes and speaks to spread joy, truth, and to help more children see themselves reflected on the page. Alliah is the author of […]
