RAZAN ABDIN, Author of SPLENDIDLY SAWSAN

Razan Abdin is a Palestinian writer who grew up in the American South and spent many summers in her ancestral homeland. She has been scribbling down stories since elementary school. When Razan isn’t busy arranging words on a page, she can be found exploring places near and far, filling her life with art (in all its forms), or daydreaming about a better world where everyone has what they need to thrive. She currently lives in Little Rock, Arkansas–on the traditional land of the Caddo, Osage, and Quapaw people –with her wild, wonderful standard poodle, Margot. Splendidly Sawsan is her debut book.

razanabdin.com

autumn allen, senior editor at barefoot books AND AUTHOR, YOU ONLY LIVE TWICE

Autumn Allen is a senior editor at Barefoot Books, where she acquires, edits, and art-directs picture books and board books. Her debut young adult novel, All You Have to Do, was a Black Caucus of the ALA debut honor award winner and was long listed for the Massachusetts Book Award. ​Her picture books, Step On Board: Sculpting a Memorial to Harriet Tubman, illustrated by Ekua Holmes, and Answered Prayers, illustrated by Charly Palmer, are forthcoming from Knopf.

www.autumnallenbooks.com
instagram: @autumnallenbooks

DERRICK BARNES, AUTHOR, SEVEN MILLION STEPS: THE TRUE STORY OF DICK GREGORY’S RUN FOR THE HUNGRY

Derrick Barnes is a three-time NY Times Bestselling author of over twenty ground breaking, multi-award-winning children's books such as CROWN: An Ode to the Fresh Cut, I AM EVERY GOOD THING, THE KING OF KINDERGARTEN, THE QUEEN OF KINDERGARTEN, VICTORY. STAND!, LIKE LAVA IN MY VEINS, SEVEN MILLION STEPS, and THE INCREDIBLY HUMAN HENSON BLAYZE.

His work has made him a National Book Award Finalist, a Newbery Honoree, three-time Coretta Scott King Honoree, and the only two-time Kirkus Prize winning author. He has earned the YALSA Award For Excellence in Nonfiction, an Ezra Jack Keats Award, an NAACP Image Award nomination, and a Jane Addams Honor Award.

Mr. Barnes is a proud native of Kansas City, Missouri, and a graduate of Jackson State University. He currently resides in Charlotte, North Carolina with his wife, Dr. Tinka Barnes. They are the parents of four amazing sons.

Instagram: @authorderrickdbarnes

KATHRYN BELDEN, VICE PRESIDENT AND EDITORIAL DIRECTOR OF SCRIBNER BOOKS

Kathryn Belden, Vice President and Editorial Director of Scribner, received The Center for Fiction 2024 Medal for Editorial Excellence. Author Jesmyn Ward presented the award to Belden at The Center for Fiction Annual Awards Benefit on December 10, 2024. In her editorial career, Belden has shepherded some of the most consequential contemporary literature from manuscript to publication, including groundbreaking fiction by Sidik Fofana, Mitchell S. Jackson, Kiese Laymon, Tom Perrotta, Jason Reynolds, Lisa See, Jesmyn Ward, John Edgar Wideman, and many others.

Joshua bennett, author of THE PEOPLE CAN FLY: AMERICAN PROMISE, BLACK PRODIGIES, AND THE GREATEST MIRACLE OF ALL TIME

Dr. Joshua Bennett is Distinguished Chair of the Humanities and a Professor of Literature at MIT. He is the author of seven books, including Spoken Word: A Cultural History (Knopf, 2023), which was named a New York Times Notable Book of 2023 and a Best Book of the Year by The New Yorker. His debut work of children’s literature, The World is Full of Beautiful Quiet Things, is forthcoming from Little, Brown Books for Young Readers.

For his creative writing and scholarship, Joshua has received fellowships and awards from the Guggenheim Foundation, the Whiting Foundation, the Institute for Advanced Study, the National Endowment for the Arts, and the Society of Fellows at Harvard University. He lives in Massachusetts with his family.

CAROLE BOSTON WEATHERFORD, AUTHOR OF TROUBLED WATERS, A RIVER’S JOURNEY TOWARD JUSTICE

Carole Boston Weatherford is the award-winning author of more than 50 books of poetry, nonfiction, and children's literature. She is the recipient of a Newbery Honor, Coretta Scott King Author Honor, two NAACP Image Awards, a WNDB Walter Award, and numerous other accolades. Her books include I, Matthew Henson; Jesse Owens: Fastest Man Alive; and Be a King. She resides in North Carolina where she teaches at Fayetteville State University.

cbweatherford.com

sarah burnes, literary agent, the gernert company

SARAH BURNES is a literary agent at The Gernert Company, where she represents fiction writers, journalists, critics, and several poets. Among them are John Freeman, Honorée Fanonne Jeffers, Alice McDermott, Patricia Park, Caryl Phillips, and Robin Sloan. Her writers have either won or been shortlisted for the National Book Award, the Pulitzer Prize, the Los Angeles Times First Book Prize, the Whiting Writer’s Award, and the National Book Critics Circle Awards; received grants and fellowships from the Guggenheim Foundation, the Lannan Foundation, the Cullman Center at the New York Public Library, and the National Endowment for the Arts, among others; and been selections of Oprah’s Book Club, Reese’s Book Club, and the Read With Jenna Book Club. Sarah sits on the board of the progressive publisher The New Press and co-founded the school visit non-profit Writers and Artists Across the Country. She lives with her family in Brooklyn, NY.

COZBI a. CABRERA, Author / illustrator of ME & MAMA & Illustrator of Chef Edna: Queen of Southern Cooking, Edna Lewis

Cozbi A. Cabrera was born and raised in Brooklyn, New York by Honduran parents. A multimedia artist, she loves to draw, paint and work in textiles. Her Muñecas, meaning dolls in Spanish have garnered the attention of collectors around the world. One of her books, “Exquisite: The Poetry and Life of Gwendolyn Brooks” by Suzanne Slade was a Sibert Honor and Coretta Scott King Honor book. Her self-authored book “Me & Mama” won a 2021 Caldecott Honor and Coretta Scott King Honor. She lives in Evanston, Illinois with her family.

www.cozbi.com
Instagram: @cozbi
Twitter: @cozbihandmade
Facebook: CozbiBooks

GARLIA CORNELIA, THEATRE PRODUCER & WRITER

Garlia is an OBIE award winning theatre producer and native Detroiter who was introduced to theatre and the arts at an early age, through her father. After beginning her MFA in Playwriting at The New School for Drama in New York, Garlia saw a need for Black Playwrights in the city and founded the Blackboard Reading Series in September 2008. Garlia graduated from The New School in 2010 and began working with a group of Black Producers in Harlem that Fall. The group later called themselves Harlem9 and produces an annual event , “48Hours In . . . Harlem,” a twist on the traditional 24-hour play festival.

EDWIDGE DANTICAT, AUTHOR, WATCH OUT FOR FALLING IGUANAS

Edwidge Danticat is the author of numerous books, including The Art of Death, a National Book Critics Circle finalist; Claire of the Sea Light, a New York Times Notable Book; Brother, I’m Dying, a National Book Critics Circle Award winner and National Book Award finalist; The Dew Breaker, a PEN/Faulkner Award finalist and winner of the inaugural Story Prize; The Farming of Bones, an American Book Award winner; Breath, Eyes, Memory, an Oprah’s Book Club selection; and Krik? Krak!, also a National Book Award finalist. A 2018 Neustadt International Prize for Literature winner and the recipient of a MacArthur “Genius” grant, she has been published in The New Yorker, The New York Times, Harper’s Magazine, and elsewhere.

NJERI GACHATHI, EMERGING WRITER & EDUCATOR AT BANK STREET SCHOOL FOR CHILDREN

Njeri Gachathi is an educator and writer originally from Nairobi, Kenya. She has taught young children in Vietnam and New York City, and currently teaches first grade at Bank Street School for Children. She is an emerging children's book author and education writer whose work explores language, culture, childhood across borders, and what children teach us when we pay attention.

Aya ghanameh, Author and illustrator of these olive trees & illustrator of everything grows in jiddo’s garden

Aya Ghanameh is a Palestinian illustrator, writer, and designer from Amman, Jordan currently based in New York City. Her work moves away from state-centric ways of thinking to center the voices of ordinary people in historical and political narratives. Her debut picture book, THESE OLIVE TREES (Viking, 2023), is inspired by the experiences of her family who cultivated her love of the earth throughout her upbringing in exile. She has also illustrated DEAR MUSLIM CHILD (Balzer + Bray, 2024) and EVERYTHING GROWS IN JIDDO'S GARDEN (Interlink, 2025). Previously a Children's Books & Gifts Design Fellow at Chronicle Books, she is now a Designer at Penguin Workshop (Penguin Random House).

www.ayaghanameh.com
Twitter: @ayaghanameh
Instagram: @ayaillustrates

Arely Guzmán, spanish copy editor at scholastic

Arely Guzmán is a Spanish copy editor at Scholastic. Previously, they were an Assistant Editor at Levine Querido, an editorial assistant at Knopf Books for Young Readers, and an editorial intern at Bloomsbury, Writers House, and Kweli Journal. In their spare time, Arely can be found watching little gay cartoons, killing all their plants, and advocating that therapy should be accessible and inclusive.

Donna Barba Higuera, Author of the last cuentista and Alebrijes

Donna Barba Higuera has always been a daydreamer, blending folklore and all things strange and magical into stories. Donna lives in Washington State with her family, two dogs, eleven chickens, two guppies and a frog. Her books have been on the New York Times bestsellers list, won awards including the Newbery Medal, Pura Belpré Award, and Sid Fleischman Award for Humor.

www.dbhiguera.com
Facebook: Donna Barba Higuera
Instagram: @donnabarbahiguera

jp infante, author of On the Tip of Your Mother’s Tongue & Aquí y Allá

JP Infante is the author of On the Tip of Your Mother’s Tongue and Aquí y Allá: Winston Vargas Photographs the Dominican Community in Washington Heights. He is the winner of PEN’s Robert J. Dau Short Story Prize and Thirty West’s Chapbook contest. His writing has appeared in Kweli, Guernica, The Poetry Project, and elsewhere. He has been awarded scholarships and fellowships from the NY State Writers Institute, PEN America and The Center for Fiction. He holds an MFA from The New School.

aram kim, author / ILLUSTRATOR of no kimchi for me! and tomorrow is new year’s day

Aram Kim is a writer, illustrator, art director, and designer of children’s picture books. After 10 years of working in publishing where she designed and oversaw many award-winning picture books, Aram is now a full-time author-illustrator. Her published books include Cat on the Bus, several books in the Yoomi, Friends and Family series including No Kimchi for Me! and Let's Go to Taekwondo!, and Tomorrow Is New Year's Day, which is about Seollal, a Korean celebration of the Lunar New Year. She is currently working on the Korean folktale series.

aramkim.com
IG: @aramkimart

emeline lee, author of Gwei the Hungry Ghost and bonnie’s rocket

Emeline Lee is an author of children's literature. Her picture books include Bonnie's Rocket (illus. Alina Chau; Lee & Low Books), a STEM-friendly story set during Apollo 11, and Gwei the Hungry Ghost (illus. Basia Tran; Kokila, an imprint of Penguin Young Readers), a whimsical story inspired by Chinese food and folklore. She studied English literature and environmental sustainability at Columbia University and lives in New Jersey. In her free time, Emeline enjoys hiking in nature, eating hot pot, and crocheting cozy things.

www.emelinelee.com
Instagram: @EmelineLeeBooks

raina J. leon, Author of black god mother this body

Raina J. León, PhD is Black, Afro-Boricua, and the poet laureate of Philadelphia (2026-2027). She is a member of the Carolina African American Writers Collective, Cave Canem, CantoMundo, Macondo, and VONA. She is the author of four collections of poetry and two chapbooks. She has received fellowships and residencies and attended retreats with The Watering Hole, the Obsidian Foundation, Community of Writers, and Macdowell, among others. She is a founding editor of The Acentos Review, an online quarterly, international journal devoted to the promotion and publication of Latinx arts. She is a recipient of a National Association of Latino Arts and Cultures Grant, the Velocity Fund grant, the Leeway Transformation Award, and a Letras Boricuas fellowship. She is professor emerita at Saint Mary’s College of California and creative writing faculty at the Stonecoast MFA at the University of Southern Maine.

www.rainaleon.com/
Instagram: @rainajleon

emily sun li, Author of mr. chow’s night market

Emily Sun Li is a Chinese American author, poet, and educator. She holds an M.S. in Education from the University of Pennsylvania and an MA/MFA in Children’s Literature and Writing for Children from Simmons University. Her debut picture book, MR. CHOW’S NIGHT MARKET (Penguin Workshop, April 14, 2026), was called “a visual delight—and vindication for night owls” by Kirkus Reviews. Her second picture book, THE LO MEIN LOOPHOLE: A SWEET-AND-SOUR TALE OF HOW CHINESE IMMIGRANTS FOUND A WAY—AND FED A NATION is forthcoming from Penguin Workshop in Summer 2028. She lives in Ithaca, New York.

http://emilysunli.com
Instagram: @emilysunli

kevin maillard, Author of the ones who came before & and they walk on

Kevin Maillard is Professor of Law at Syracuse University, a regular contributor to the New York Times and an author of children’s literature. He is the author of Fry Bread: A Native American Family Story, a picture book illustrated by Juana Martinez-Neal, which won the Sibert Medal and the American Indian Youth Literature Honor, and the forthcoming And They Walked On (2025) and The Ones Who Came Before (2026). A fifth-generation enrolled member of the Seminole Nation of Oklahoma, he is based in Manhattan, NY.

Kelly starling lyons, Author of going down home with daddy & ty’s travels: super ty!

Kelly Starling Lyons is a founding member of The Brown Bookshelf, teaching artist, and award-winning author of more than 30 children’s books. Her mission is to center Black heroes, celebrate family, friendship, & heritage, and show all kids the stories they hold inside. Among her acclaimed picture books are Caldecott Honor winner Going Down Home with Daddy, Christopher Award winner Tiara's Hat Parade, and Bank Street Best selection Sing a Song: How Lift Every Voice & Sing Inspired Generations. Kelly is also the author of the popular Jada Jones and Miles Lewis chapter books and Ty's Travels easy readers.

www.kellystarlinglyons.com
Instagram: @kelstarly

grace maccarone, Executive editor at holiday house

Grace Maccarone is a children’s book editor and the author of many books for young readers, including Miss Lina’s Ballerinas, Miss Lina’s Ballerinas and the Prince, and the First Grade Friends series. She lives in Westchester, New York.

denene Millner, co-author of when alexander graced the table & Early Sunday Morning

Denene Millner is the New York Times bestselling author of thirty-four books, including her latest, the multigenerational novel, “One Blood” (Tor/Forge) and “When Alexander Graced the Table” (Denene Millner Books), a star-reviewed picture book penned with celebrity chef Alexander Smalls. Denene is also the publisher and editorial director of Denene Millner Books, the award-winning, critically-acclaimed children’s book imprint at Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, which boasts two Caldecott Honors, a Newberry Honor, a Kirkus Prize and a Southern Book Award. She lives in Atlanta.

www.denenemillnerbooks.com
Social media: @mybrownbaby

Daniel José Older, author of outlaw saints & Flood City

Daniel José Older, a lead story architect for Star Wars: The High Republic, is the New York Times best-selling author of the Young Adult urban fantasy series Outlaw Saints, the sci-fi adventure Flood City, and the monthly comic series The High Republic Adventures. His other books include the historical fantasy series Dactyl Hill Squad, The Book of Lost Saints, the Bone Street Rumba urban fantasy series, Star Wars: Last Shot, and the Young Adult series the Shadowshaper Cypher, including Shadowshaper, which was named one of the best fantasy books of all time by TIME magazine and one of Esquire’s 80 Books Every Person Should Read. He won the International Latino Book Award and has been nominated for the Kirkus Prize, The World Fantasy Award, the Andre Norton Award, the Locus, and the Mythopoeic Award.

andrea underwood petifer, author of the juneteenth alphabet

Andrea Underwood Petifer- born in Chapel Hill, raised in Raleigh, and living in Durham, North Carolina is an educator, author, and curator of care. The past union president's earliest memories of writing took place sitting at the table her grandfather built. She strives to craft stories of truth that inspire reflective practice and promote the possibilities of change for the youngest of readers. Her debut picture book, THE JUNETEENTH ALPHABET will be published by Duopress on April 1, 2025.

https://sites.google.com/view/andreaunderwoodpetifer/bio
X: @AndreaPetiferED
Instagram: @apetiferwrites

alyssa reynoso-morris, author of Plátanos Are Love & Gloriana Presente: A First Day of School Book

Alyssa Reynoso-Morris is a queer Afro-Latine/x Dominican and Puerto Rican award-winning storyteller, author, and motivational speaker. She is also a mother and community organizer. During the day, she works with community members, non-profit organizations, and government officials to make the world a better place. Then she puts on her writer’s hat to craft heartfelt stories. Alyssa was born and raised in The Bronx, New York, and currently lives in Philadelphia, PA, with her family. She is the author of Plátanos Are Love & Los plátanos son amor (a NCTE Charlotte Huck Recommended Read); The Bronx Is My Home; Gloriana Presente: A First Day of School Book & Gloriana Presente: De la República Dominicana al Bronx; Bold, Brilliant and Latine: Meet 52 Latine and Hispanic Heroes from Past and Present; and Pieces of Home. She hopes you enjoy her stories.

https://www.alyssaauthor.com/
Instagram: @AReynosoMorris

olugbemisola rhuday-perkovich, author of Operation sisterhood: Stealing the show & you’re breaking my heart

Olugbemisola Rhuday-Perkovich is the award-winning author of several books, including IndieNext Top Ten Pick and BCALA Best of the Best Operation Sisterhood, Kirkus Best of the Year It Doesn’t Take a Genius, and the NAACP Image Award Nominee Two Naomis, co-authored with Audrey Vernick. She also writes picture books, easy readers, and nonfiction like School Library Journal and Bank Street Best of the Year Makeda Makes A Birthday Treat, the young adult novel You're Breaking My Heart, a Junior Library Guild selection, Saving Earth: Climate Change and the Fight for Our Future, a CCBC Choices book, and Someday Is Now: Clara Luper and the 1958 Oklahoma City Sit-Ins, a Notable Social Studies Trade Book.

Olugbemisola has written for various outlets, including PBS Parents, Read Brightly, American Baby, and some of her childhood favorite hip hop fanzines, like the iconic Right On! Magazine. She was the 2024 Writer-in-Residence at Bank Street School for Children. She was born in NYC, then spent many years as the "new kid" at a lot of schools in different places. Now, she lives with her family back in NYC where she writes, makes things, and needs to get more sleep.

http://olugbemisolabooks.com

Rūta Rimas, senior executive editor, publishing director at putnam young readers

Rūta Rimas is a senior executive editor and publishing director for GP Putnam’s Books for Young Readers, acquiring and editing middle grade and young adult, fiction and non, and graphic novels. At Penguin Random House, she has the honor and privilege of working with the most talented authors and illustrators in the industry, including Sabaa Tahir, J. Elle, Jessica Goodman, Diana Urban, Ginny Myers Sain, Shifa Saltagi Safadi, and more. Her tastes are quirky and sharp, boundary-pushing, with a dash of darkness and a whole lot of heart.

https://www.penguin.com/putnam-young-readers/
Instagram: @TheRRascal

Andrea L. rogers, AUTHOR OF chooch helped & man made monsters

Andrea L. Rogers is an award-winning author of historical and contemporary fiction across a variety of genres. Her work includes essays, picture books, young adult novels, middle grade stories and one comic. So far. Her first book, Mary and the Trail of Tears is historical fiction, which is pretty much horror for Native people. It was on both the NPR & American Indians in Children’s Literature best of 2020 lists.
Her critically acclaimed Young Adult Horror Novel, Man Made Monsters, was released by Levine Querido in October 2022. It includes illustrations by Jeff Edwards (Cherokee). The novel received the Walter Award and several other accolades. Her next YA novel is a Cherokee Futurism called The Art Thieves and released in August 2024.
Her debut picture book about Southeastern tribes and wild onion dinners (the opposite of horror) is called When We Gather, illustrated by Madelyn Goodnight (Chickasaw). A second picture book, Chooch Helped, arrived in October 2024, illustrated by Rebecca Kunz (Cherokee), received the 2025 Caldecott Medal.

Andrea is a citizen of the Cherokee Nation and grew up in Tulsa, Oklahoma. She currently attends The University of Arkansas in Fayetteville where she is a doctoral student in English. Andrea graduated with an MFA from the Institute for American Indian Arts. She taught Art and HS English in public schools for 14 years. She has three wonderful children.

andrealrogers.com

rhonda roumani, author of insha’allah, no, maybe so & umm kulthum: the star of the east

Rhonda Roumani is a Syrian American journalist who has covered the Arab world and Muslim issues for more than two decades. She is the author of the Middle Grade novel Tagging Freedom (Union Square); the picture book Insha’Allah, No, Maybe So (Holiday House). Her most recent book is a picture book biography about the Arab world's greatest diva, Umm Kulthum: The Star of the East, which released in November 2024 with Interlink Publishing. She lives in New Haven, CT with her family.

www.rhondaroumani.com
Instagram & Facebook: @rhondaroumani

JASMIN RUBERO, ART DIRECTOR, KOKILA / PENGUIN random house

Jasmin Rubero began her publishing career as an intern at Dial Books for Young Readers, an experience that taught her how graphic design and art are intertwined in children’s books. Her internship turned into a fulfilling full-time position as a design assistant, and she stayed at Dial for seventeen years. During that time, she worked with then Editorial Director Namrata Tripathi, and when Namrata founded the Kokila imprint at Penguin Random House, Jasmin joined the team as Art Director. Kokila’s goal is to bring together an inclusive community and focus on stories and storytellers that have been historically marginalized. Some of the critically acclaimed and bestselling artists Jasmin has worked with over the years include Weshoyot Alvitre, Leo Espinosa, Shane W. Evans, Michaela Goade, Vashti Harrison, Erika Meza, Zeke Peña, and Nikkolas Smith.

Shifa Saltagi Safadi, AUTHOR OF Kareem between & The gift of eid

SHIFA SALTAGI SAFADI is the National Book Award Winning author of Kareem Between, the Amina Banana series, and several picture books, including The Gift of Eid. She has a bachelor’s degree in English literature, is a former English teacher, and shares her favorite Muslim books on her blog, Muslim Mommy Blog. Shifa was born in Syria and immigrated to the US with her parents as a young girl. She lives near Chicago with her husband and four children.

www.shifasafadi.com
Instagram: @muslimmommyblog

Aida Salazar, AUTHOR OF ultraviolet & Jovita wore pants: the story of a mexican freedom fighter

Aida Salazar is an award-winning author, arts activist, and translator whose writings explore issues of identity and social justice. Her critically acclaimed verse novels and picture books have received numerous awards including: a Caldecott Honor, the Américas Award, Tomás Rivera Children's Book Award, International Latino Book Awards, California Library Association Beatty Award, Northern CA Book Award, Jane Addams Peace Honor, an NCTE Charlotte Huck Honor among other distinctions. Her most recent middle grade verse novel is ULTRAVIOLET. She lives with her family of artists in Oakland, CA.

www.AidaSalazar.com
Twitter, Instagram & TikTok: @aida_writes

Dr. Yolanda sealey-ruiz, author of Advancing Racial Literacies in Teacher Education: Toward Activism for Equity in Digital Spaces

Yolanda Sealey-Ruiz, Ph.D. (she/her) is a Professor of English Education at Teachers College, Columbia University. In May, 2024 Yolanda was recognized with the prestigious Dorothy Height Distinguished Alumni Award from New York University. She is co-editor of five books including the newly released All About Black Girl Love: bell hooks and Pedagogies of Love (2024), and is co-author of the multiple award-winning book Advancing Racial Literacies in Teacher Education: Activism for Equity in Digital Spaces (2021) where she examines her concept of Archeology of Self ™ in education. Her first full-length collection of poetry, Love from the Vortex & Other Poems, was published in March 2020. Her sophomore book of poetry, The Peace Chronicles, was published in July, 2021. Yolanda opened the 2022 TEDx UPENN conference at the University of Pennsylvania with her TEDx Talk: Truth, Love & Racial Literacy. For four years in a row, she was named one of EdWeek's EduScholar Influencers -- a list of the Top 1% of educational scholars in the United States -- a highly selective group of 200 scholars (chosen from a pool of 20,000).

sheetal sheth, author of raashi’s rakhis and bravo anjali

Sheetal Sheth is an award-winning actress, author, producer, cancer veteran, and activist. She is the author of the USA Today best selling and award winning Anjali children's book series (Penguin Random House), the first picture book series centering an Indian American hero. The latest, Anjali Can, was just released to an outpouring of anticipation and love. Her book, Making Happy won an IPPY and is an ode to mental health and self care. She is a contributor in the Rebel Girls’ title Dear Rebel, a book featuring 145 groundbreaking women who share their best advice for the girls of today. Sheetal focuses on highlighting traditionally marginalized communities in all of her work and is a fierce advocate for thoughtful representation. Sheth began her career at a time when few South Asians were making their living as actors. Despite being told she'd have to change her name to work, her successful career has trail-blazed paths for other women of color across media. She has starred in over 20 feature films and many TV shows and has earned a loyal, international following. She has delivered talks and keynotes at festivals and charity galas and has had op-eds published on CNN, The Daily Beast, Parents.com, and Thrive Global. She is a founder of Listen to the Kidz and an ambassador for the global literacy non profit, Room to Read. She served in AmeriCorps and is currently on the board of SAYA and the advisory board of Equality Now.

www.sheetalsheth.com
Instagram & TikTok: @beneaththesheetz

simran jeet singh, author of Fauja singh keeps going & a vaisakhi to remember

Simran Jeet Singh is a professor at Union Seminary and author of two books with Kokila: A Vaisakhi to Remember, which came out this March, and Fauja Singh Keeps Going: The True Story of the Oldest Person to Ever Run a Marathon. He also wrote the national bestseller, The Light We Give: How Sikh Wisdom Can Transform Your Life.

www.simranjeetsingh.org
X: @simran
Instagram: @sikhprof
Facebook: sikhprof

Alexander Smalls, author of When alexander graced the table

Alexander Smalls is an iconic figure in American cooking. He is the former chef-owner of Café Beulah, the Cecil (named the best new restaurant in America by Esquire magazine in 2014), and three other NYC restaurants. He co-authored with JJ Johnson and Veronica Chambers Between Harlem and Heaven, the 2019 James Beard award winner for Best American Cookbook. Smalls is a world-renowned opera singer and the winner of a Grammy and a Tony Award.

safa suleiman, author of Hilwa’s Gifts

Safa Suleiman is a Palestinian American educator with more than twenty years of experience in undergraduate and elementary school pedagogy. She now focuses on writing and teaching through storytelling centering the Palestinian and the American Muslim communities. Her debut picture book, Hilwa's Gifts, will be released on April 1, 2025 by Candlewick Press. A second book, Ameena's Special Thobe is set to release in fall 2026 also by Candlewick. She lives with her family in Colorado on the homeland of the Ute Nation.

www.safasuleiman.com
Instagram: @safawritesbooks

Celina Sun, assistant Editor at penguin random house

Celina Sun is an Assistant Editor at Penguin Workshop, where she edits the Who HQ graphic novel line and is growing her list of commercial middle grade and YA in the contemporary realistic and fantasy spaces, as well as picture books and graphic novels that take full advantage of their format. Celina looks to champion joyful, escapist stories by underrepresented voices that capture all the tender and thorny emotions of growing up, falling in love, and navigating evolving relationships with friends, family, and oneself. She’d love to see fresh takes on beloved tropes, irresistible characters, and sparkly, propulsive writing.

https://www.penguin.com/celina-sun-assistant-editor/
Instagram: @_celinasun_

mariahadessa ekere tallie, author of Layla’s Happiness & We go slow

Mariahadessa Ekere Tallie is an interdisciplinary artist and a PhD candidate in the Theatre Arts and Performance Studies program at Brown University. She is author of Layla’s Happiness (Enchanted Lion Books). Her next book We Go Slow is scheduled for publication in August 2025. Tallie is featured in Tell Me Another Story, a film about the importance of inclusivity in children’s literature. She and photographer Dominique Sindayiganza were recipients of an IGNITE Selection Award at the 4th International Eco Performance Film Festival for their video Barefoot Stroll. Tallie is the mother of three galaxies who look like daughters.

www.ekeretallie.com
Instagram: @sageekere

traci n. todd, author of make a pretty sound: a story of ella jenkins & NINA: A STORY OF NINA SIMONE

Traci N. Todd is the award-winning author of Nina: A Story of Nina Simone, Holding Her Own, The Exceptional Life of Jackie Ormes, and the editor of many successful books for children, including the New York Times-bestselling The ABCs of Black History. She is especially interested in amplifying the experiences of Black and brown folks and in inspiring inquisitiveness, compassion, and hope in all children. She believes the truth is powerful. And she loves a beautiful picture book.

Weslie Turner, senior editor at Versify, harpercollins

Weslie edits children's books for all ages, including New York Times bestseller Ibi Zoboi’s (S)Kin; Sam Teer, Mar Julia, and Ashanti Fortson's Printz Award winner Brownstone; and three-time Pura Belpré Award winners Raúl the Third and Elaine Bay's ¡Vamos! Let's Celebrate Halloween and Día de los Muertos. She is most interested in well-written YA and middle-grade fiction with diverse characters, as well as those with original fantasy and/or science fiction elements. Weslie grew up reading the Addy series (from The American Girl Collection); The Hobbit; and The Dark Is Rising. Today, favorite authors include Toni Morrison, Octavia Butler, and L.L. McKinney.

linkedin.com/in/weslieturner
Bluesky: @weslieturner.bsky.social

Ariel Vanece, author of Searching for Mr. Johnson’s song and Free Museum Day

Ariel Vanece (She/They) is a Black-American children's book author. Her stories are described as heartwarming and adventurous. They obtained an MFA/MA in Writing for Children and Children’s Literature from Simmons University, and they holds a BA in English from The University Of Kansas. Ariel's stories focus on Black-American culture and inter-generational friendships. Their debut picture book, Searching for Mr. Johnson’s Song, and a second book, Free Museum Day, are coming out in 2025 with Rocky Pond Books/Penguin.

www.arielvanece.com
Instagram: @_mynameisariel
Other platforms: @ ArielVanece

irene Vázquez, Assistant Editor and Publicist at Levine Querido

Born in New Orleans, raised in Houston, & now living in Manhattan, Irene Vázquez is a queer Black Mexican American editor, poet, translator, and journalist. At Levine Querido, they serve as associate editor and publicist. Their first acquisition, The Free People's Village is a national bestseller. Irene read the Percy Jackson series out of order in elementary school by accident and has been passionate about children’s books ever since.

www.irenevazquez.com
Twitter: @capaciousmood
Instagram: @irene.rene.ren

Gwendolyn Wallace, Author of Dancing with Water, joy takes root & Imagine New Suns

Gwendolyn Wallace is a multidisciplinary humanities scholar and award-winning children’s book author living in Boston. She is currently pursuing her PhD at MIT in the History, Anthropology, and Science & Technology Studies (HASTS) program. Gwendolyn is the author of picture books The Light She Feels Inside and Joy Takes Root, as well as the forthcoming Dancing with Water and Imagine New Suns. Imagine New Suns, coming in 2026, will be the first picture book biography of legendary science-fiction author Octavia Butler.

gwendolynwallace.com
Twitter: @gwendolynw__
Instagram: @g.m.wallace

Tony Weaver Jr., AUTHOR OF weirdo

Tony Weaver, Jr. is an award-winning writer, educator, and influencer. He founded the social impact organization Weird Enough, whose mission is to use the narrative ability of graphic novels to foster greater self-awareness, social responsibility, and agency in students. He is the creator of the WEBTOON Original series The UnCommons and author of Weirdo, a middle-grades graphic novel memoir chronicling his childhood struggles with mental health. Tony has also built up an audience of over half a million on TikTok, where he uses his positive influence in the nerd community to combat harmful media narratives and uplift young people.

www.tonyweaverjr.com
Social Media: @TonyWeaverJr

stacy wells, author of Tana cooks with care & Tana cooks for a special veterans day

Stacy Wells is a member of the Choctaw Nation, and a children’s librarian. She is also the author of the Tana Cooks early chapter book series. Her debut picture book, Stronger Than co-written with Nikki Grimes and illustrated by E.B. Lewis, is forthcoming in 2026 with Heartdrum, an imprint at HarperCollins. When not reading or writing (or recommending books), she lives life to the fullest in Texas with her family, which includes a red dog named Blu and two very adorable but very mischievous ferrets. Visit her at stacywellswrites.com.

www.stacywellswrites.com
IG, Bluessky, Threads: @stacyvwells

brittany N. williams, Author of iron tongue of midnight & Saint-seducing gold

Brittany N. Williams is the award-nominated author of The Forge & Fracture Saga and 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 Hong Kong Disneyland, a theatre professor at Coppin State University, and made appearances in Queen Sugar and Leverage: Redemption. Her short stories have been published in The Gambit Weekly, Fireside Magazine, and the Star Wars anthology From a Certain Point of View: The Empire Strikes Back.

brittanynwilliams.com
Social media: @BrittanyActs

Cheryl Willis Hudson, author of bright eyes, brown skin & When I hear spirituals

Author, publisher and entrepreneur, Cheryl Willis Hudson has more than four dozen years of experience in the children's book industry. A native of Portsmouth, Virginia, and a graduate of Oberlin College in Ohio, Cheryl began her career doing text book design for publishers such as Houghton Mifflin and Macmillan.

Noticing a lack of quality Black-interest books for her own two children, in 1988, Cheryl and her husband Wade formed Just Us Books, Inc., a publishing company that specializes in children’s books that focus on Black experiences. Cheryl’s first book, AFRO-BETS ABC Book, was Just Us Books’ first published title.

Cheryl has received many honors in recognition of her contribution to children's literature, including the 2019 Children's Book Council's Diversity Award, 2019 Jane Addams Honor Book Award (for We Rise, We Resist, We Raise Our Voices), the Hurston-Wright Foundation's Madam C. J. Walker Award, and is an inductee of the International Literary Hall of Fame for Writers of African Descent.

An active member of her community and publishing industry organizations, Cheryl has served on the advisory board of the Langston Hughes Library at the Alex Haley Farm, operated by the Children’s Defense Fund and is a member of the Children's Book Committee of PEN America.

Jacqueline Woodson, author of brown girl dreaming & remember us

Jacqueline Woodson is the recipient of a 2020 MacArthur Fellowship, the 2020 Hans Christian Andersen Award, the 2018 Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award, and the 2018 Children’s Literature Legacy Award, and she was the 2018–2019 National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature. Her New York Times bestselling memoir, Brown Girl Dreaming, won the National Book Award, as well as the Coretta Scott King Award, a Newbery Honor, and the NAACP Image Award. She also wrote the adult books Red at the Bone, a New York Times bestseller, and Another Brooklyn, a 2016 National Book Award finalist. Her dozens of books for young readers include Coretta Scott King Award and NAACP Image Award winner Before the Ever After, New York Times bestsellers The Year We Learned to Fly, The Day You Begin, and Harbor Me, Newbery Honor winners Feathers, Show Way, and After Tupac and D Foster, and the picture book Each Kindness, which won the Jane Addams Children’s Book Award.

PHOEBE YEH, VICE PRESIDENT AND EDITOR AT LARGE, CROWN BOOKS FOR YOUNG READERS/RANDOM HOUSE CHILDREN’S BOOKS

Phoebe Yeh is a Vice President and Editor-at-Large at Crown Books for Young Readers/Random House Children’s Books. She edited Monster the first Printz winner and three National Book Finalists, all by Walter Dean Myers. She has edited the Magic School Bus series, Big Nate and The School for Good & Evil. She has published the New York Times bestsellers, Max & the Midknights and Dear Martin. These authors published children’s debuts with her: Kwame Alexander, Kelly J. Baptist, Mahogany L. Browne, Frances Cha, Soman Chainani, Lamar Giles, Jamie Jo Hoang, Traci Huahn, Wade Hudson, Ellen Oh, Patricia Park, Lincoln Peirce, Kelis Rowe, Nic Stone and George Takei, author of My Lost Freedom: A Japanese American World War II Story.

She has published anthologies on themes of social justice with Cheryl Willis Hudson and Wade Hudson of Just Us Books and short story anthologies with We Need Diverse Books.

Yeh is a recipient of the inaugural CBC Diversity Outstanding Achievement Award.

brian young, author of Heroes OF THE WATER MONSTER & healer of the water monster

Brian Young is a graduate of Yale University and Columbia University. He is an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation. He enjoys reading, watching movies, playing video games (when he has time), and keeping physically active.

www.brianlyoung.com
Instagram: @byoungwrites
Facebook: @BYoungWritres