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 Christopher Beha, Ruth Franklin, John Freeman, Honorée Fanonne Jeffers, Susanna Hoffs, Linda Holmes, 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 Cornelia Jones, MFA is a writer, producer, photographer and marketing strategist from Detroit, MI. She is the founder of Blackboard Plays, and a founding producer of Harlem9 (Obie Award). Her essays and articles have appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, Salon.com, Howlround and American Theatre. She worked on an MA in African American and African Diaspora studies at Indiana University before moving to New York. She holds an MFA in Playwrighting from The New School for Drama. Keynote Speaker: Louisiana Arts Summit, Baton Rouge, LA.- October 2023. Artist in Residency - NYTW, Vineyard Arts Project, August 2025. Former Line Producer and then Director, Innovation and New Media - The Public Theater(2019-2023) and Former Associate Artistic Director, Senior Creative Producer - Obsidian Theatre Festival, Detroit (2021-2026) Current: Executive Director of Producing- PAAL; Co-Creator and Executive Producer Black Motherhood and Parenting New Play Festival; Playing on Air, Assoc AD & Creative Producer. She leads Jones & Co., her independent marketing and communications consultancy.

@garliacornelia | garliacornelia.com | patreon.com/garliacornelia

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.

BUNMI ISHOLA, SENIOR EDITOR, WATERBROOK CHILDREN’S, AN IMPRINT OF RANDOM HOUSE CHILDREN’S BOOKS

Bunmi Ishola is a Senior Editor at WaterBrook Children’s, an imprint of Random House Children’s Books focusing on books by a diversity of Christian authors that help kids discover the abundance, joy, and adventure found in living a life of faith. She acquires fiction and nonfiction for readers from ages 0 to 18. Before becoming an editor, Bunmi survived seven years as a middle school teacher, and had short stints working as a journalist, bookseller, photographer, and nanny. Born in Texas and raised in Nigeria, she currently lives in Los Angeles, although you can often find her traveling as far as her budget will allow.

grace kendall, Senior Editor, Farrar, Straus, Giroux Books for Young Readers/Macmillan

Grace works on a range of projects from picture books to YA novels, fiction and nonfiction. She publishes exciting projects from debut authors, seasoned veterans, and award-winners, including A PLACE INSIDE OF ME by Zetta Elliott, illustrated by Caldecott Honoree Noa Denmon; MAMA AFRICA! by National Book Award Winner Kathryn Erskine, illustrated by CSK John Steptoe Winner Charly Palmer; YOU BRING THE DISTANT NEAR by Mitali Perkins, which was a Walter Honor Book, South Asia Book Award Winner, and a National Book Award Nominee; ALL BOYS AREN’T BLUE by George M. Johnson, a groundbreaking IndieBestseller about growing up Black and queer in New Jersey ; and BETTY BEFORE X by Ilyasah Shabazz and Newbery Honoree Renée Watson. Grace also publishes ongoing series, like the Jasmine Toguchi chapter books by Debbi Michiko Florence and Elizabet Vukovic. And she has a special love for fantasy that questions power structures, as in BLACK WINGS BEATING by Alex London and THE BONELESS MERCIES by April Genevieve Tucholke, both of which received several starred reviews. You can keep in touch with her on Twitter at @GraceKendallLit.

Shulokhana Khan, ASSISTANT editor, scholastic

Shulokhana Khan is on the 0-8 team at Scholastic with a primary focus on picture books and board books. She is particularly interested in books with strong voices that are funny, empowering, dark, or touching, with special interest in the variety of BIPOC experiences.

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

mikaela luke, editorial assistant at sourcebooks

Mikaela Luke is a Taiwanese Canadian children’s book reviewer, scholar, and editor with a Master of Arts in children’s literature. Her paper on transnational migration and magical narratives was published in volume 47(3) of The Lion and the Unicorn. She currently lives in New York and works on a range of picture books to young adult novels as an editorial assistant at Stonefruit Studio, an imprint of Sourcebooks.

@mikaela.luke.bsky.social

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.

ella mcleod, Author of the map that led to you

Ella McLeod is a writer, poet, and podcaster, who lives in South London with her fiancé and cat. She also co-hosts Comfort Creatures on the Maximum Fun Network. Ella loves Shakespeare, the Harlem Renaissance, mythology, and ramen, and firmly believes in the radical power of dreaming. She’s the award-winning author of The Map That Led to You and Rapunzella, Or, Don’t Touch My Hair.

Instagram: @mcleodmouth

MARIALUISA MONDA, WRITER, FOLKLORIST & ARCHIVAL RESEARCH ASSISTANT

Marialuisa Monda is a Jamaican-Italian New Yorker, writer, avid reader, and folklorist. For over six years, she has been working at the New York Society Library (the oldest library in New York City). More recently, she joined the staff of Dark Laboratory as an archival research assistant. Imani Perry wrote that “Dark Laboratory is stunning . . . With a vast archive and a mighty pen, Tao Leigh Goffe tells the story of modernity and its discontents through the land, legacy, and people of the Caribbean . . . You will have a new understanding of the world.”

PATRICIA PARK, author of IMPOSTER SYNDROME AND OTHER CONFESSIONS OF ALEJANDRA KIM & ambrosia lee drops the mic

Patricia Park is the author of the YA novels Imposter Syndrome & Other Confessions of Alejandra Kim (NPR’s Best Books of 2023 and Gotham Book Prize finalist), What’s Eating Jackie Oh?, and the forthcoming Ambrosia Lee Drops the Mic. She is also the author of the adult novel, Re Jane, a modern retelling of Brontë’s Jane Eyre. Park is a professor of creative writing at American University and has written for The New York Times, New Yorker, Guardian, and others. All of her novels are all linked in the “Queens multiverse.”

Instagram: @patriciapark718

ANA OROPEZA PARRA, WRITER, LIBRARIAN AND EDUCATOR

Ana Oropeza-Parra is a first-generation Chicana writer, librarian, educator, and reading specialist born in Tucson, Arizona, and a long-time resident of New York City. The daughter of Mexican immigrants, her work explores identity, belonging, memory, and healing across generations. For more than twenty years, she has worked in classrooms, libraries, and community spaces fostering literacy, defending intellectual freedom, and expanding access to information. Ana believes deeply in the power of stories to affirm who we are, bridge cultures, and nurture connection and collective care. Learn more about Ana at: breathheartmind.com

laura pegram, founding editor and publisher of kweli journal & director of Kweli color of children’s literature conference

Laura Pegram is a writer, jazz vocalist, muralist, entreprenuer and child of Harlem. Her mother, Phyllis Mae, was a brilliant self-taught visual artist from Little Washington, North Carolina, whose work rivaled that of Elizabeth Catlett. June Jordan was both mentor and second mother to Laura and told her that “the sky is your ceiling” and any dream can be realized.

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 children’s books, including Operation Sisterhood, You’re Breaking My Heart, and the Makeda Makes series. She’s contributed to several collections, including We Rise, We Resist, We Raise Our Voices, Open Mic: Riffs on Life Between Cultures in Ten Voices, and Imagine it Better: Visions of What School Might Be. She edited The Hero Next Door anthology, and was commissioned to write the stage adaptation of Operation Sisterhood, a BCALA Best of the Best Book and IndieNext Top Ten Pick.

Other praise includes Kirkus Best of the Year, Amazon Editor’s Choice, SLJ Best of the Year, Chicago Public Library Best of the Year, and NAACP Image Award Nominee. She’s written for various outlets, including PBS Parents, Read Brightly, and American Baby, and classic hip hop fanzines like the iconic Right On! and Word Up!. Olugbemisola has worked extensively in youth development; she was twice awarded an Echoing Green Foundation public service fellowship and was the 2024 Writer-In-Residence at Bank Street School for Children.

http://olugbemisolabooks.com

BUSHRA REHMAN, AUTHOR OF ROSES, IN THE MOUTH OF A LION

Bushra Rehman’s latest novel Roses, in the Mouth of a Lion, a coming-of-age story about growing up Muslim and queer in NYC, was noted by The New Yorker, The Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, The New York Times, NPR, and Ms. Magazine as a Best Book/Editor’s Choice. She co-edited Colonize This! Young Women of Color on Today’s Feminism and is author of the poetry collection Marianna’s Beauty Salon and dark comedy Corona, chosen by the NY Public Library as one of its favorite books about NYC. She was awarded the Queens Public Library Award for contribution to literature on Queens.

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

CARMEN RUBIN, author of A NIGHT FOR THE RICE CARRIERS

Carmen Rubin, author and playwright, is passionate about history and empowering children through storytelling. Her picture book Ashti Meets Birdman Al was adapted for the stage in 2024. With over 200,000 self-published books sold, she has several traditionally published works forthcoming, including A Night for the Rice Carriers. Carmen gives back as the founder of One Blue Village and serves on the Advisory Board for Reading is Fundamental. Motto: Literacy is Resistance.

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

SIBU T.P., AUTHOR / ILLUSTRATOR OF HOME, HOME & ILLUSTRATOR of THE ONES WHO CAME BEFORE

Born and raised in New York, Sibu T. P. is a first-generation child of immigrants from Kerala, India. He spent a great deal of his childhood scribbling and sketching, dreaming and imagining. Today, he tells stories through picture books as an illustrator and as a writer. Sibu's author-illustrator debut, "Home, Home," is available now. When he’s not in front of his drawing board, he’s taking pictures while hiking and running from squirrels.

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

arriel vinson, Author of under the neon lights

Arriel Vinson is a Midwesterner who writes about being young, Black, and in search of freedom. Her debut YA novel-in-verse, Under the Neon Lights, is a 2026 Coretta Scott King/John Steptoe New Talent Award winner, a Reese’s Book Club LitUp selection, and a Junior Library Guild Gold Selection. Arriel earned her MFA in Fiction from Sarah Lawrence College and is a Tin House YA Scholar, Highlights Foundation scholarship recipient, and Walter Grant recipient. Her sophomore novel, If This World Were Mine, is forthcoming in spring 2027. You can connect with her on social media at @arriwrites and find her work at arriwrites.com.

renee watson, Author of ALL THE BLUES IN THE SKY

Renée Watson is a #1 New York Times bestselling author with over one million books sold.  Her middle grade novel, All the Blues in the Sky, received the John Newbery Medal which is awarded to the author of “the most distinguished contributions to American literature for children.” Her award-winning novel, Piecing Me Together, received a Coretta Scott King Award and a Newbery Honor. Her poetry collection, Black Girl You are Atlas, received a Corretta Scott King Honor and was the winner of the Walter Dean Myers Award. Her debut novel, skin & bones, was named an Amazon Best Book of the Year.

Known for centering her poetry and fiction around the experiences of Black girls and women, Watson’s work explores themes of identity and the intersections of race, class, and gender. Her books include the Ryan Hart Series, and the critically acclaimed picture book, The 1619 Project: Born on the Water co-written with Nikole Hannah-Jones.

Her stories are often inspired by her experiences growing up in Portland, Oregon. Watson is an educator and community activist who has used the arts to help youth cope with trauma and discuss social issues. As part of this work, her picture book A Place Where Hurricanes Happen was inspired by poetry workshops she led with children in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina.

For over twenty years, Watson taught creative writing and theater as a writer-in-residence in schools and community centers across the nation. Watson has given keynotes and readings at the United Nations, the Library of Congress, and the U.S. embassies in Japan and New Zealand. She serves on the Education Advisory Council for the Academy of American Poets. She splits her time between Portland, Oregon, and New York City

allison weintraub, ASSOCIATE EDITOR, HARPERCOLLINS CHILDREN’S BOOKS

Allison Weintraub joined HarperCollins Children’s Books in 2019, and has grown into the role of associate editor. She is thrilled to have worked with many wonderful and award-winning creators. Her favorite books to work on reflect readers’ complexities—both directly and through a genre lens—and center historically marginalized perspectives. She is interested in middle grade and teen novels and graphic novels across all categories.

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.

jazmia young, associate agent, curtis brown

Jazmia Young is an associate agent at Curtis Brown Ltd. She received her bachelor’s degree in English with a concentration in Creative Writing at the City College of New York and was a graduate of the Publishing Certificate Program at CCNY. She’s interested in representing children’s books, picture books through YA, focusing on middle-grade fiction with the goal of amplifying underrepresented voices. She loves stories with friendship ties, complicated family dynamics, and grief or loss. Being a New York native, anything based in NYC has her heart. Jazmia is also the Administrative Assistant of the Association of American Literary Agents.

@jazmiayoung
curtisbrown.com/agents/jazmia-young/

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

Hello, my name is Brian Young. I am Red-Running-Into-Red Clan and born for the Tangle People Clan. My maternal grandfather’s clan is Bitter Water. My paternal grandfather’s clan is Sage Hill Clan. I am enrolled with the Navajo Nation and grew up in Fort Defiance, Arizona. I currently live in Brooklyn, New York.

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