Lakshmi Thamizhmani is the author of picture books including the Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection Ganesha Goes Green and Navya Sings for Navarathri. A CBA grad and an SCBWI and 12×12 member, she divides her time between her corporate tech job, daydreaming, and writing. After moving from India to the US, she began writing for newspapers but then discovered a passion for creative writing instead. Lakshmi now writes beautiful, lesser-known stories to bridge cultures and transport children to new worlds to learn and celebrate diversity. Visit her at lakshmithamizhmani.com. 

Avani Dwivedi is an illustrator and author of picture books, including the School Library Journal Best Book of the Year My Bollywood Dream. She grew up in Mumbai, India, and later moved to the US to pursue her passion of becoming an artist. A graduate of Maryland Institute College of Art with a BFA in illustration, she says that even when away from home, she holds on to her “most precious gems”—memories of her childhood, the lived experience of being a South Asian woman, and her love for creating whimsical art. Avani Dwivedi lives in Jersey City, New Jersey. Visit her at avanidwivedi.com.