Glenda Armand is the author of Love Twelve Miles Long and Ira's Shakespeare Dream. She has enjoyed a long career in education, teaching prekindergarten through eighth grade in public and private schools. Currently, she works as a middle school librarian and lives in California.
Tami Charles is a former teacher who now writes picture books, middle grade and young adult novels, and nonfiction for kids. She is the author of the novel Like Vanessa. She lives in New Jersey with her family.
Kelly Starling Lyons grew up in Pittsburgh. She is the award-winning author of several books for children including Ellen's Broom, a Coretta Scott King illustrator award book, Hope's Gift, and One More Dino on the Floor. She lives in North Carolina.
Ann Malaspina has written many books for children, including Touch the Sky: Alice Coachman, Olympic High Jumper and Finding Lincoln. She lives in New Jersey with her husband and two sons.
Madison Moore is an artist, maker, and writer. She’s a recent graduate of the University of Chicago and an editor. In her free time, you can find her swimming in the lake or playing ultimate frisbee. She is the author of two books. Visit her online at thegirlandthelamb.com.
Rose Viña is a Cuban American writer from California. Her debut book, Ice Breaker: How Mabel Fairbanks Changed Figure Skating, was named a Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators Crystal Kite Member Choice Award finalist. Rose currently lives in Sweden with her family.
Carole Boston Weatherford is the author of several acclaimed poetry collections and poetic biographies, including Sugar Hill and Moses: When Harriet Tubman Led Her People to Freedom, winner of a Caldecott Honor, the Coretta Scott King Award for Illustration, and the NAACP Image Award. She teaches at Fayetteville State University in North Carolina.
Claire Almon is an illustrator who also works in character design in animation. She lives in Georgia, where she loves dancing, napping, and being an aunt to her six nieces.
R. Gregory Christie has illustrated over forty books and is the recipient of numerous awards including the NAACP's Image Award in Illustration. His books include Bad News for Outlaws and Brothers in Hope: The Story of the Lost Boys of Sudan. He lives in Georgia.
Jamey Christoph studied illustration at the Ringling College of Art and Design. His illustrations have appeared in a variety of major publications and in several award-winning children’s books. He has also received multiple recognitions from the Society of Illustrators and Communication Arts. He works out of his home in Maryland and loves a sunny day on the Eastern Shore with his two crazy dogs, Spencer and Owen.
Brittany "Bea" Jackson is an award-winning freelance illustrator most notably known for her ability to tell a story through her art. Her work has been featured in various publications, from cover art, to interior illustration, children's books, character design, and more.
Lonnie Ollivierre was born in St. Vincent and the Grenadines, grew up in Brooklyn, and lives in Georgia. He taught himself to draw and paint from comic books he collected. His goal is to inspire, educate, and uplift others through his art.
Nicole Tadgell is the award-winning illustrator of more than twenty picture books. When she's not drawing, Nicole enjoys practicing Tai Chi and watching Doctor Who.
Eric Velasquez, the son of Afro-Puerto Rican parents, was born in Spanish Harlem and grew up in Harlem in New York City. As a child, his love for doodling and drawing was strongly encouraged by his mother. From his grandmother he inherited a love of music and from his father he developed a love of movies. Growing up in this setting, Eric says, "Becoming an artist was a natural choice for me. I have never thought of being anything else."
