autumn allen, senior editor at barefoot books

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

jaha nailah avery, author of I heard: An american journy & those who saw the sun

Jaha Nailah Avery is an African American woman and proud Southerner. Hailing from Asheville, North Carolina, she received her law degree from The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where she studied constitutional and civil rights law. Her work can be found in The New York Times, Rolling Stone, and Architectural Digest, and she is the author of Those Who Saw The Sun and I Heard: An American Journey. Her aim is to always document, celebrate, and preserve the stories of Black people, communities, and history.

instagram: @jay_nailah

Winsome Bingham, Author of soul food sunday & Fish fry friday

Winsome Bingham is a soul food connoisseur, teacher by trade and at heart, and a US Army war and disabled veteran. She received both bachelor’s and master’s degrees in education, with more than fifteen years of teaching experience, as well as an MFA in writing for children and young adults. Her books include the Coretta Scott King Illustrator Honor book Soul Food Sunday, illustrated by C. G. Esperanza; The Walk (A Stroll to the Poll), illustrated by E. B. Lewis; and Life Is Beautiful, illustrated by Molly Mendoza. You can find her at BinghamWrites.com.

mahogany l. browne, Author of a bird in the air means we can still breathe & vinyl moon

Mahogany L. Browne, a Kennedy Center Next 50 fellow and MacDowell Arts Advocacy Awardee, is a writer, playwright, organizer, and educator. She has received fellowships from Arts for Justice, Cave Canem, Poets House, and more. Her books include Vinyl Moon, Chlorine Sky (optioned by Steppenwolf Theater), Black Girl Magic, and banned works Woke and Woke Baby. Founder of the Woke Baby Book Fair, she tours Chrome Valley and is the 2024 Paterson Poetry Prize winner. Browne holds an honorary Ph.D. from Marymount Manhattan College and is Lincoln Center’s inaugural poet-in-residence.

www.mobrowne.com
Twitter: @mobrowne
Bluesky: @mobrowne

Gaby caballero, Domestic Coordinator at WME

Gaby Caballero, originally from Miami, joined the WME Books department in 2021. She's always on the hunt for books that showcase diverse joy; fantastical stories that offer representation for children from marginalized backgrounds, but that center their ability to fall in love and go on amazing adventures. Primarily seeking young adult and graphic novels.

Instagram: @Agent_Caballero

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

Arlène Elizabeth Casimir, Author of back home

Arlène Elizabeth Casimir—a Brooklyn-based author, educator, healer, and visionary—honors her lineage through storytelling, healing arts, and educational leadership. Her debut picture book, Back Home: Story Time with My Father (Candlewick, May 7, 2024), is a love letter to Haiti, family, and home, weaving memory, belonging, and legacy. Through this story, as in all her work, she invites readers to awaken to the power of identity, connection, and transcendence.

As The Awakened Teacher, she co-creates spaces of learning and transformation with her co-teacher and therapy dog, Zaya. Through Lakay Lune, she nurtures the spirit through herbalism and spiritual wellness. As CEO of Reveye (“to awaken” in Haitian Creole), she envisions a world where healing and renewal guide people to remember who they are and rise into who they are meant to be.

Dr. sonja Cherry-paul, Author of Antiracist Reading Revolution: A Framework for Teaching Beyond Representation Toward Liberation

Dr. Sonja Cherry-Paul is the founder of Red Clay Educators, co-director of the Institute for Racial Equity in Literacy, co-director of the Teach Black History All Year Institute, and executive producer and host of The Black Creators Series. She is an educator with more than 20-years of classroom experience who has written several books that support reading and writing instruction including Antiracist Reading Revolution: A Framework for Teaching Beyond Representation Toward Liberation. Sonja has adapted the #1NYT Best Seller, Stamped (For Kids): Racism, Antiracism and You.

https://sonjacherrypaul.com/
Social Media: @SonjaCherryPaul

Ana Crespo, Agent at East West Literary

Ana Crespo, herself a picture book author, became an agent at East West Literary Agency in January of 2021. Prior to becoming an agent, Ana apprenticed with Deborah Warren and the E/W team for two years and attended the Denver Publishing Institute. The books she agented are just starting to come out, with ten titles due in 2025, six of them by debut authors, including works by fellow Kweli faculty Ariel Vanece and Safa Suleiman. Ana is especially passionate about picture books.

Orlando dos reis, senior editor at scholastic

Orlando Dos Reis is an editor at Scholastic Press. He began his career at Abrams Books before moving to Scholastic, where he acquires primarily middle-grade and young adult fiction. He received his B.A. in creative writing from Virginia Tech and his M.A. in English with a concentration in children’s and young adult literature from Kansas State University. He lives in New York City.

ruqayyah duad, senior editor at Hachette book group

As a self-described professional fan girl, I love bingeable, gossip-y books. I have been a longtime reader of romance novels both traditionally and independently published. Across genres, I'm drawn to commercial books with a strong hook, emotional core, and vibrant characters. I am a big lover of diverse sweeping fantasies, as well as fantasies rooted in our world. On the contemporary side, I’d love to work with the next Elle Kennedy, Ali Hazelwood, or Lauren Asher. If a book could be on the CW or a reality TV show, it’s probably for me. At LBYR, my list includes the #1 New York Times bestselling Immortal Dark by Tigest Girma; As Long as the Lemon Trees Grow by Zoulfa Katouh; the upcoming romantasy Bitten by Jordan Stephanie Gray; and Elora Cook’s teen mafia romance, In the Company of Killers.

Jessica Echeverria, Editorial Director at Lee & Low Books

Jessica is the editorial director at Lee & Low Books. She spent the first five years of her career working on licensed properties and brands, and developing new paperback series at Simon & Schuster Simon Spotlight and Little, Brown Books for Young Readers. She also oversaw and edited the Spanish-language imprint Libros para niños, where she thoughtfully curated a list of popular backlist titles to be translated into Spanish each season. In 2012, she jumped at the chance to work at Lee & Low Books, where she would fulfill her passion to bring more diverse voices and stories to children’s publishing. A few of the critically acclaimed and award-winning books she has edited include the APALA Picture Book–winner Juna’s Jar; NAACP Image Award–winner Tiny Stitches: The Life of Medical Pioneer Vivien Thomas; the delectable tale Zombies Don’t Eat Veggies, simultaneously published in Spanish and English editions; the Pura Belpré Illustrator Honor award–winner Still Dreaming/ Seguimos Soñando; and Martí’s Song for Freedom/Martí y sus versos por la libertad, which received five starred reviews.

www.leeandlow.com/authors-illustrators/editorial-team/

sian-ashleigh edwards, Agent at Wme (william morris endeavor)

Sian-Ashleigh has been at WME since 2018. She hails from the suburbs of New York and goes by her full first name. Representing Nonfiction and Fiction across the YA and adult spaces, her authors are tastemakers, experts, world-builders, and everyday people with something to say. In Nonfiction she’s looking for books that provide new perspectives for the people and places around us, help us master a new skill, or bring us one step closer to a better version of ourselves. In Fiction, she’s looking for anything in the upmarket, commercial, and sci-fi/fantasy spaces that makes her laugh, cry, and/or marvel at the capacity of the written word to move you.

kait Lee feldman, agent at kt literary

Kait Lee Feldmann is a children’s book agent at kt literary representing illustrators.She has been romping around children’s book publishing for the past decade, previously as an editor at HarperCollins and Scholastic. Her list as editor included award-winning books that received a Caldecott, Coretta Scott King, and Sibert Honor; the Ezra Jack Keats Award; and appearances on Best of lists for The New York Times, NPR, Kirkus, and more. In 2020 she received the CBC Diversity Outstanding Achievement Award. Kait resides in a hoarder’s paradise in Los Angeles, surrounded by books.

Website: kaitfeldmann.com
Instagram: @kaitfeldmann

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

Autumn A. Griffin, Phd, co-editor of All About Black Girl Love in Education

Autumn A. Griffin is a postdoctoral research associate at Georgia State University and an NCTE fellow. Her research focuses on how Black adolescent girls use literacy and literature to express their experiences in ways that center Black joy. She has published in various journals and recently co-published two books: "Restorying Young Adult Literature" and "All About Black Girl Love in Education." Autumn also co-created Specs n Texts, a digital platform promoting stories by Black authors. In her free time, she enjoys yoga, gardening, and live music.

Bluesky: @autumnadia.bsky.social
Instagram: @AutumnAdia4

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.

Asia Harden, Assistant Editor at Farrar straus giroux, macmillan children’s publishing group

Asia Harden is a Mississippi native and former children’s bookseller. She has worked with award-winning and bestselling authors including George M. Johnson, Leah Johnson, Hafsah Faizal, Libba Bray, and Barbara O'Connor. In 2024, Asia was named one of five Publishers Weekly Star Watch finalists. When not reading or editing, you can find her binge watching reality TV, obsessing over Formula 1, or napping at odd hours. She resides in Brooklyn, NY.

X: @asiacharden

vashti harrison, Author of big & little leaders: bold women in black history

Vashti Harrison is the New York Times bestselling creator of Big, which was awarded the 2024 Caldecott Medal, a Coretta Scott King Book Award Author Honor, and a Coretta Scott King Book Award Illustrator Honor, in addition to being a National Book Award finalist. Vashti is also the #1 New York Times bestselling creator of Little Leaders, Little Dreamers, and Little Legends, and the illustrator of many others. A two-time recipient of the NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Literary Work for Children, Vashti lives in Brooklyn, New York, and invites you to visit her online @vashtiharrison or at vashtiharrison.com

www.vashtiharrison.com
Social media: @vashtiharrison

Saritza Hernández, literary agent at Andrea Brown Literary Agency

I am a literary agent at the Andrea Brown Literary Agency where I represent authors and illustrators from underrepresented communities in KidLit genre fiction and select non-fiction. I am a geek at heart and a sucker for great storytelling. While I acquire works in Middle Grade through Adult categories, I am most interested in finding more middle grade to round out my list. I have been on the hunt for a middle-grade rom-com forever and am craving more science fiction in this space as well. No body horror, potty humor, or overt religious overtones, please.

www.andreabrownlit.com/Team/saritza-hern%C3%A1ndez
Bluesky: @litagentsaritza.bsky.social

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

veera hiranandani, Author of THe Night Diary & Amil and the after

Veera Hiranandani is the award-winning author of several books for young people. Her most recent book, a companion to her Newbery Honor-winning THE NIGHT DIARY, is called AMIL AND THE AFTER. She’s also the author of HOW TO FIND WHAT YOU'RE NOT LOOKING FOR, which received the 2022 Sydney Taylor Book Award among other accolades. She earned her MFA in fiction writing at Sarah Lawrence College. A former editor at Simon & Schuster, she's now a faculty member with the MFA in Writing for Children and Young Adults program at The Vermont College of Fine Arts. You can find Veera on Bluesky @veerawrites.bsky.social and Instagram @veerawrites.

www.veerahiranandani.com
Bluesky: @veerawrites.bsky.social
Instagram: @veerawrites

Omar Holmon, Author of We were all someone else yesterday & black nerd problems

Omar Holmon is a culture critic, performer, internet archaeologist, and known for co-founding the popular website Black Nerd Problems. He is co-author of 'Black Nerd Problems: Essays' collection and author of 'We Were All Someone Else Yesterday' poetry collection. There's nothing Omar loves more than writing essays / creating content about niche and obscure moments in pop culture across all genres. From comic books and anime to movies and television shows you should be watching, Omar has bars for them all in person and online.

Mabel Hsu, Editorial Director at Stonefruit Studio/Sourcebooks

Mabel Hsu is an Editorial Director at Stonefruit Studio/Sourcebooks. She publishes picture books through young adult novels. She focuses on narratives that transform genre tropes, feature intersectional representation, and–most of all–makes reading a pleasure for every type of reader. She's had the honor of publishing award-winning titles such as NIGEL AND THE MOON by Antwan Eady and Gracey Zhang, THE FIRST CAT IN SPACE series by Mac Barnett and Shawn Harris, and FROM THE DESK OF ZOE WASHINGTON by Janae Marks. Mabel is on the Brooklyn Book Festival children’s committee and a mentor through POC in Publishing.

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: un retrato de la comunidad Dominicana en 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, The Poetry Project, Rigorous, A Gathering of the Tribes, 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.

Zakiya N. Jamal, author of If we were a movie

Zakiya N. Jamal was born in Queens, raised in Long Island, and currently resides in Brooklyn. In other words, she’s a New Yorker through and through. She holds a BA in English from Georgetown University and a MFA in Creative Writing with a concentration in Writing for Children and Young Adults from The New School. Her debut novel If We Were a Movie will be published on April 22, 2025 by HarperTeen. Her adult debut, Sparks Fly, will be published by Berkley in fall ’25. You can find her on social media at @ZakiyaNJamal.

zakiyanjamal.com
All platforms: @zakiyanjamal

JOHN JENNINGS, ILLUSTRATOR of PARABLE OF THE TALENTS: GRAPHIC NOVEL ADAPTATION by octavia butler & DIRECTOR OF ABRAMS COMICARTS IMPRINT MEGASCOPE

John Jennings is a professor, author, graphic novelist, curator, Harvard Fellow, New York Times Bestseller, 2018 Eisner Winner, and winner of the Hugo Award for his co-adaptation of Octavia E. Butler’s dystopian novel The Parable of the Sower. As Professor of Media and Cultural Studies at the University of California at Riverside (UCR), Jennings examines the visual culture of race in various media forms including film, illustrated fiction, and comics and graphic novels. He is also the director of Abrams ComicArts imprint Megascope, which publishes graphic novels focused on the experiences of people of color. Jennings is co-editor of the 2016 Eisner Award-winning collection The Blacker the Ink: Constructions of Black Identity in Comics and Sequential Art (Rutgers) and co-founder/organizer of The Schomburg Center’s Black Comic Book Festival in Harlem. Jennings also created Marvel’s new AfroCaribbean cosmic superhero Ghost Light with artist Valentine Delandro.

www.johnjenningsstudio.com
Instagram: johnjenningsart
X: JIJennings

Upasna Kakroo, Author of Loal

Upasna has been a brand storyteller working with McKinsey, University of Michigan, and others for over 20 years. She currently leads a nonprofit, Peerbagh where she hosts storytelling workshops for kids and adults. She has published two nonfiction books, Loal (Gulshan, 2024), and Citywide Wi-Fi Networks (Lap Publications, 2012). From 2021 onwards, she has penned four children's activity books commissioned by various nonprofits. Her children’s book, Shaliya Discovers Coronavirus Frumpfchi was translated into seventeen Indian languages and was commissioned by the Government of India. She is the managing editor for Bento - the only South-Asian children’s magazine in print.

www.peerbagh.com
Instagram: @upasnakakroo

erin entrada kelly, Author of THe first state of being & At last she stood

Erin Entrada Kelly received the Newbery Medal, Newbery Honor, Asian Pacific American Librarians Award for Children's Literature, and is a National Book Award Finalist. Her books are New York Times bestsellers and have been translated into many languages. She teaches writing for children and young adults at Hamline University.

www.erinentradakelly.com
Instagram, Threads, Bluesky: @erinentrada
Facebook: Erin Entrada Kelly

maham khwaja, author of the home we make

Maham Khwaja is a Pakistani-American writer, director, and interdisciplinary artist whose work weaves together visual poetry and narrative depth.

Maham’s creative journey has taken her from the dynamic world of feature films and network television to the imaginative realm of children’s programming, including the beloved Sim Sim Hamara (Sesame Street Pakistan). Her nuanced storytelling was recognized with the New Voices Award from Lee & Low Books for her book The Home We Make—a lyrical meditation on identity, migration, and belonging.

Her directorial projects are marked by an artful sensitivity to rhythm and place. In the music video Woh Umeed Ki Manzil, Maham captures hope and longing against the backdrop of Pakistan’s urban landscapes, earning a televised debut and a spot in the Official Selection at IFFSA Toronto. In her short documentary Same Story, Different Voices, she explores the voices and histories of the Gullah-Geechee community in Sapelo Island with an evocative, painterly eye. As an artist-in-residence with Marquis Studios and Creative Art Works, Maham channels her love of art into creating inclusive spaces for students to explore their own creative voices.

Maham is currently working on her first feature, Auntie Express, an intimate tapestry of a group of spirited Pakistani-American aunties who find sisterhood in the shape of a food truck, and Ramadan Diaries, a dark comedy mini-series that pulses with the rhythms of New York City during Ramadan. Maham is based in Brooklyn, NY.

london ladd, illustrator of when I hear spirituals & my hair is a book

London Ladd utilizes various materials, including acrylic paint, cut paper, and tissue paper, to create vibrant textures in his artwork. His work has been featured in numerous picture books, newspapers, magazines, and community-based murals. Ladd has received recognition from several prestigious organizations, including the American Library Association, the Society of Illustrators, Communication Arts, American Illustration, and the World Illustration Awards. Additionally, he was awarded an honorary Doctor of Fine Arts degree from the State University of New York and was an NAACP Image Award nominee. Currently, Ladd serves as an Assistant Teaching Professor at Syracuse University, where he earned his BFA and MFA degrees in illustration.

www.londonladd.com
Instagram: @london.ladd

emily sun li, Author of THe good, the bad, and the fluffy & 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 nonfiction early reader, THE GOOD, THE BAD, AND THE FLUFFY: TRUE STORIES OF ANIMAL TROUBLEMAKERS, released with Scholastic’s Clubs and Fairs in Fall 2024, and her picture book MR. CHOW’S NIGHT MARKET publishes in Spring 2026 with Penguin Workshop/Penguin Random House in a two-book deal. When she’s not writing, she’s probably procrasti-cleaning, drinking milk tea, or traveling the world.

http://emilysunli.com
Instagram: @emilysunli

darcie little badger, Author of a snake falls to earth & Sheine Lende: A Prequel to Elatsoe

Darcie Little Badger is a Lipan Apache writer with a PhD in oceanography. Her critically acclaimed debut novel, Elatsoe, was featured in Time Magazine as one of the best 100 fantasy books of all time. Elatsoe also won the Locus award for Best First Novel and is a Nebula, Ignyte, and Lodestar finalist. Her second fantasy novel, A Snake Falls to Earth, received a Nebula Award, an Ignyte Award, and a Newbery Honor and is on the National Book Awards longlist. Darcie is married to a veterinarian named Taran.

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 Petifer is an assistant principal currently residing in Durham, North Carolina. Her passion for writing led her to Kweli. Attending Kweli’s Color of Children’s Literature Conference sparked her desire to keep writing, and this year marks the release of her debut nonfiction book, The Juneteenth Alphabet.

alyssa reynoso-morris, author of Plátanos Are Love & THe bronx is my home

Alyssa Reynoso-Morris is a queer Afro-Latinx/e Dominican and Puerto Rican storyteller. She wears many hats - author, mother, motivational speaker, resume writer, and community organizer. Alyssa was born and raised in The Bronx, New York, and currently lives in Philadelphia, PA with her partner and daughter. During the day she works with community members, non-profit organizations, and government officials making the world a better place. Then she puts her writer’s hat on to craft heartfelt stories about home, family, food, and the fun places she has been. She hopes you enjoy her stories. Learn more at www.AlyssaAuthor.com

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 toungue 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.

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

inda ahmad zahri, Author/illustrator of the month that makes the year & how to measure the ocean

Inda Ahmad Zahri writes and illustrates stories that are often imbued with her fervent wish for a kinder world. Originally from Kuala Lumpur, she now splits her time between her garden home in Meanjin/Brisbane and a sandy spot in the Middle East.

She counts books, languages, Malaysian rice dishes and the ocean as some of her greatest loves.

Inda’s debut book Salih was a Notable book in the 2022 CBCA Picture Book of the Year awards. She has written several other picture books and received an ASA/CA Mentorship Award in 2021 to develop a middle grade novel. The Month that Makes the Year is her first author-illustrator title.

Inda is also a surgical doctor, a vocation that has taught her to be meticulous while embracing chaos, and to appreciate the gentler moments in life.