Sarah Tolcser lives and writes in a 100 year old house in New Orleans. She enjoys video games, NBA basketball, and books about girls who blow stuff up. She is a graduate of St. Lawrence University, where she double majored in writing and philosophy, two things everyone claimed would keep her unemployed forever. She is married with cats.

Shelley Tougas writes books for tweens and teens, including four middle-grade novels: The Graham Cracker Plot; Finders, Keepers; A Patron Saint for Junior Bridesmaids; and Laura Ingalls is Ruining My Life (all from Roaring Brook). Her nonfiction book Little Rock Girl: How a Photo Changed the Fight for Integration received two starred reviews, was selected as one of School Library Journal's Best Books of 2012, Booklist's Top Ten Editor's Choices for Nonfiction Kids Books 2011, VOYA's 2011 Nonfiction Honor list, and won a gold medal in the 2012 Moonbeam Children's Book Awards. She lives and writes in western Wisconsin.

Sarah Tregay's debut novel in verse, Love & Leftovers, was an ALA pick for Best Fiction for Young Adults. She is also the author of the contemporary young adult novel Fan Art, both published by Katherine Tegen Books/Harper Collins. She lives in Michigan.

Lisa Tyre grew up in a small town in Tennessee where the only form of entertainment was watching her crazy family, and even crazier neighbors. She figured out early on that not every child had a pet skunk, a dad who ran a bar in the front yard, or a neighbor so large his house had to be torn down to get him out. What else could she do but write? Her debut middle grade novel, Last in a Long Line of Rebels, was published in 2015 from Nancy Paulsen Books/Penguin Books for Young Readers, and was a BEA Buzz title. Hope in the Holler, her second novel, was published in Spring 2018. She lives in Atlanta, Georgia, with her husband, daughter, and two dogs.

Kat Uno has always had a passion for art, and her early love for comics, cartoons, anime, and children’s books has played a great influence on her illustration style. She currently focuses her creative efforts on illustrating children's books. She is the illustrator of the Mermaid Days series of Beginning Readers, the first of which, The Sunken Ship, will be published by Scholastic Books in 2022. Kat lives in Hawaii with her husband and two children.

Bryan Wade is a playwright, radio dramatist and novelist. He has been a playwright-in-resident at Factory Theatre and the Blyth Festival, along with being an invited artist at the Stratford Festival and the Playwrights Colony at the Banff School of Fine Arts. Living on the left coast, Bryan is on the lookout for fault lines and tsunamis. He also teaches in the Creative Writing Program at the University of British Columbia.

Ann Suk Wang's debut, The House Before Falling Into the Sea (Penguin Random House, ‘24), is a Freeman Award winner, Jane Addams Children's Book Award finalist, and Junior Library Guild Gold Standard selection. Born in Korea and raised in Southern California, she's a UCLA and Boston University graduate, and former journalist and taught mass communication to college students. She advocates for adopted children and mentors teens. When Ann's not writing, she’s jazz dancing, roller skating, tending her butterfly garden, praying with moms, or sharing desserts with her husband, two adult sons, and beloved therapy dog. Learn more linktr.ee/annsukwang

Rachel Meltzer Warren is the author of The Smart Girl's Guide to Going Vegetarian (Sourcebooks, 2014) and A Teen's Guide to Gut Health (The Experiment, 2017). She is a registered dietitian and nutrition writer, educator, and counselor. Her work has been featured in Women’s Health, Prevention, Good Housekeeping, Whole Living,  and many other print and online publications. Rachel lives in the New York City area with her family.

Tiffanie Wen is a columnist at BBC Future and freelance journalist whose work has appeared in the Atlantic, Daily Beast, Guernica and others. When she's not writing, she's traveling the world and looking for her next story. She currently splits her time between California and New Hampshire, where she lives with her husband Roy and their dog Benny.

Jacqueline West is the author of the New York Times-bestselling middle grade series The Books of Elsewhere. Her spooky middle grade novel, Long Lost, was named to the Texas Library Association's Bluebonnet Master List, and she was awarded a Schneider Family Honor for her novel The Collectors. She also published a sequel,The Collectors: A Storm of Wishes, as well as the YA novels Dreamers Often Lie and Last Things. Her poetry is collected in Cherma and Candle and Pins: Poems on Superstitions, and her poetry and short fiction appear in a variety of publications. She lives in Red Wing, Minnesota, with her family.

Lily Williams is the critically acclaimed author andillustrator of the If Animals Disappeared picture bookseries and of a middle-grade graphic novel, Exposures. WithKaren Schneemann, she is the co-creator of Go With the Flow, whichwas nominated for an Eisner Award, and Look on the Bright Side.Lily lives in Colorado, where she is an elementary art teacher. You cansubscribe to Lily's newsletter here: https://lilywilliams.substack.com/.

Liz Wong was born in Honolulu, Hawaii, where she spent her early childhood painting and clambering about in mango trees. Liz is the author and illustrator of Quackers, The Goose Egg, and I Am Not a Penguin, all from Knopf Books for Young Readers, as well as the illustrator of Pirate Queen: A Story of Zheng Yi Sao by Helene Becker. She lives in the Seattle area with her husband and son.

Mecca Woods is a New York City-based astrologer and author who works to help others create a life they truly want using their natural-born gifts. Her writing and astro-guidance have appeared in places like Bustle and Essence, as well as on TLC. She is also the author of Astrology for Happiness and Success, The Astrology Journal, and the Your Cosmic Coloring Book series. When she’s not writing, Mecca is teaching classes on personal development and co-hosting the astrology podcast Stars on Fire. Her most important job is being a mom to her awesome Aries daughter.

Yvonne Woon is the author of If You, Then Me and the Dead Beautiful series. She received her MFA from Columbia University, and writes fiction for teens and adults. She lives in Decatur, GA, with her family.

Brian Yanish is an author, illustrator and maker. He has worked for Jim Henson Productions, trained as a special effects moldmaker, written and performed comedy and designed home decor, apparel and toys. He is the creator of ScrapKins^®, a Recycled Arts Enrichment program that inspires kids to see creative potential in everyday junk. Brian has presented workshops at schools and institutions across the country and even appeared on Sesame Street. His books include the Shark and Bot young graphic novel series (Random House Graphic), SWEET AND SOUR (FSG, 2024), PIRATE CHICKEN (Sourcebooks, 2018), and JUNK RE-THUNK. He lives in Rochester, NY and enjoys sharks, robots and gummy things.

Novelist and pinch-hitting part-time librarian superhero, Bridget Zinn's debut Poison was published by Disney/Hyperion in 2012. When not writing young adult masterpieces or working on world domination, she spent her idle hours cooking, traveling, trying on new boots and making short films. She passed away in 2011 at the tragically young age of thirty-three.

Alisa Zipursky is the founder of HealingHonestly.com, a website that supports young people healing from sexual trauma. Her book, Healing Honestly: The Messy and Magnificent Path To Overcoming Self-Blame and Self-Shame, will be published by Berrett-Koehler in 2023. She is a writer, storyteller, and coach who brings transparency and humor to the topics of sexual trauma and mental health, promoting healing in a way that feels accessible and not so damn scary.

Her writing has been published in Allure, Teen Vogue and BUST; and she is often quoted in publications such as TIME, The Guardian, Bustle, Hello Giggles, Brit+Co, and she has been featured on the Oprah Winfrey Network. Alisa was also named one of NPR's The MothStorySLAM champions.  

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