Jon Chad lives in Vermont with his wife and daughter. He is the illustrator of Science Comics: Solar System, and the author of Leo Geo, Science Comics: Volcanoes, Science Comics: The Periodic Table of Elements, and Pinball: A Graphic History of the Silver Ball. Jon's graphic novel series, The Solvers, uses comics, and superhero action, to teach mathematics to young readers.

Tiffany D. Jackson is the New York Times bestselling, award-winning author of YA novels Monday's Not Coming, Allegedly, Let Me Hear A Rhyme, Grown, White Smoke, Santa in The City, The Weight of Blood, and co-author of Blackout. A Coretta Scott King-John Steptoe New Talent Award-winner and the NAACP Image Award-nominee, she received her bachelor of arts in film from Howard University and has over a decade in TV/Film experience. The Brooklyn native is currently splitting her time between the borough she loves and the south, most likely multitasking.

Erin Entrada Kelly is the author of the Newbery Medal–winning novels Hello, Universe and The First State of Being, which was also named a finalist for the National Book Award. She received a Newbery Honor for her acclaimed novel We Dream of Space. Erin Entrada Kelly grew up in Lake Charles, Louisiana, and now lives in Delaware. She teaches in the MFA in writing for children and young adults program at Hamline University.

Steve Sheinkin is the acclaimed author of fast-paced, cinematic nonfiction histories, including Fallout, Undefeated, Born to Fly, The Port Chicago 50, and Bomb. His accolades include a Newbery Honor, three Boston Globe–Horn Book Awards, a Sibert Medal and Honor, and three National Book Award finalist honors. He lives in Saratoga Springs, New York, with his wife and two children.

Julie Abe writes heartfelt, whimsical stories for readers of all ages, including The Magic Library of Waterfall Way, Eva Evergreen, Semi-Magical Witch, which was listed as a Best Middle Grade Book by Kirkus Reviews, NYPL, Bank Street, and Book Riot; Alliana, Girl of Dragons; Tessa Miyata Is No Hero; and Tessa Miyata Is So Unlucky, as well as the young adult novels The Charmed List and Our Cursed Love.

Julio Anta is an Eisner nominated Cuban and Colombian American author originally from Miami, Florida. In addition to the Hillside Valley series, he is best known for his graphic novels, This Land Is Your Land: A Blue Beetle Story and Frontera. Julio lives in New York City where he works to tell stories about diverse Latinx characters for readers of all ages.

Avi's work spans nearly every genre and has received countless major prizes, including the Newbery Medal for Crispin: The Cross of Lead and Newbery Honors for Nothing But the Truth and The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle. Avi lives in Colorado. You can learn more about him online at avi-writer.com.

Jennifer Robin Barr grew up in the Philadelphia area during the 1970s and ’80s, spending her summers immersed in imaginative play with neighborhood friends. Her writing focuses on weaving fictional stories around historical events, especially those lesser-known stories from Philadelphia’s past. She finds inspiration in the city’s historic neighborhoods and old cemeteries. Jennifer’s debut novel, Goodbye, Mr. Spalding, was named a 2019 Booklist Top 10 Sports Book for Youth. Visit her at jenniferrobinbarr.com.

Jim Benton is the creator of It’s Happy Bunny, the licensing hit that has generated over a 3/4 of a billion dollars at retail. The It’s Happy Bunny books from Scholastic have been chosen three times by the American Librarians Association as their top picks for teen readers, and It’s Happy Bunny programs have taken top awards from the Licensing Industry Merchandise Association, five times. Jim’s various series (Dear Dumb Diary, Franny K. Stein) have sold in the millions and have appeared on the New York Times Bestsellers list multiple times.

Alyssa Bermudez (she/her) is a New Yorker from Manhattan now living in Hobart, Tasmania. As an artistic director, she creates colorful fashion and textile designs while also working as an author, illustrator, and art teacher. Her illustrations appear in books like the Lucia the Luchadora series, and she sketches live at weddings, events, and even on stage! In 2021, she released her graphic novel Big Apple Diaries, a memoir about growing up in New York City before and after 9/11, now part of the 9/11 Memorial Museum’s permanent collection.

Diane Borsato is a Canadian visual and performance artist whose work explores pedagogical practices and experiential ways of knowing through performance, video, installation and photography. Her work has been exhibited in galleries around the world. In 2013, she was an artist in residence at the Art Gallery of Ontario.

Georgina Chadderton (she/they) is an Australian cartoonist. Her work has been featured in outlets including The Nib and Voiceworks Magazine. They are a cofounder of Papercuts Comics Festival, an independent annual celebration of graphic novels held in Adelaide. When they're not drawing, Georgina enjoys eating pizza and playing roller derby.

Ollie George Clark, an award-winning writer across stage, screen, and radio, is now making his mark in children’s books with his debut, Youngest Faircrest and the Search for the Sorcerer. Ollie grew up searching for stories that looked like his own – now he is creating them for the next generation. With accolades including the British Comedy Guide Sitcom Competition 2022 and Soho House Hot Seat, Ollie's talent for storytelling is undeniable. 

Hà Dinh was born in Vietnam and immigrated to the United States with her family when she was 5 years old. She graduated from the University of Louisville with a bachelor’s degree in English and Humanities and a Master’s of Art in Teaching in Early Elementary Education. She is married to her high school sweetheart, is a mother of two, the founder of Happy Days in First Grade teaching blog, and a teacher. Hà seeks to inspire kids to share their own stories and make a positive impact in the world.

Sharon G. Flake is the author of The Skin I’m In, which has sold over a million copies worldwide and has been translated into numerous languages. Since its publication, Flake has authored over a dozen books, winning multiple Coretta Scott King Honor Awards; ALA Notable and Top Ten Recommended Books citations, and an NAACP Image Award Nomination, among many accolades. She has been writing books from her home (and Panera’s) for over twenty years, including Once in a Blue Moon.

Kat Flores is a Peruvian American artist and illustrator from Westchester, New York. Kat enjoys all things creative and spending time in nature, especially observing birds!

Jan M. Flynn has worked as a stage and television actor, a middle school English and drama teacher, a specialty hardwoods store owner, and a state director of a national non-profit health organization. At one point she performed in a theme park where she rode a camel, a water buffalo, a Brahma bull, and a temperamental llama. So it makes complete sense that she is now a writer! Her award-winning short fiction has appeared in anthologies, literary magazines, and journals. She lives in Boise, Idaho, with her husband and their needy cat.

Stuart Gibbs is the New York Times bestselling author of the Charlie Thorne series, FunJungle series, Moon Base Alpha series, Once Upon a Tim series, and Spy School series. He has written screenplays, worked on a whole bunch of animated films, developed TV shows, been a newspaper columnist, and researched capybaras. Stuart lives with his family in Los Angeles.

Michael Grover is an animator and cartoonist, and author of the webcomic Deeply Dave, which was nominated for an Eisner Award in Best Webcomic, and a Harvey Award for Digital Book of the Year. His short animated comic “Hearing” was featured in the short film Ninety-Five Senses, which was recently nominated for an Oscar for Best Animated Short Film. He lives in Florida with his wife and kids. Visit grovertoons.com.

Richard Ashley Hamilton is the award-winning, Cuban-American (no, really) writer best known for his storytelling across DreamWorks Animation’s How to Train Your Dragon and Guillermo Del Toro’s Tales of Arcadia franchises. But in his heart, Richard remains a lifelong comic book fan and has created titles for Dark Horse, Aftershock, Insight, Papercutz, and more. He currently writes SCOOP and TECTIV for Mad Cave Studios/Maverick, and his middle-grade horror story, FEARBOOK CLUB, was named a Junior Library Guild Official Selection.

Shane Hegarty has been writing fantastical stories for children since 2015, when middle-grade fantasy Darkmouth was shortlisted for the Waterstones Children's Book Prize. Shane is also the author of best-selling series Boot, which was nominated for the Sainsbury's Children's Book Prize, and Big Berry Robbery, which has been shortlisted in the Laugh Out Loud Book Awards. 

K.A. Holt is the author of Rhyme Schemer, House Arrest, Knockout, and Redwood and Ponytail, along with several other books for young people. She lives in Austin, Texas, and is active within the vibrant Texas writing community.

Laekan Zea Kemp is a writer living in Austin, Texas. Her debut novel, Somewhere Between Bitter and Sweet was a 2022 Pura Belpré Honor recipient and her most recent novel, An Appetite for Miracles won the Jean Flynn award for YA fiction. She has three objectives when it comes to storytelling: to make people laugh, cry, and crave Mexican food. Her work celebrates Chicano grit, resilience, creativity, and joy while exploring themes of identity and mental health.

Gordon Korman is the beloved author of over one hundred novels for young readers, including hilarious middle-grade classics such as the Macdonald Hall series, I Want to Go Home, and Slacker. Born in Montreal, Quebec, Gordon grew up in Thornhill, Ontario, and now lives in New York with his family. Visit him online at www.gordonkorman.com.

Matthew Loux is the author and artist of the graphic novels Prunella and The Cursed Skull Ring, The Time Museum Vol. 1 and Vol. 2 (published by First Second Books), Sidescrollers and the five volume series Salt Water Taffy (originally published by Oni Press). Matthew also illustrated the graphic novel F-Stop and the board comic Good Night Gabbaland based on the Nick Jr. television show Yo Gabba Gabba and has contributed comics and cover art for the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund. Matthew lives in New York.

Kate Lumsden lives in Boulder with two awesome kids, a great husband, and two elderly cats. Growing up with dyslexia, falling in love with books changed her life. She’s humbled that she now gets to write them. When she isn’t writing she enjoys walking, running, and exploring the nearby mountains.

Matthew K. Manning is the author of over one hundred books and equally as many comics. His favorite projects include the bestselling Batman/Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Adventures miniseries for DC/IDW, The Spark Experiment for Andrews McMeel, John Carpenter's Tales of Science Fiction: Pause for Storm King Comics, and the Dick Tracy newspaper strip for Tribune Media. He lives in Asheville, North Carolina with his wife Dorothy and their two kids. Follow him online at www.matthewkmanning.com.

Barbara Perez Marquez is an Eisner-nominated, award-winning and bestselling queer writer. Born and raised in the Dominican Republic, she now lives in the USA. She holds an MFA in Creative Writing and writes short and long-form fiction, usually using coming-of-age and LGBTQIA+ themes. She invites you to find her online at mustachebabs.com

Malia Maunakea is a Kanaka ʻŌiwi (Native Hawaiian) writer whose desire to tell her son about Hawaiʻi resulted in her award-winning novel Lei and the Fire Goddess and its sequel, Lei and the Invisible Island. Malia splits her time between her island home and the mountains of Colorado. Learn more at maliamaunakea.com and @MaliaMaunakea on Instagram.

Matthew McElligott is the author of several books for children, including Project WOOFF, The Lion's Share, Absolutely Not, and Backbeard and the Birthday Suit. He teaches at Sage College and also visits elementary schools around the country. He lives in New York. Visit him virtually at www.mattmcelligott.com.

Danielle McKechnie is a children's book author from Vancouver, BC. After studying at Circle in the Square Theatre School, Danielle moved to Los Angeles, CA and transitioned to behind-the-scenes where she worked throughout the entertainment industry in film, television, traditional radio, and live entertainment. Danielle now lives in her hometown of Vancouver with her husband and two daughters.

Gabi Mendez is a queer Mexican-American comics artist and illustrator who made her graphic novel debut with Lo and Behold by Wendy Mass. Originally from San Pedro, California, Gabi lives in Chicago, where she is currently working on her next graphic novel.

Kate Milford is the New York Times best-selling author of the Edgar Award–winning, National Book Award nominee Greenglass House, as well as Ghosts of Greenglass House, Bluecrowne, The Thief Knot, The Raconteur’s Commonplace Book, and many more. She lives with her family in Brooklyn, New York. To learn more, visit greenglasshousebooks.com and katemilfordwritesbooks.com. 

Tolá Okogwu is a British Nigerian author, journalist, and hair care educator. Born in Nigeria but raised in London, she holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in journalism. She is the author of the Onyeka middle grade series, the self-published picture book series Daddy Do My Hair, and Aziza’s Secret Fairy Door under the name Lola Morayo. Tolá lives in Kent, England, with her husband and two daughters. An avid reader and lover of music, she’s also a sucker for melted cheese.  

Sara Pennypacker is the author of several acclaimed novels for middle-grade readers, including The Lions’ Run; the #1 New York Times bestselling Pax (a National Book Award Longlist title) and Pax, Journey Home; the Clementine series (Boston Globe-Horn Book Award Honor) and its spinoff series, Waylon; and Summer of the Gypsy Moths, Here in the Real World, and Leeva at Last. She divides her time between Cape Cod and Southern California.

Brandon Reese is the author-illustrator of several picture books: Cave Dada, Cave Dada Picky Eater and Oothar the Blue. He has also illustrated album covers and picture books for Grammy Award–winning musicians The Okee Dokee Brothers. He lives in North Carolina with his wife and son.   

Aisha Saeed (AishaSaeed.com) is an award-winning and New York Times bestselling author of books for children, including her middle grade novels Omar Rising and Amal Unbound (a New York Times bestseller and Global Read Aloud). Her picture book Bilal Cooks Daal received an APALA honor, and she also wrote the picture books Zuni and the Memory Jar and The Together Tree. Aisha is also a founding member of the nonprofit We Need Diverse Books™.  She lives in Atlanta, Georgia, with her family.

Brian "Smitty” Smith is a former Marvel Comics and DC Comics editor. He is the co-creator and writer behind the New York Times bestselling graphic novel The Stuff of Legend, the author/illustrator of the Pea, Bee, and Jay series of graphic novels. He's also the creator and writer of the Officer Clawsome series of OGNs, and the author/illustrator of the BAND CAMP! series of graphic chapter books. Smitty lives in Greensboro, NC

Matthew Dow Smith is a writer and comic book artist whose work has appeared in Mike Mignola’s Hellboy, DC’s Starman, and many others. He was the writer of the X-Files: Origins comic book series, the third volume of the Dark Crystal: Creation Myths graphic novel series, and several Doctor Who comic book stories. He is the writer and artist of DC’s middle grade graphic novel Misfits of Magic, and creator-owned digital comics Amelia Shadows: Daughter of Darkness, Johnny Chaos, and Arch-Nemesis. He lives on the east coast of the US.

Jill Tew was destined for speculative-fiction nerddom from childhood. She grew up watching Farscape and Xena, and always had the latest copy of Animorphs tucked in her backpack. Now she writes the kinds of stories she loved as a kid, with characters she wanted to see more of— Black heroes asking big questions and saving the world (or at least, their little corner of it). A recovering business school graduate, Jill enjoys belting show tunes and baking in her spare time. She lives in Atlanta with her family.

Kiah Thomas started telling stories when she was a kid—reimagining the endings of books she read. She rediscovered her love of kids’ books when she had children of her own and started writing beginnings as well as endings. Kiah is passionate about books that kids and adults can enjoy together. She lives in Melbourne, Australia, with her husband, three children, and at least seven stuffed toy penguins.

Erin Yun is the author of the bestselling AAPI middle‑grade series Pippa Park, a reimagining of Great Expectations. She earned her BA in English from New York University and a Masters in Creative Writing from Cambridge. Erin was featured on a national “Get Caught Reading” poster and leads interactive writing workshops that help students explore how to retell classic stories in fresh, creative ways. People can tell Erin grew up in Texas by how often she says “y’all.”

Jessica Agudelo is the Youth Collections Coordinator at BookOps, the technical services organization serving the New York Public Library and Brooklyn Public Library. Most recently, she served on the award committee for the 2023 John Newbery Medal and was chair of the 2021 Pura Belpré Award committee. Jessica contributes book reviews to several professional publications for Children's and Young Adult titles published in both English and Spanish. She comes from a large and vibrant Colombian family and was born and raised in Queens, New York. 

Monisha Blair is the Head Librarian at Key Middle School in Springfield, VA. She also reviews graphic novels, middle grade fiction, picture books, and young adult fiction for School Library Journal. She served on the SLJ Best Books Committee for Middle Grade Fiction from 2020-2023. You can find her on all social media platforms as @monishablair.

Grace D. Gipson, PhD, is an assistant professor of African American Studies at Virginia Commonwealth University, where she teaches courses on theories and foundations in Africana Studies, Blackness in pop culture, and Black media narratives. As a proud HBCU graduate and Black future feminist/pop culture scholar, her research interests include Black pop culture, race and gender in comics, Afrofuturism, and digital humanities. Her current book project, “Reclaiming Her Time: Exploring Black Futures in the Black Female Superhero” (under contract with University Press of Mississippi), seeks to examine and chronicle the layered experiences of Black superheroine characters and Black creatives’ narratives and how their identities transcend from comic book fiction to reality. Additionally, Dr. Gipson's work has been featured in various outlets such as CNN Entertainment News, USA Today, and NPR.org. Outside the classroom, you can find Dr. Gipson collecting comic books and stamps on her international travel discoveries, ticket stubs to the latest movies, co-hosting the video podcast Conversations with Beloved and Kindred, contributing her personal and professional thoughts on pop culture via blackfuturefeminist.com and giving back to the community through myriad projects and organizations. 

Brandi Grant is a dedicated middle school librarian in North Texas with over 25 years in education, including 15 years as a school librarian. A proud “Lit Librarianista,” she is known for cultivating inclusive, joyful library spaces that inspire collaboration, creativity, and a lifelong love of reading. Brandi believes the library belongs to everyone — a place filled with library joy where students are empowered to COLLABORATE, INNOVATE, and ESCAPE through learning and imagination. 

Lisa Krok, MLIS, MEd, is the Adult and Teen Services Manager at Morley Library in the Cleveland area, a former teacher, and the author of Novels in Verse for Teens: A Guidebook with Activities for Teachers and Librarians (Bloomsbury LU). She also reviews for School Library Journal and Booklist. Lisa serves on the Northeast Ohio Regional Library System's DEIA Strategies Advisory Board and has served on several YALSA committees including the Awards Oversight Committee/Edwards Liaison, Best Fiction for Young Adults, Quick Picks for Reluctant Readers, and more. Her passion is reaching marginalized teens and striving readers through inclusive young adult literature, and helping them feel safe, seen, and welcome. 

Ashley Leffel is a librarian at the Plano Public Library. Before becoming a librarian, she taught music for many years. She loves reading all types of books and fangirling for her favorite authors. When not reading or reviewing, she enjoys Broadway musicals and can quote just about every episode of Bob’s Burgers.

Emmy Neal is the teen librarian in Lake Forest, IL, where she lives with her dogs, plants, and more than a thousand books. Always an eclectic bookworm, she is passionate about collection development and getting the good books to the right readers. When she isn't reading, she can be found knitting, playing Dungeons & Dragons, or watching Korean and Chinese dramas. 

Alea Perez has been a Youth and Young Adult Services manager in the Chicago suburbs since June 2015. She aims to help children, teens, and their caregivers discover the many services libraries provide. Alea is dedicated to advocacy for youth and teen services, youth and teen services management, graphic novels for youth and teens, and equity and inclusion in the field at large. 

Ruth E. Quiroa, Ph.D., is an associate professor at National Louis University where she teaches graduate courses in youth literature and in literacy. A former kindergarten, bilingual second-grade educator, she completed her doctoral degree at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. Ruth’s current research focuses on the history of Latinx youth literature. She has served on several youth literature award selection committees.

Ashley Rayner is a research librarian at NORC at the University of Chicago. She has been an academic and public librarian as well, all within the Chicagoland area. Ashley loves reading any genre but she has a special love for speculative fiction, historical fiction, and thrillers. She started writing book reviews for Booklist in 2020 and they help her stay connected to fiction as a librarian at a social science research organization. When she's not reading or researching, Ashley can be found playing video games, cooking, planning her next karaoke debut song, tweeting at @ashley_rayner, or hanging out with her husband and two kids.  

Dina Sherman is the Family Engagement Manager at the Thomas Memorial Library in Cape Elizabeth, Maine. Dina previously worked in school and library marketing at HarperCollins and Disney Publishing. Dina received her MLS from the University of Pittsburgh and, prior to her time in publishing, worked as a children’s librarian at the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh and the Brooklyn Children’s Museum.  

Desiree Thomas is a Youth Services Librarian in Worthington Ohio. She has worked in libraries for the past 22 years and believes that our lives are made better when we share stories and learn about each other. She is an avid gardener, yogi, and reader’s advisory enthusiast.