Annie is a German-born author who now lives in the Netherlands, where she cycles through the countryside like a main character in a moody indie film—if that character were also late to school pickup a…
Junot Díaz was born in the Dominican Republic and raised in New Jersey. He is the author of the critically acclaimed Drown; The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao, which won the 2008 Pulitzer Prize and …
Matt de la Peña is the New York Times best-selling, Newbery-medal-winning author of six young adult novels and four picture books. Matt received his MFA in creative writing from San Diego State Univer…
Anna Dewdney was an award-winning children's-book author, illustrator, teacher, mother, and enthusiastic proponent of literacy and reading aloud to children. She was the author of the bestselling Llam…
Michael Joosten is a best-selling author and editor whose titles include My Two Moms & Me, My Two Dads & Me, Pride 1 2 3, and Lady Gaga: A Little Golden Book Biography. His work has been featured in R…
R.J. Palacio lives in NYC with her husband, two sons, and two dogs. For more than twenty years, she was an art director and graphic designer, designing book jackets for other people while waiting for …
Yael van der Wouden is a writer and teacher. She currently lectures in creative writing and comparative literature in the Netherlands. Her essay on Dutch identity and Jewishness, On (Not) Reading Anne…
Lupita Nyong’o is a Kenyan actress and producer. Her first feature film role was in the film 12 Years a Slave, for which she received the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress as well as multiple …
Joanna Gaines is co-owner, co-founder and lead designer of Magnolia Homes, and co-stars in HGTV’s Fixer Upper with her husband Chip Gaines. She is the mother of five and lives in Waco, Texas.
Erin Winters grew up in Raleigh, NC and currently resides in Lynchburg, VA with her husband and son. When she was little she wrote many stories she would likely be appalled to rediscover now, and want…
Toni Collier is the founder of a global women’s organization called Broken Crayons Still Color and helps women process through brokenness and get to healing and hope. Toni is a speaker, host of the St…
Cherry Mo grew up in Hong Kong and moved to the United States at the age of ten. HOME IN A LUNCHBOX is her debut picture book and was inspired by her first days of school in America. Cherry writes and…
Venetia Constantine is an Anglo-Italian-Bermudian writer. She read English at King's College Cambridge and holds a PhD in Art History from the Courtauld Institute. She paused a much-cherished career i…