Derick Brooks (he/him) is an award-winning cartoonist from Virginia. He loves to create genre bending illustration and comic art that mixes adventure, fantasy, and sci-fi themes with a slice of life. His published work can be found in A is for Alfie (Macmillan), Drawn to Change the World (HarperCollins), Hey You (Puffin), The Last Chance for Logan County (Versify), Allies (DK), and ten books from the Bright Family universe (Epic). When he’s not writing, doodling, or stopping his pets from wrestling, he serves as the art director for Magpie Literacy where he assists in the creation of decodable texts for grades PK-8+.

Deborah Solo Collins never saw characters quite like her when she was growing up, which is why she loves writing joyful, honest LGBTQ+ fiction for teens now. She holds a BA in English Language and Literature from the University of Michigan and a BA in Music Education from MSU Denver. She is a member of the LGBTQ+ community, part of the Denver indie-band The Deborah Solo Trio, a voice and guitar teacher for all ages, and the proud parent of two incredible kids.

Humera Malik is a teacher-turned-author of Muslim faith and Pakistani roots. Through her writing, Humera brings to life characters that celebrate South Asian heritage and culture. She is the author of The Great Henna Party (Lantana), Saif’s Special Patches (Soaring Kite) and Farah’s Nose (Hachette).  

Humera loves to travel and has lived in the US, UK, India, Kuwait and Jordan. She currently resides in Azerbaijan with her husband and three young children. When she is not writing, Humera enjoys trying new coffee shops, experimenting in the kitchen, and reading.

In addition to short fiction, Laura Williams McCaffrey has written three fantasy novels for young people: Marked, Water Shaper (NYPL Books for the Teen Age list), and Alia Waking (an IRA Notable Book and a Teens' Top Ten Books nominee).

She works in her little witch’s tower, a small corner room in her Vermont house in the woods. Her dog and cat sleepily stand guard with one eye half-open for ghost and fairy visitors.

As a biracial Latina, Jamie Ofelia writes stories so Latine kids can see themselves reflected as heroes in mainstream children's literature. Jamie's debut picture book Miguel Must Fight! has received starred reviews from Kirkus and Shelf Awareness. Her book has also been nominated for the 2025 Rhode Island Latino Books Award for grades K through 2. Jamie holds her master’s degree in marriage and family therapy and is currently living in Dallas, where she spends her days reading diverse picture books with her son. When her son gets bored, she continues reading diverse picture books all by herself.

Claudia Schmidhuber writes about real life in her job as a journalist and about all things magical as an author. She has a master's degree in English Literature from LMU and lives in Germany with several miraculously alive succulents.

Jared Andrew Schorr is an illustrator living in Southern California. He specializes in creating detailed work entirely from cut paper. His work has appeared in many publications, as well as in galleries and homes around the world. Jared is the illustrator of Better Together (Abrams Appleseed, 2017) and Peaceful Fights for Equal Rights (Simon & Schuster, 2018)

Shäna Hartmann, Michelle Nixon Stanton, and Trené McCormick make up the New Orleans creative firm Seventeen18 LLC, which specializes in grassroots outreach to diverse local communities as well as organizational support, general communications, and marketing for Black-owned businesses and nonprofits

Growing up in California as the grandchild of Mexican immigrants, Jaclyn developed a deep appreciation for the ways language, culture, and identity interact. She’s drawn to word play and, much like her favorite books, she is a little silly. Jaclyn is a teacher and mentor in the University Writing Program at UC Riverside. Currently, she is also completing her EdD in Leadership and Innovation at Arizona State University. She lives in sunny Southern California with her husband and their two multicultural kiddos.

Ashley Wong is a Canadian illustrator who enjoys making warm and textural images with embroidery floss. Her work draws inspiration from delicious meals with loved ones and the changing of seasons. Her portfolio can be found at ashlwong.com.

Robin Yardi is the author of Coral Keepers, an illustrated undersea adventure series about a trio of mermaid magicians (Scholastic), and I Know the Whale, a poignant picture book about the beauty in all things (Little Bee). As a credentialed teacher and museum docent turned author and presenter, Robin knows joyful learning begins with curiosity. Her books celebrate the bravery of kids doing the hard work of growing up, mastering their magic, and learning to read!

Robin lives with her family in California where she spends time talking to her giant tortoise and finding feathers to remind herself that the smallest parts of us are treasures. As an autistic, ADHD creative, Robin sees the world as wonderfully complex – often hard, but always beautiful.

Jade Zhang is a queer Chinese-Canadian illustrator and comic artist based in Toronto. She tells stories about magic, memory, and the occasional eldritch horror. Jade is the illustrator for Ghost Circus (Union Square Kids) and author of “How to Survive a Haunting,” a horror short about a family that becomes its own monsters published in the Ignatz award-winning Shades of Fear anthology. She also wrote and illustrated “I’m Stuck in Retrograde,” an autobiographical fabulism comic about a staircase that brings a traveler’s memories to life around them. Jade is available for comic/GN illustration, covers, and spot art.