Genre:
Children's Picture Book

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Deb Mercier

Deb Mercier is the author of multiple books for young readers across a wide span of ages and genres, including choose-your-path mysteries, historical fiction, YA fantasy, and non-fiction. She’s an award-winning journalist, a technical writer, and the mom of two grown (and fabulous) kids. She lives in Alexandria, MN with her husband, dogs, and outdoor…

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Freeman Ng

Freeman Ng is a former Google software engineer and the author of Bridge Across the Sky (a YA verse novel based on the Chinese immigration experience through Angel Island), Basho’s Haiku Journeys (a haiku picture book), The House We Sheltered in and the Masks We Wore (a pandemic picture book), Joan (a novel of Joan…

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Keenan Jones

Keenan Jones, an author in Plymouth, Minnesota, grew up in Gary, Indiana and south suburban Chicago. Coming from a family of educators, pastors, athletes, and musicians, he shifted to education after a college basketball injury, working as an elementary teacher before returning to writing. Jones believes literacy can inspire youth to dream and achieve greatness,…

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Thomas Kingsley Troupe

Thomas Kingsley Troupe is the author of the Furry & Flo series along with over 300 other fiction and non-fiction books for kids. When he’s not writing, he enjoys reading, playing video games, and investigating haunted places with the Twin Cities Paranormal Society. Otherwise, he’s probably taking a nap or something. He lives in Woodbury,…

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Naima Haji

Naima Haji is an author, consultant, family educator, and dedicated advocate for early childhood literacy. She is passionate about bilingual family education and aspires to kindle a similar passion in others, encouraging them to invest in the growth and development of early childhood education within families. Haji lives in in St. Cloud, Minnesota with her…

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Monica Rojas

Monica Rojas is a bilingual queer Chilean-American who hopes to engage communities through writing and artistic practices involving magical realism, joy, and play. She wrote the picture book Nana and Abuela, received a Mirrors and Windows Fellowship through the Loft Literary Center, is a member of SCBWI, and has created many interactive art installations. Rojas…

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Ben Orlin

Ben Orlin has written four books, including Math with Bad Drawings and Math for English Majors. He describes himself as a “professional apologist for mathematics,” the word “apologist” holding both in the classical sense (an advocate for a worldview) and in the modern sense (someone doing PR for a widely despised client). His writing and…

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Sean Tulien

Sean Tulien writes and edits playful and compelling kidlit of all kinds. His specialty is fiction for kids with a strong visual component, especially comics. He loves bunnies, video games, lifting heavy things, hiking, and amusing others.

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Ty Chapman

Ty Chapman is the author of Sarah Rising, Looking For Happy, and A Door Made for Me (written with Tyler Merritt). Chapman’s forthcoming publications include multiple children’s books and a poetry collection through Button Poetry. He was a 2022 Center for Arts + Social Justice Fellow – an award that supports a speculative work in…

Author Abdi

Abdi Mahad

Abdi Mahad, co-founder of Diverse Voices Press, an independent publishing company located in St. Cloud, Minnesota, is dedicated to promoting inclusivity through literature. His primary goal is to publish books that amplify the voices of underrepresented communities. Mahad holds a master’s degree in Teaching English as a Second Language (TESL), a master’s degree in Computer…