Genre:
Children's Picture Book
Sandra Hisakuni
Sandra Hisakuni is a writer, poet, and English language teacher who has lived and taught in Japan, China, and the United States. She is the author of the award-winning The Northland Beckons: An Illustrated Haiku Journey. She enjoys spending time in the wilderness and with her son and daughter. She lives in Minnesota, wandering between…
Marique Moss
Marique Moss is an Afro Indigenous (Hidatsa and African American) author, poet, educator, and herbalist from Minneapolis, MN. An enrolled citizen of the Mandan, Hidatsa, and Arikara Nation, she writes about identity, healing, history, and belonging through an Afro Indigenous lens. She is the author of Sweetgrass and Soul Food: A Memoir in Poems, Sweetgrass…
Derek Francis
Derek Francis is a lifelong Twin Cities resident and educator with more than 15 years of experience. He began as a high school counselor, supporting graduation success for historically marginalized students. He later served as Manager of Counseling and Executive Director of Equity and School Climate for Minneapolis Public Schools, leading district-wide initiatives including expanding…
Charissa Bates
Charissa Bates is an award-winning children’s author, children’s mental health therapist, and speaker who is passionate about helping families find joy through storytelling. She is the author of Cancer Messed with the Wrong Family and the beloved Traveling Book series, which celebrates community, kindness, and connection through Little Free Libraries. With years of experience working…
Vanessa Lee Christensen
Vanessa Lee Christensen graduated with an M.A. in Education & Human Development from the George Washington University in Washington, D.C. She is daughter to an American father and Taiwanese mother and grew up in Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Thailand. As an adult, Christensen lived in Japan where she worked in education with children. She is…
Kevin Strauss
Kevin Strauss is an award-winning author and professional storyteller based in Rochester Minnesota. Strauss focuses on telling and writing folktales that connect people with the natural world. His presentations are a mix of folklore and animal science.
Mubanga Kalimamukwento
Mubanga Kalimamukwento is a Zambian lawyer, writer, and editor. She is the author of The Shipikisha Club, Another Mother Does Not Come When Yours Dies: Poems, Obligations to the Wounded: Stories, unmarked graves, and The Mourning Bird: A Novel. Her creative work has also appeared in adda, Aster(ix), Isele Magazine, Contemporary Verse 2, Kweli, Overland,…
Maren Daniels
Maren Daniels, M.A. Ed., is the author-illustrator of The Elements of Art: An Elementary Teacher’s Guide to Color, Shape, Texture & More. As an artist, Daniels enjoys painting with watercolor, exploring photography, printmaking, drawing, and book-making. She graduated from Augsburg University with a Bachelor’s degree in Studio Art. Daniels later attended St. Catherine’s University for…
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…
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…