Jul 17, 2023
Dayna Lorentz is the author of the middle grade novels Wayward Creatures and Of a Feather (Clarion Books/HarperCollins Children’s), the No Safety in Numbers trilogy (Speak/Penguin Random House) and the Dogs of the Drowned City series (Scholastic). She holds an MFA in Creative Writing and Literature from Bennington College. Dayna is a staff attorney with the Vermont Judiciary and lives with her husband, two kids, and two cats in Vermont. If you ask nicely, she will show you the proper way to eat a cupcake. Visit her at www.daynalorentz.com and NoSafetyinNumbersBooks.com.
Jul 17, 2023
Charlene Allen works with community organizations to heal trauma and fight injustice, especially the beast called mass incarceration. She received her MFA from The New School, her JD from Northeastern University, and her BA from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. She lives in Brooklyn with her fabulous family and their very silly dog. Play the Game is her debut novel. You can visit her at www.charleneallen.com.
Jul 8, 2023
Patricia Park is the author of the debut YA novel, Imposter Syndrome & Other Confessions of Alejandra Kim. She is a tenured professor of creative writing at American University, a former Fulbright Scholar and Edith Wharton Writer-in-Residence, and the author of the acclaimed adult novel, Re Jane, a modern-day retelling of Brontë’s Jane Eyre. She’s written for the New Yorker, the New York Times, the Guardian, and others. Born and raised in Queens, Patricia lives in Brooklyn, NY. patriciapark.com, Twitter/IG/Tiktok: @patriciapark718
Jul 8, 2023
Kyle Lukoff is the author of many books for young readers. His debut middle-grade novel, Too Bright To See, received a Newbery honor, the Stonewall award, and was a National Book Award finalist. His picture book When Aidan Became A Brother also won the Stonewall. He has forthcoming books about mermaids, babies, apologies, and lots of other topics. Before becoming a full-time writer, Kyle worked at five bookstores, in four libraries, for three schools, as two genders, through one intersection: people, and books.
Jul 8, 2023
Jennifer De Leon is an author, editor, speaker, and creative writing professor. She is the editor of Wise Latinas: Writers on Higher Education, the 2015–2016 Writer-in-Residence at the Boston Public Library, and a 2016–2017 City of Boston Artist-in-Residence. She is also the second recipient of the We Need Diverse Books grant. Jennifer is the author of Don’t Ask Me Where I’m From and Borderless. Also on the way are two children’s picture books—So Many Gifts, and a biography of Nobel Peace Prize winner, Rigoberta Menchú. She lives outside of Boston with her husband and two sons.
