Anja

Lupe Ruiz-Flores is the author of six bilingual picture books. She is a former Regional Advisor for the Southwest Chapter of the Society of Children’s Book Writers & Illustrators (SCBWI) and until recently its newsletter editor. Lupe has won the SCBWI Work-In-Progress Grant, the SCBWI/Amazon Work-in-Progress Grant, and the SCBWI Martha Weston Award. She is…

Jona Manow originally comes from the theatre stage: after studying German language and literature with a focus on theatre and film in Hamburg, he worked as an assistant director on various projects and finally spent four seasons as a permanent member of the theatre company at Theater Regensburg. He has been a freelance theatre director…

Shelley Hanmo is a self-taught freelance illustrator and paper artist based in Indianapolis, Indiana. She specializes in creating children’s book cut paper illustrations and editorial designs.

Elizabeth Everett spent 16 years as a classroom teacher before venturing into writing. She currently lives in Colorado with her family where they love spending time outdoors.

Josee Bisaillon grew up in St. Hyacinthe, Quebec, Canada. Her illustrations are a mixture of collage, drawings, and digital montage, taking us into a richly detailed and multidimensional world.

Before pursuing her aspirations as a children’s literature author, Danna Zeiger was the biology professor and program director for Fisher College’s biology program, serving disadvantaged and first-in-the-family students from diverse backgrounds. While homeschooling her three spirited kids, Danna established a STEM accessibility and educational resource entitled DrZatHome. She a member of SCBWI and Storyteller Academy…

Jam Dong was born in Shanghai, China. She has an MA degree of moving image at University of Arts London and graduated from MFA Illustration Practice of Maryland Institute College of Art in 2021. She likes to use bright colors and simple shapes to build the imaginary world inside her mind. The beauty of nature…

Kelly Rice Schmitt is an author of STEAM children’s literature. She holds a B.B.A in Finance and Chinese from the University of Notre Dame and is an advocate for girls in STEM, business, and other fields with gender gaps. She can be found in North Carolina helping other traders grow their businesses, writing for children,…

Sophia Moog was born in Rotenburg in 2002. She developed a strong interest in art, design, and creativity at an early age. She loves nothing more than putting the stories in her head down on paper. She is currently studying at an art university in Rotterdam, organizing exhibitions, and enthusiastically illustrating a wide variety of…

Anastasia Braun was born in Bishkek, the capital of Kyrgyzstan, in 1985 and emigrated to Germany with her family as a child. To learn the new language, she often lost herself in children’s books, a passion that has stayed with her to this day. The trained graphic designer writes and illustrates children’s books—preferably in the…