2008 · 2009 · 2010 · 2011 · 2012 · 2013 · 2014 · 2015 · 2016 · 2017 · 2018 · 2019 · 2020 · 2021 · 2022 · 2023 · 2024 · 2025
Allen R. Wells is an accomplished author, engineer, and advocate for inclusion and representation in children’s literature. Born and raised in Jackson, Mississippi, Allen discovered his passion for storytelling at a young age, inspired by his second-grade teacher who introduced him to journaling. This early spark fueled a lifelong journey to create impactful stories that [ Read the full article… ]
Sonja Thomas, a silly introvert ruled by coffee and cats, writes stories for readers of all ages often featuring Black girls doing extraordinary things. Her debut novel, Sir Fig Newton and the Science of Persistence, is an Oregon Book Award finalist, an Oregon Spirit Book Award Honor recipient, a Washington State Book Award finalist, [ Read the full article… ]
Shamar Knight-Justice is currently the Principal of Ethos Classical, an elementary school focused on the intersection of joy, rigor, and the humanity of its students. He has been an educator for 15 years, and is inspired daily by the stories and imaginations of his students. His artwork focuses on mixed media, and unique textures and patterns. [ Read the full article… ]
Krystal Marquis started off in premed but followed her writing dreams, penning the New York Times bestselling YA book series, THE DAVENPORTS. The historical fiction books about wealthy Black families in Chicago during the early 1900s are now in production to become a Prime Video television show. Can’t wait to see the glitz and glam [ Read the full article… ]
Nadia Salomon is a #PitMad Success Story and award-winning author of Goodnight Ganesha, which is a Bank Street Best Book, ALSC DIA Selection, and #NCTEWow book. She is also the author of A Voice of Hope: The Myrlie Evers Williams Story, the first picture book biography ever written about the iconic civil rights activist. Her [ Read the full article… ]
Even with more than a dozen books to her credit, Bernette Ford finds it tough to think of herself as an author. She’s an editor, a mentor, a wife, a mother. But an author? She doesn’t easily claim that title as her own. But that’s just how many children and parents around the world know [ Read the full article… ]
Sarah Raughley is the Nigerian-Canadian author of The Effigies Series, The Bones of Ruin Trilogy and The Queen’s Spade. A finalist of the Aurora Award, Raughley is also an English professor and public intellectual who has written for journals such as The Walrus, CBC, and Teen Vogue. Her creative work is inspired by a confluence of experiences, from being [ Read the full article… ]
