Arvin Ahmadi is the author of Down and Across and Girl Gone Viral. He grew up outside Washington, DC, graduated from Columbia University, and worked in the tech industry prior to becoming a full-time writer. When he's not reading or writing books, he can be found watching late-night talk show interviews and editing Wikipedia pages. He lives in New York City.
Max Amato studied at the Tyler School of Art and is a designer, art director, and illustrator based in Brooklyn, New York. Perfect is his first picture book.
Marc Aronson is a passionate advocate for nonfiction as pleasure reading. The first winner of the American Library Association's medal for excellence in youth nonfiction, and the only person to be a winner or finalist for the two ALA nonfiction awards as both an author and an editor, he believes that ideas, stories, biographies, and questions about history, science, and current events can be as compelling for children and teenagers as any fiction. Aronson has a doctorate in American history and teaches in the Master of Information program at the Rutgers University School of Communication and Information. He and his wife live with their two sons in Maplewood, NJ. He is thrilled to be able to launch his new book Rising Water: The Story of the Thai Cave Rescue in the Montclair Literary Festival.
Artie Bennett is a copy editor by day and a writer by night. He is the proud author of The Butt Book, Poopendous!, Peter Panda Melts Down!, and Belches, Burps, and Farts—Oh My! He’s also written The Universe’s Greatest Dinosaur Jokes and Pre-Hysteric Puns and The Universe’s Greatest School Jokes and Rip-Roaring Riddles (May 2019). Another hilarious, educational picture book, What’s Afoot! Your Complete, Offbeat Guide to Feet, follows in 2019. He lives deep in the bowels of Brooklyn, New York, where he spends his time shaking his fist at his neighbors. Visit ArtieBennett.com. . . before someone else does!
Multi-disciplinary artist Gwen Charles’ installations merge elements of reality and magical realism with digital video and photography capturing the body moving through space and handcrafted wearable objects and textiles. Her works have been exhibited in galleries and festivals nationally and internationally, and she has participated in artist residencies in the U.S., Mexico, India, and Slovenia. As a resourceful community educator working with ages from preschool to senior citizens, she is deeply committed to providing inventive hands-on experiences to stimulate the creative growth of her students. Gwen’s studio is located on the historic Church Street in Montclair Center in Montclair, New Jersey.
Mexican American writer, filmmaker and Texas native, e.E. Charlton-Trujillo is the Stonewall Award-Winning and Lambda Literary Finalist of Fat Angie and other books for teens and children. Kirkus Reviews has celebrated her as a "force of nature" for her activism with youth as seen in the documentary At-Risk Summer, a film that chronicles her unorthodox book tour across America to empower youth on the fringe via writing and discussion. She is the co-founder of the non-profit, Never Counted Out, which empowers youth via access to books and artist mentorship. Her highly anticipated novel, Fat Angie: Rebel Girl Revolution releases March 5.
Eva Chen, the author of Juno Valentine and the Magical Shoes and A Is for Awesome, is a first-generation Chinese-American who grew up in New York City. She blames her deviation from pre-med at Johns Hopkins University on a love of fashion and beauty instilled in her by her mother. Previously the editor in chief of Lucky, Eva has also written for ELLE, Vogue, Teen Vogue, Vogue China, the New York Times, and the Wall Street Journal. She is currently the head of fashion partnerships at Instagram, where she is guilty of the occasional duck-face selfie. Eva lives in New York City with her husband and two children.
Candy J. Cooper is a Pulitzer Prize finalist and winner of the Selden Ring Award for Investigative Reporting. She has been a staff writer for four newspapers, and her work has appeared in the New York Times Magazine, the New York Times, the Columbia Journalism Review and the Chronicle of Higher Education, among others. She is currently at work, with Marc Aronson, on a young adult book about the Flint water crisis. She is on leave as the director of education for Succeed2gether.
A graduate of Columbia University with a doctorate in education, Christopher de Vinck, a 40-year veteran of high school teaching and administration, is best known as an essayist. John Updike called his essays “excellent and often moving.” Peggy Noonan wrote that “Chris de Vinck’s real subject is magic. Such magic is there for all to see, but I don’t know of another writer who sees it so wholly, with such consistency, and respect, and sweetness.” And Madeleine L’Engle wrote “I have read his essays with great pleasure. De Vinck’s point of view about life and love and children and teachers is important for the whole world at this time in history.”
Sara Farizan is an Iranian American writer and ardent basketball fan who was born in and lives near Boston. The award-winning author of If You Could Be Mine and Tell Me Again How a Crush Should Feel, she has an MFA from Lesley University and a BA in film and media studies from American University. Here to Stay is her third novel.
Award-winning author and journalist Gayle Forman has written several bestselling novels for adults and young adults, including the Just One Series, I Was Here, Leave Me, I Have Lost My Way and the #1 New York Times bestseller If I Stay, which has been translated into more than 40 languages and was adapted into a major motion picture.
Nebula Award winner Esther Friesner is the author of over forty novels and more than two hundred short stories. Educated at Vassar College and Yale University, where she received a Ph.D. in Spanish, she is also a poet, a playwright, and the editor of eleven anthologies. Although her career began with science fiction/fantasy/horror, she truly enjoys where it has taken her, namely to writing the popular Princesses of Myth series of Young Adult novels from Random House. She never met a cat that she didn't like.
Krystyna Poray Goddu is author of the middle-grade biographies Becoming Emily: The Life of Emily Dickinson and A Girl Called Vincent: The Life of Poet Edna St. Vincent Millay, winner of the SCBWI 2017 Golden Kite Honor Book for Nonfiction. She has also written a picture-book about Alicia Markova, An Unlikely Ballerina, and a collective biography, Dollmakers and Their Stories: Women Who Changed the World of Play, and is co-author, with Krystyna Mihulka, of Krysia—A Polish Girl’s Stolen Childhood During World War II: A Memoir. She loves visiting schools and talking about the subjects of her books.
Kristen Gudsnuk is the creator of the graphic novel Making Friends and the comic series Henchgirl, and the illustrator of the book series VIP by Jen Calonita. In her spare time she performs with the band Sally. Kristen learned everything she knows about art and life from Sailor Moon, X-Men, and Animorphs. She lives in New York City with her supportive dog and loyal boyfriend.
Cheryl Willis Hudson is an author, editor and cofounder of Just Us Books, Inc., an independent publishing company that focuses on Black interest books young people. Cheryl has authored more than two dozen books for young children including Bright Eyes, Brown Skin (with Bernette G. Ford) AFRO-BETS ABC Book, Good Morning, Baby, From Where I Stand in the City, Hands Can and My Friend Maya Loves to Dance. Cheryl has served as diversity consultant and frequently speaks to writers, illustrators, editors, teachers and librarians about African American and multicultural publishing. She is an active member of the Children's Committee of PEN America.
Curtis Hudson is a musician/songwriter/producer who has been playing and composing music since the age of twelve. He began musical career playing in church and for gospel and R&B groups in Louisiana. As a member of the group “Pure Energy”, Curtis composed and produced most of the group’s music. Curtis co-wrote the classic hit song “Holiday” by Madonna, the hit song “Body Work" for the hit movie “Breakin” and the mega-hit “Lose Control” by Missy Elliot. Curtis is also the father of the multi-platinum producer Eric Hudson who produced music for Whitney Houston, Kaye West and others.
Wade Hudson is an author and publisher and president and CEO of Just Us Books, Inc., an independent publisher of books for children and young adults. Among his 30 published books for children and young adults are Book of Black Heroes from A to Z, Jamal’s Busy Day, and Pass It On: African American Poetry for Children. His latest book is We Rise, We Resist, We Raise Our Voices, an anthology co-edited with his wife and published by Crown Books for Young Readers. Wade has received numerous awards and has been inducted into the International Literary Hall of Fame for Writers of African Descent. His website is wadehudson-authorpublisher.com.
George O’Connor’s first graphic novel, Journey Into Mohawk Country, followed the historical journal of the seventeenth-century Dutch trader Harmen Meyndertsz van den Bogaert. He followed that up with Ball Peen Hammer, a dark dystopian view of a society’s collapse as intimately viewed by four lost souls. Now he has brought his attention to Olympians, an ongoing series retelling the classic Greek myths in comics form. In addition to his graphic novel career, Mr. O’Connor has published several children’s picture books, including the New York Times best-selling Kapow, Sally and the Some-Thing, and Uncle Bigfoot. He lives in Brooklyn, NY.
Mark Oshiro is the Hugo-nominated writer of the online Mark Does Stuff universe (Mark Reads and Mark Watches), where they analyze book and TV series. When not writing/recording reviews or editing, Oshiro engages in social activism online and offline. Anger is a Gift is their debut YA novel.
Denise Lewis Patrick is a Louisiana native transplanted to New Jersey. She received an undergraduate degree in Journalism from Northwestern State University of Louisiana, and an MFA in Creative Writing from the University of New Orleans. She’s worked as an editor and freelance writer. Her published work has included board books, picture books, biographies, middle grade historical fiction and young adult fiction as well as poetry and short fiction for adults. She’s an adjunct instructor in the First Year Writing program at Montclair State University. Current projects include adult short stories and the upcoming poetry collection, vindicated.
Gae Polisner is the award-winning author of In Sight of Stars, The Memory of Things, and more. A family law attorney and mediator by trade, but a writer by calling, she lives on Long Island with her husband, two sons, and a suspiciously-fictional-looking small dog she swore she’d never own. She is an avid swimmer, and when she’s not writing, she can be found in a pool, or better yet, in the open waters of the Long Island Sound. Her next book, JACK KEROUAC IS DEAD TO ME releases early 2020 from St. Martin's Press.
Montclair resident Kevin Pyle is the author/illustrator of three graphic novels, including Blindspot and Take What You Can Carry, all published by Henry Holt. He is also the author/illustrator of numerous “docu-comics,” most recently Bad For You: Exposing the War on Fun. He recently co-authored, with Montclair resident Jeffry Odell Korgen, and illustrated Migrant: Stories of Hope and Resilience, an activist comic based on numerous interviews on both sides of the Mexican border. His illustrations have appeared in the New York Times, The New Yorker, and numerous other publications.
Geoff Rodkey is the author of the science fiction comedy We’re Not From Here; the Tapper Twins comedy series; the Chronicles of Egg adventure trilogy; and The Story Pirates Present: Stuck in the Stone Age, a comic novel bundled with a how-to guide for kids who want to create stories of their own. He’s also the Emmy-nominated screenwriter of such films as Daddy Day Care and RV. @GeoffRodkey geoffrodkey.com
For over 45 years Eric Rucker has been an educator and performer in numerous institutions throughout the US. He is widely known for his work to further the understanding of African American Cultural History throughout the Pan African Diaspora. For the past 20 years he has conducted teacher training, arts workshops and after-school literacy programs in the Metro NJ/NYC area. Mr. Rucker is also widely recognized for his efforts to document and present African and African American Music genres in the Americas. He performs as a storyteller and percussionist. Presently, he is writing two books: an autobiography and a comprehensive study of cowrie shell divination.
After attending the Rhode Island School of Design, Julia Sarcone-Roach made her Knopf picture book debut with The Secret Plan, and followed it up with the highly praised Subway Story. She is also the creator of animated videos, including Call of the Wild, which was featured in indie film festivals and won several prizes. Julia lives in Brooklyn, New York. You can find her on the Web at jsarconeroach.com.
Karuna Savoie fostered her love for writing when, receiving a journal from a friend, she drafted enough chapters to create her first novel and shared it with her middle school English teacher. “Her feedback was better than compliments. It wasn’t long before writing became
a passion of mine…. I had to write,” recounts Karuna. The Lore of Ramridge: Book One of The Lore of Ramridge Series is Karuna’s debut novel. She is currently working on her next novel, The Innkeeper, a prequel to The Lore of Ramridge. Besides writing, Karuna enjoys baking, skateboarding and indulging in all things chocolate. karunasavoieauthor.com pressingthefuturenews.com.
Adriana Brad Schanen was born in Romania, raised in Chicago, and now lives in the vibrant town of Montclair, NJ with her husband, two daughters and a shaggy 60-pound lap dog named Oliver. Her debut early middle-grade novel, Quinny and Hopper, won the 2016 Beverly Cleary Children's Choice Book Award and has been nominated to several state reading lists. A sequel, Q&H: Partners in Slime, followed, and a 3rd title in the series, Q&H: Smart Cookies, published summer 2018. Visit her at www.adrianabradschanen.com
Littlebit Book Club was conceived in 2017 by Stephanie and Jed Snyder. Stephanie, a new mom and former reading teacher, began reading books to her newborn daughter, Lucy. Tired of books about animals and objects, Stephanie grew determined to create a book for babies, toddlers, and the parents who read to them, that would capture their day-to-day experiences while teaching language and literacy. Thus, Strolling! A Lucy Littlebit Book was drafted. Jed mastered the illustrations. The Snyder family’s interests include bargain shopping, fantasy football, and toddler mischief. They live in New Jersey, where they enjoy strolling down the shore.
Dan Yaccarino is an acclaimed author and illustrator of many children’s books including I Am a Story, Doug Unplugged, Unlovable and The Fantastic Undersea Life of Jacques Cousteau; the creator and producer of the animated series the Parents Choice Award-winning Oswald and the Emmy-winning Willa's Wild Life, as well as the character designer behind the Emmy-winning The Backyardigans. His books have won a host of prestigious awards including the New York Times Best Illustrated award, an ALA Notable designation, a Parents Choice Award, and the Bologna Ragazzi. Dan lives in New York City. You can visit him online at www.yaccarinostudio.com.