Featured Speakers & Authors

Dr. Jarred Amato is an award-winning English teacher and the co-founder of Project LIT Community, a national grassroots literacy movement. Jarred enjoys reading, writing, and laughing alongside young people every day and collaborating with fellow educators to improve literacy access, attitudes, and outcomes. Jarred is a two-time MNPS Blue Ribbon teacher and the recipient of the Penguin Random House Teacher Award for Literacy and the Inspiring Educator Award from the Nashville Public Education Foundation. Jarred received his B.A. in English and History from Vanderbilt University, his M.A.T. from Belmont University, and his Ed.D. from Lipscomb University. After 13 years of teaching middle and high school English in Nashville, Jarred recently relocated to New Jersey. 

He is the author of  JUST READ IT: Unlocking the Magic of Independent Reading in Middle and High School Classrooms. 

Learn more about him online at jarredamato.com 

Alan Gratz is the bestselling author of more than twenty novels, graphic novels, and novellas for young readers. His 2017 novel Refugee has spent more than five years on the New York Times bestseller list, and is the winner of 14 state awards. Its other accolades include the Sydney Taylor Book Award, the National Jewish Book Award, the Cybils Middle Grade Fiction Award, a Charlotte Huck Award Honor, and a Malka Penn Award for Human Rights Honor. Refugee was also a Global Read Aloud Book for 2018.

Alan’s 2025 novel War Games, 2024 novel Heroes, 2022 novel Two Degrees, and his 2021 novel Ground Zero were all instant #1 New York Times bestsellers, and were also ABA Indie, USA Today, and Publishers Weekly bestsellers. His 2019 novel Allies debuted at #2 on the New York Times bestseller list and received four starred reviews, and 2018’s Grenade debuted at #3. His other books include Prisoner B-3087, which was a YALSA Best Fiction for Young Readers pick and winner of eight state awards; Projekt 1065, a Kirkus Best Middle Grade Book of 2016 and winner of five state awards; Code of Honor, a YALSA Quick Pick for Young Readers; and Ban This Book, which was featured by Whoopi Goldberg on The View.

Alan attended the University of Tennessee, where he earned a College Scholars degree with a specialization in creative writing, and, later, a Master’s degree in English education. Alan lives in Portland.

Learn more about him online at alangratz.com

Leslie Barnard Booth is the author, most recently, of the PNBA Bestseller I Am We: How Crows Come Together to Survive as well as the award-winning titles One Day This Tree Will Fall and A Stone Is a Story. Her lyrical picture books about science and nature have been named Best Books of the Year by Kirkus and Bank Street, and she was the recipient of the International Literacy Association's 2025 Book Award in Primary Nonfiction. She has taught at preschool, elementary, and college levels and holds an MFA in creative writing and an MS in education from the University of Oregon. Leslie lives in Portland.

Learn more about her online at lesliebarnardbooth.com

Courtney Gould writes books about girls, ghosts, and things that go bump in the night. Her debut novel, The Dead and the Dark, (2021) won the Leslie Bradshaw Award for Young Adult Fiction. She's also authored Where Echoes Die (2023) and What the Woods Took (2024). Her writing is featured in Indie Bestselling anthology The Gathering Dark and in The House Where Death Lives. Her latest novel, Until the Last Light Goes Out releases on Oct. 13, 2026.

She graduated from Pacific Lutheran University with a Bachelor’s degree in Creative Writing, Publishing, and Marketing. Courtney lives in Salem.

Learn more about her online at gouldbooks.com 

Steph Littlebird is an artist, author, curator, and enrolled member of Oregon’s Grand Ronde Confederated Tribes. Steph’s first children’s book My Powerful Hair (2023) made in collaboration with NYT bestselling Indigenous author Carole Lindstrom, earned the 2024 Carter G. Woodson Book Award. She is the author/illustrator of You Are the Land. She's also illustrated numerous books including Fierce Aunties!, Body Beautiful, Free to Fly, and the upcoming, Where the Wind Blows. Steph has been commissioned by brands like Lucasfilms/Star Wars, Yahoo, Luna Bar, and featured by media outlets like PBS News, NPR, and ArtNews. 

Steph earned her BFA in Painting and Printmaking from the Pacific Northwest College of Art (PNCA). She lives in the Pacific Northwest. 

Learn more about her online at www.stephlittlebird.com/ 

Emily Winfield Martin makes paintings, books and other things. Her work is inspired by fairy tales, music, myths, film,​ and the natural world. She is the author and illustrator of many children's books including Dream Animals, Day Dreamers, The Wonderful Things You Will Be, The Imaginaries, and Snow & Rose. Her most recent book is The Wildest Thing which received several starred reviews. Emily lives in Portland.

Learn more about her online at emilywinfieldmartin