Authors

Matt de la Peña , Author & Keynote Speaker

Matt de la Peña is the New York Times bestselling, Newbery Medal winning author of six young adult novels (including Mexican WhiteBoy, The Living and The Hunted) and two picture books (A Nation's Hope and Last Stop on Market Street). Matt received his MFA in creative writing from San Diego State University and his BA from the University of the Pacific, where he attended school on a full athletic scholarship for basketball. Matt currently lives in Brooklyn with his family. He teaches creative writing and visits high schools and colleges throughout the country. Matt is a spokesperson for We Need Diverse Books, a non-profit, "grassroots organization of children’s book lovers that advocates essential changes in the publishing industry to produce and promote literature that reflects and honors the lives of all young people. " (Source: mattdelapena.com and weneeddiversebooks.org )

Photograph © Michelle McSwain

Christine Reilly, Author

Christine Reilly has taught at Sarah Lawrence College, the Dalton School, City and Country School, and Collegiate School. She received her Bachelor’s degree from Bucknell University and her Master’s degree in writing from Sarah Lawrence College. Sunday's on the Phone to Monday is her debut novel. Christine lives in New York City. (Source: christinereillywriter.com )


"A lyrical, and lyric-filled, portrait of a family in love and sorrow. This whimsical, bittersweet debut novel recalls the work of filmmaker Wes Anderson... the focus is on three Salinger-esque siblings... there is something iridescent about this novel."

~Kirkus, Starred Review

Keith DeCandido, Author

Keith R.A. DeCandido is primarily known as a best-selling, award-winning author, with both media tie-in and original fiction to his credit. In 2009, he was given a Lifetime Achievement Award by the International Association of Media Tie-in Writers, which means he never needs to achieve anything ever again. His recent and upcoming work includes Marvel's Thor: Tales of Asgard, the omnibus of his acclaimed trilogy featuring Thor, Sif, and the Warriors Three; A Furnace Sealed, the first in his new urban fantasy series about a nice Jewish boy from the Bronx who hunts monsters; the Orphan Black reference book Classified Clone Report; the Stargate SG-1 novel Kali's Wrath; Mermaid Precinct, the latest in his fantasy/police procedural series; the Super City Cops novellas, Avenging Amethyst, Undercover Blues, and Secret Identities; and short stories in the anthologies Aliens: Bug Hunt, Baker Street Irregulars Volumes 1 & 2, Joe Ledger: Unstoppable, Kingdoms Fall, Nights of the Living Dead, Stargate SG-1/Atlantis: Homeworlds, and TV Gods: Summer Programming; and a few other projects he can't talk about quite yet. He has been writing about pop culture for Tor.com since 2011, including in-depth looks at various shows in the Star Trek, Stargate and Marvel/Netflix franchises, as well as Batman '66, Wonder Woman, and Doctor Who. He's also a professional musician (currently the percussionist for the parody band Boogie Knights), an editor of more than 25 years' standing (working for clients both corporate and private), a third-degree black belt in karate (which he teaches to both children and adults), and probably some other stuff that he can't remember due to the lack of sleep. Find out less at DeCandido.net.

Marie Collins, Author

Marie lives in Lambertville. She holds a bachelor’s degree in English and Journalism from Douglas College at Rutgers University and a master’s degree in English Literature from Temple University. She has held sundry jobs throughout her life, like caregiver, cook, waitress, newspaper reporter, and even a brief, misguided stint as a ballroom dance teacher. However, for most of her adult life she has written for hire, usually on topics related to education, as writing is the thing she likes to do best. Marie is currently writing the second book in her Secrets of Farbookonia series: The Quest for Normal. (Source: secretsoffarbookonia.com/)

Debra Johnson, Screenwriter/Film Producer

Tired of waiting to be discovered, Debra and her fiancé decided to start their own production company, Gato Loco Films, to produce Debra’s shorts. Their first short, Pink Lemonade, which was a Finalist in the NYC Short Screenplay Challenge, was finally completed – and it was awful!

Determination and passion for filmmaking pushed Debra to make each production better than the last. Many lessons were learned from each production and sometimes she took two steps forward and one step back, but her love of creating was her fuel to keep pushing.

In Debra’s journey, she has won 8 awards and placed as a Finalist numerous times in different Film Festivals for her screenwriting – and she’s not done yet! Her latest creation, Downward Dog, placed as a Finalist for an Original TV Pilot in the Hollywood Hills Screenplay Competition. (Source: gatolocofilms.com and downwardogfilm.com)

Kerry Cullen, Author

Kerry Cullen's fiction has been published in Prairie Schooner, The Indiana Review, One Teen Story, Hobart, Monkeybicycle, and more. She is an editorial assistant at Henry Holt & Co. She was previously an agent's assistant at Curtis Brown, Ltd. and an editorial assistant at One Story magazine. She earned her MFA at Columbia University, and she currently lives in New York.

Dana O'Neil, Sports Journalist/Author

A Penn State graduate, Dana was a writer for ESPN from 2007 through 2017, working as a senior writer for ESPN.com, covering men’s basketball, men’s lacrosse, and horse racing. Before ESPN, she covered Villanova University basketball, the Philadelphia Eagles, and the Philadelphia Phillies for the Philadelphia Daily News. Dana previously served as president of the United States Basketball Writers Association (USBWA). She is senior writer for The Fieldhouse. (Source: www.americasbestracing.net)