K.C. Boyd is currently a library media specialist with the Washington D.C. Public School System.  She has previously worked as the Lead Librarian for the East St. Louis School District #189 in East St. Louis, IL., an Area Library Coordinator for Chicago Public Schools and a District  Coordinator for the Mayor Daley Book Club for Middle School Students.  She is a second generation educator and holds Master’s degrees in Library Information Science, Media Communications, and Education Leadership. Her favorite quotes, “Reading is the gateway skill that makes all learning possible,” and “Service to others is the rent you pay for your room here on earth,” drives her commitment to serving marginalized African-American children, young adults, and school communities.

Peter Brown has always loved telling stories. Growing up in New Jersey, he told stories by drawing whimsical characters and scenes, and later fell in love with writing. While studying illustration in college, Peter’s love of both words and pictures led him to take several courses on children’s books, and before long he knew he’d found his calling. While working on animated TV shows he signed a book deal to write and illustrate his first picture book, Flight of the Dodo. Peter has written and illustrated many books for children and earned numerous honors, including a Caldecott Honor.

George M. Johnson is an Award-Winning Black Non-Binary Writer, Author, and Executive Producer located in the LA area. They are the New York Times Bestselling Author of the 2020  YA memoir, All Boys Aren’t Blue,  in which they discuss their adolescence growing up as a young Black Queer boy in New Jersey. Their second memoir, We Are Not Broken,  was released in 2021. It received the Carter G. Woodson Award, as well as being selected as an International Literacy Association YA Nonfiction Honor Book . As a former journalist, George has written for major outlets including Teen Vogue, Entertainment Tonight, NBC, and Buzzfeed. In 2019 they was awarded the Salute to Excellence Award by the National Association of Black Journalists for their article “When Racism Anchors your Health” in Vice Magazine. 

Kathy Lester is the President of the American Association for School Librarians (AASL) and a school librarian at East Middle School in Plymouth Canton Community Schools in Michigan.  She is also a Councilor-At-Large for the American Library Association (ALA) and serves on the ALA Committee on Library Advocacy (COLA).  She is active in her state association, the Michigan Association of School Librarians (MASL) (previously called MAME).  She is a Past-President of MASL and currently serves as a co-chair for their Advocacy Committee.  Kathy also serves on the advisory council of two IMLS Grant Projects - The School Librarian Investigation - Decline or Evolution? (SLIDE) with Project Director Deborah E. Kachel and Principal Investigator Keith Curry Lance and Restoring Urban School Libraries (RUSL) with Project Director Dr. Kafi Kumasi. 

Rita Williams-Garcia is the New York Times bestselling author of novels for young adults and middle grade readers.  Her most recent novel, Gone Crazy in Alabama ends the saga of the Gaither Sisters, who appear in One Crazy Summer and PS Be Eleven.  Her novels have been recipients of numerous awards, including the Coretta Scott King Award, National Book Award Finalists, Newbery Honor Book, Junior Library Guild, and the Scott O’Dell Prize for Historical Fiction.  She served on faculty at the Vermont College of Fine Arts Writing for Children MFA Program and she resides in Queens, New York.