Ronnie Vazquez (they/them) is a southern-raised queer Puerto Rican illustrator and comic artist with a background in visual development. Their work has been featured in several indie anthologies, including the Eisner-winning anthology, Puerto Rico Strong. Their graphic novel debut, Saving Chupie, is a Louisiana Reader’s Choice and CYBILS award nominee, and has been featured in the Texas Maverick, New York Public Library, and IndieBound reading lists.

Self-Identifiers: Puerto Rican; Latin; Queer; Neurodivergent

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Kelly and Nichole Matthews are a twin art team making a living in the Emerald City. They have brought to life many stories and worlds, including a magic treehouse, a little mermaid under the sea, the world of Thra, a young boy lost in time, and many more.

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Bianca Xunise (they/them) is an illustrator, writer, and educator based out of Chicago, Illinois. With two Ignatz Awards under their belt, Bianca enjoys being a voice for those who march to the beat of their own drum and hopes that their comics are comforting to those who feel like they don’t fit in. In 2020, Bianca became the first nationally syndicated non-binary cartoonist when they joined thecomic strip Six Chix in 2020 as their first Black creator. In April 2024, their graphic novel Punk Rock Karaoke (Penguin Teen) debuted with rave reviews. “…a gripping narrative, relatable situations, and evocative artwork with an aesthetic that oozes with late-1970s zine flair.” – Publishers Weekly, starred review

Self-Identifiers: African-American; Queer; Woman-Focused; Punk

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Wendy Xu is a bestselling, award-nominated Brooklyn-based illustrator and comics artist. She is the creator of Infinity Particle (2023, HarperCollins), Tidesong (2021 HarperCollins), and the co-creator of Mooncakes, a young adult fantasy graphic novel published in 2019 from Oni Press. Her work has been featured on Catapult, Barnes & Noble Sci-fi/Fantasy Blog, and Tor.com, among other places.

Self-Identifiers: Chinese; Queer

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Ashley Wong is a freelance illustrator and designer based in Hamilton, Ontario. She works with embroidery floss (and sometimes ink and paint, too!) to create warm and fuzzy images. Her work draws inspiration from delicious meals with loved ones and the changing of seasons.

Self-Identifiers: Chinese-Canadian; Bisexual

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Wallace West is an award-winning children’s book author-illustrator and a world explorer. His first picture book, Mighty Red Riding Hood, won a Lambda Literary Award. He also illustrated the New York Times bestselling middle-grade Dogtown series by legendary authors Katherine Applegate and Gennifer Choldenko. Kirkus has called his illustrations “utterly charming” and “expressive” with a vibrancy “that relates as much of the story as the text itself.” Wallace was born in Houston, Texas, came of age in Paris, France, and spends most of his time on the U.S. East Coast. By day he writes and scribbles, by night he dreams of adopting a snake.

Self-Identifiers: Gay; LGBTQIA+

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Cornelius Van Wright is an award-winning children’s book illustrator, an author, and an art instructor. He has illustrated numerous picture books, many of which he co-illustrated with his wife, Ying Hwa-Hu. His work has appeared on Reading Rainbow and Storytime and has been exhibited in Bologna Book Fair and the Society of Illustrators. Cornelius’ authored-illustrated picture books have garnered praise from The Horn Book, Kirkus Review, School Library Journal, Publishers Weekly, Booklist, and many others. Cornelius also teaches at Fred Dolan Art Academy. His students have attended and graduated from many top art colleges in the country. Cornelius lives with his wife in New York City.

Self-Identifiers: African-American

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Jennifer Thermes is an award-winning children’s book author-illustrator and map illustrator. Her nonfiction picture book The Indestructible Tom Crean recently received the Bank Street College of Education’s 2024 Flora Stieglitz Straus Award in the Younger Reader category and is an ALSC Notable Children’s Book. Both Tom Crean and her book A Place Called America were named to the Kirkus Best Picture Books of 2023 list. Jennifer is fascinated by big-picture ideas that span history, adventure, and the natural world, and weaves maps throughout her stories to explore new places and visualize how the past connects to our lives today.

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Jared Andrew Schorr is an illustrator living in Southern California. He is the illustrator of Better Together (Abrams Appleseed, 2017) and Peaceful Fights for Equal Rights (Simon & Schuster, 2018), and specializes in creating detailed work entirely from cut paper. His work has appeared in many publications, as well as in galleries and homes around the world.

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Amy Schimler-Safford has had an impressive career as a textile designer and children’s illustrator for over two decades. Her children’s book illustrations have been well reviewed and award-winning. In 2010 “Why is the Sky Blue?” was paired with an Eric Carle title for Booktrust.org’s book bag program. Over 700,00 book bags were distributed to first year students throughout the UK. Some very generous words used to describe her work: “glimmering”, “lavish”, “vibrant”, “gorgeous”, “magical”, “lush”, “amazing”, “breathtaking”, “gloriously colorful”, “dreamlike”, “luminous”, “dynamic”, “engaging’, “skillful”, “alluring” and a “celebration of observation”.

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Israel Sanchez lives in Los Angeles and has worked as an art director for Disney and Netflix animation studios. He has written and illustrated comics for the Flight anthology series, Spongebob Comics, and the Fable Comics collection. He loves to paint in gouache and used it for his illustrations in the picture book, The Dinosaur Tooth Fairy (Arthur A. Levine Books).Self-Identifiers: Hispanic; Mexican; Latino 

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Sean Rubin was born in Brooklyn, New York. As a city kid, he entertained himself by collecting interesting things, learning about unusual subjects, and by drawing characters from books, especially Redwall and The Lord of the Rings. Bolivar, the first book Sean both wrote and illustrated, received three starred reviews, and was nominated for an Eisner award, an ELG, and a Ringo award.

Self-Identifiers: Jewish; New York City; Rural

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Stephanie Rodriguez, a Bronx-born published author-illustrator, made waves with her debut middle-grade graphic novel, Doodles from the Boogie Down. This semi-autobiographical gem follows a young Dominican girl who navigates middle school, her strict mother, shifting friendships, and her dream of being an artist. Stephanie is also a Character Designer, contributing her talent to animated series in development. Her passion for authentic storytelling, rooted in her experiences as a first-generation Dominican American, drives her artistic endeavors. Based in LA, she is forging her path in TV Animation while maintaining her presence in the publishing world.

Self-Identifiers: Latina; Caribbean Latino; New Yorker; Urban; Femme

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Ariel Slamet Ries is the Ignatz-award winning cartoonist and author of graphic novels Witchy and Cry Wolf Girl. They’re interested in using a fantastical lens to examine the mundane, and curating empathy for flawed characters. Their debut graphic novel with HarperCollins, Strange Bedfellows—a queer YA sci-fi romance about a boy who develops the ability to manifest his dreams in real life, including his infuriatingly attractive high school crush—is set for release in March of 2025.

Self-Identifiers: South East Asian; Mixed race (Asian/White); Queer; Trans; Neurodivergent; Non-Binary 

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Jennifer Black Reinhardt is the author and illustrator of several acclaimed books for children, including Always by My Side: A Stuffie Story, Playing Possum, and Blue Ethel. She illustrated Gondra’s Treasure and Yaks Yak, both written by Newbery award winner Linda Sue Park, as well as illustrating Sometimes You Fly by Newbery Medalist Katherine Applegate, to name a few. Her books have received many starred reviews and been selected for recommended lists. Jennifer joyfully creates picture books from her comfortably cluttered studio in her Iowa City, Iowa home.

Self-Identifiers: Woman

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Alice Ratterree is an illustrator for young audiences based in Greenville, South Carolina. She began her career in music, as a classically trained singer working in operatic, concert, and oratorio venues. Alice’s work has appeared in the children’s book publishing market, magazines, newspapers, numerous hospitals, and schools, and even in the Cannon Tunnel of the United States Capitol.

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Daria Peoples earned a BA in English at UC Santa Barbara, California, where she found herself shelving books at the library and reading many notable writers. Daria’s debut picture book, This is It was published by Greenwillow/HarperCollins in 2018, she has then illustrated many other children’s books, which can be found on her website.

Self-Identifiers: Black; Cuban; Female

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Hillary Moore is an artist and illustrator whose artwork is inspired by whimsical elements of nature and the wonder of a child’s perspective. Working in watercolor and gouache, she enjoys playing with layered realities and scale. Her imagery often features characters who are exploring and finding joy in the world around them. Hillary lives in Seattle, Washington where she has plenty of chances to explore mountains, tide pools, and rainforests and gather inspiration from her own two kids who are wildly imaginative.

Self-Identifiers: Mixed Race; Asian-American; Femme; Parent

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Madeline McGrane is a cartoonist and illustrator. She is the author and illustrator of The Accursed Vampire and its sequel The Accursed Vampire #2: The Curse at Witch Camp. She has created illustrations and comics for various clients on topics ranging from superheroes to renewable energy, in her spare time she self-publishes zines. Madeline lives in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

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Robert Liu-Trujillo is an author and illustrator whose storytelling and vibrant visual art reflect his cultural heritage and dedication to social justice. His work explores themes of identity, history, family, mixed heritage, literacy, and agency. Robert is a life long Bay Area resident. Born in Oakland, California, he’s the child of student activists who watched lots of science fiction and took him to many demonstrations. Always drawing, Rob grew up to be an artist falling in love with graffiti, fine art, illustration, murals, and children’s books. In that order, sort of. Through storytelling he’s been able to scratch the surface of so many untold stories.

Self-Identifiers: African-American; Mexican or Latino; Korean or Asian; Apache or Native-American; Mixed Heritage

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Bagram Ibatoulline is an award-winning American illustrator who has illustrated over thirty acclaimed books for children. His books have been published all across the globe and have been translated into dozens of languages. He is celebrated internationally for his best-selling titles like The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane, which was a #1 New York Times bestseller.

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Ying-Hwa Hu is an educator, picture book author, and illustrator. She has worked solo as well as collaborated with her husband, Cornelius Van Wright, for over 50 books. Her debut author/illustrator book Ten Blocks To the Big Wok was selected as Best Books for NYPL, CPL, Bank Street Books, and won Delaware Library Association Blue Hen Book Award, and the Mathical Books Honor Award. Ying-Hwa teaches at Fred Dolan Art Academy and helps young artists in the Bronx community to enter art colleges. Her students have attended and graduated from many top art colleges in the country. Ying-Hwa lives with her husband in New York City.

Self-Identifiers: AAPI

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Paige Hender is responsible for upcoming graphic novels from Silver Sprocket and Henry Holt Books for Young Readers. With toes in both the adult and young adult markets, she seeks to bring mature stories to young readers and whimsical tales to grown-ups. Hopefully her corrupting influence will inspire a generation of horror fans. Hender was born in Ottawa, Ontario and currently resides in Louisiana.

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Kayla Harren graduated from the School of Visual Arts in New York City with a BFA in illustration. She has illustrated Calvin, winner of the 2022 Lambda Literary Award; A Boy Like You, winner of the 2019 EUREKA Gold Award; The Boy Who Grew a Forest, winner of the 2020 Crystal Kite Award; and Thursday, featured in the Society of Illustrators Original Art Show.

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Shelley Hanmo is a concert pianist, self-taught illustrator, and storyteller. As someone who is passionate about the paper art medium, Shelley loves exploring different possibilities of colors, shapes, layers, and textures in pieces of paper. Shelley’s artistic inspirations often come from her life experience as a woman of color, immigrant, professional musician, as well as her love for nature and conservation. In addition, Shelley is actively teaching paper art workshops across the US, recent workshops including at Brooklyn Art Library, Indianapolis Zoo, Indianapolis Public Library, Lotus World Music & Arts Festival, and Garfield Park Arts Center.

Self-Identifiers: Immigrant; Asian; East Asian; BIPOC; Minority

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Melissa Gardner is an adolescent psychotherapist turned author/illustrator who now lives in the rainy forest outside Eugene, Oregon. Her style is a blend of traditional and digital media, with a focus on natural beauty, tender emotions, and a dash of magic. When she’s not drawing, she’s often snuggling with her three dogs, hanging out with her family, or coming up with recipes that remind her of childhood.

Self-Identifiers: Neurodivergent; LGBTQIA+

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Kat Fajardo (they/she) is a Honduran Colombian award-winning cartoonist and illustrator from the lively and magical place of Loisaida, New York City. They are the creator of Miss Quinces, which was a National Indie Bestseller, received a Pura Belpré Honor for illustration, two starred reviews, and was selected as a summer reading pick by Entertainment Weekly, Publishers Weekly, The Horn Book, and the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

Self-Identifiers: Latine; Latinx; Honduran; Colombian; Queer

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C.G. Esperanza was born the second of six cool kids. The South Bronx is where he first opened his eyelids. A land shrouded in bright colored decay, the birthplace of graffiti and the hip-hop DJ. He paints fantasy worlds of elephants and castles, too. Accompanying this wonder is some whimsical truth. Author and Illustrator of Red, Yellow, Blue and a Dash of White Too! (SkyponyPress), Boogie Boogie, Y’all (HarperCollins), and the upcoming Dragon Mama (HarperCollins). He has also illustrated the picture book, My Daddy is a Cowboy.

Self-Identifiers: Black; African American; Latino; Puerto Rican; LGBTQ+

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Sarah Dvojack was born and raised in Washington State and graduated from Seattle’s Cornish College of the Arts with a degree in graphic design, she went on to study in the School of Visual Arts’ MFA Illustration as Visual Essay program. She is the author-illustrator of Welcome to Fear City and Rosie the Riveter, and the illustrator of Ruby’s Hope (Junior Library Guild Selection) and Madame Alexander (Junior Library Guild Selection; Sydney Taylor Notable Picture Book). After a decade in New York City, she now lives with her partner and cats in that bastion of American horror and children’s books, Maine, and works as a book designer.

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Lauren Dimaya is a tiny, queer Filipino-American illustrator with a big heart for magical stories. She has drawn for Studio Drydock’s Wylde Flowers, produced an online course on visual storytelling, and is currently illustrating Remy Lai’s YA graphic novel, The Demon’s Prince. Inspired by her heritage and its mythology, Lauren’s dream is to bring relatable queer Filipino narratives into the graphic novel world. Outside of drawing, she can be found in NYC museum-hopping or nervously roller skating.

Self-Identifiers: Filipino; Asian-American; Pacific Islander; Queer; LGBTQIA+

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Sarah Davis is an award-winning illustrator, concept artist, and book designer working in publishing, film, and animation. She has illustrated more than 50 books and has 4+ years experience working in-house as Associate Art Director at Walker Books Australia, where she had the privilege of collaborating with some of Australia’s finest picture-book authors and illustrators. Her own illustration work is fueled by a restless creativity and inspired by a love of literature and narrative. With each project she experiments with new ways to tell visual tales, working across an eclectic range of media – paint, ink, pencil, collage, photography, and digital 3D sculpture.

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Sage Coffey is a trans non-binary cartoonist living in Chicago, Illinois, who is best known as the creator of Wine Ghost, for their work on the GLAAD award nominated video game BUGSNAX, and as the illustrator on one of Vulture’s funniest books of 2021, I Am Not a Wolf. Since 2016, they’ve edited the Ignatz award nominated anthology Sweaty Palms, a comic anthology about anxiety and have helped organize Chicago Alternative Comics Expo (CAKE) since 2019. Clients include: Design Museum of Chicago Millie Magazine, We Testify, Cards Against Humanity, The American Independent, and more.

Self-Identifiers: Trans; Nonbinary; LGBTQIA+

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Alice Chu is an illustrator, cartoonist, and creator of the all-ages webcomic series, Kiri. She also writes semi-autobiographical comics as @comicsbyalice. In her free time, she enjoys crafting, watching wholesome British reality shows, and gardening very badly.

Self-Identifiers: Asian-American; Taiwanese

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Alina Chau 周曉芬 is an accomplished author and illustrator who has made significant contributions to the animation and gaming industries. Her debut graphic novel, Marshmallow and Jordan, won multiple awards, including the Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Award and the Sakura Medal for Best Middle-Grade Graphic Novel in Japan in 2023. Her other highly acclaimed children’s picture books include The Rise (And Falls) of Jackie Chan, Lunar New Year, In the Spirit of a Dream, and the APALA Picture Book Honor, The Nian Monster. Alina’s work is inspirational and imaginative, a testament to the power of creativity and the importance of embracing diverse perspectives.

Self-Identifiers: First-Generation Asian-American; Indonesian-Chinese; Chinese; Multicultural; International

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Alexis Castellanos is the author of Guava and Grudges (Bloomsbury) and Isla to Island (Simon & Schuster), an Eisner-nominated and award-winning graphic novel. Born in Miami, Florida, she studied theatre design and technology in college and landed in New York City after graduation working as a scenic artist before transitioning into publishing as a graphic designer. When she’s not working she can be found tackling a new sewing project, playing D&D, or cooking up a storm. For now she’s calling Los Angeles home, where she lives with her partner and two spoiled cats.

Self-Identifiers: Cuban-American

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Derick Brooks (he/him) is an award-winning cartoonist from Virginia. He loves to create genre bending illustration and comic art that mixes adventure, fantasy, and sci-fi themes with a slice of life. His published work can be found in A is for Alfie (Macmillan), Drawn to Change the World (HarperCollins), Hey You (Puffin), The Last Chance for Logan County (Versify), Allies (DK), and ten books from the Bright Family universe (Epic). When he’s not writing, doodling, or stopping his pets from wrestling, he serves as the art director for Magpie Literacy where he assists in the creation of decodable texts for grades PK-8+.

Self-Identifiers: Black; African-American

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Megan Brennan is a comics artist and author in Brooklyn, New York. Her goofy, exuberant comics are influenced by shoujo manga, newspaper comics, and the absurd. Her debut solo graphic novel, Magic Girls 1: Kira and the (Maybe) Space Princess, was published by Random House Graphic in 2024. She’s also written multiple Amazing World of Gumball graphic novels published by Boom! Studios in addition to self-publishing comics on the web and in print. Megan has also been an art/production assistant for various graphic novels, including Drama, Teen Boat, Amulet, and The Adventure Zone: Here Be Gerblins.

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Carin Bramsen is a children’s book author and illustrator. Her Duck and Cat series includes: Duck and Cat’s Rainy Day (2020) for early readers, and the picture books Sleepover Duck! (2018), Just a Duck? (2015), and Hey, Duck! (2013). She also illustrated The Yellow Tutu (2009), written by Kirsten Bramsen. Raised near the foothills of Colorado, she can’t help but add hills to the backgrounds of her pictures. But she does it from her apartment in Brooklyn, New York.

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Brooke Boynton-Hughes is the illustrator and author of Brave Molly and Heart String and the illustrator of several other books for children including Coat of Many Colors by Dolly Parton, His Fairy Tale Life by Jane Yolen, Henry Wants More! by Linda Ashman, and Where’s My Turtle? by Barbara Bottner. Brooke is the recipient of two portfolio honor awards from the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators, as well as the recipient of the SCBWI Don Freeman Memorial grant and the SCBWI Mentorship Award. Brooke lives in Colorado with her husband and three children and creates her illustrations using watercolor, pen and ink, graphite, and colored pencil.

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Rachelle Baker (she/her) is a multi-disciplinary artist and illustrator from Detroit, Michigan, known for her illustrative style and beautifully crafted digital paintings. Her works are cultural infusionsof women, Shoujo Manga, anime, early 2000’s R&B music videos, and everyday elements that inspire her. Published books include: Making Our Way Home: The Great Migration and the Black American Dream by Blair Imani (Ten Speed Press), the NYT bestseller, Stamped (for Kids): Racism, Antiracism, and You by Ibram X Kendi and Jason Reynolds (Little, Brown Young Readers), and the recent release Show Up & Vote by Ani DiFranco (Rise x Penguin Random House).

Self-Identifiers: Black/African American; LGBTQIA+; Midwesterner

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Gonzalo Alvarez is an illustrator, designer, and author of the Aztec fantasy graphic novel series, Poyoman. A first-generation Chicano from Southeast Texas, he grew up inspired by the folktales and traditions of his Mexican-born parents, but never saw them represented in media. After graduating from Lamar University with a BFA and a self-published comic, he began decolonizing by relearning the Aztec language, culture, and history to authentically bring his stories to life. He and his partner, Grace Chadwick, founded Studio Tecuan, are working together on a Poyoman, Nawalli the Aztec card game, and enjoy binging fantasy movies and RPGs.

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