Heather Camlot is an award-winning author, journalist, editor and translator. Her nonfiction books for children include Secret Schools, I Can’t Do What?, What If Soldiers Fought with Pillows? and The Prisoner and the Writer, which was named a Globe and Mail Top 10 Kids’ Book for 2022. She has also written two middle-grade novels, The Other Side and Clutch, a Kirkus Best Middle-Grade Historical Fiction of 2017. Born and raised in Montreal, she now lives in Toronto with her husband, teenagers and rescue dog.   Q: Fiction and nonfiction, picture books/middle grade/young adult and all manner of topics (social justice […]

Isaac Blum (he/him) is a writer and educator. He has taught English at several colleges and universities, and at Orthodox Jewish and public schools. He holds an MFA in Creative Writing from Rutgers-Camden in New Jersey, and his stories and essays have appeared in The Iowa Review, The New York Times and One Teen Story, among other places. Isaac lives with his wife in Philadelphia where he watches sports and reads books that make him laugh while showing him something true about the world. He also loves birdwatching. The Life and Crimes of Hoodie Rosen is his debut novel. Reviews […]

Vancouver, Canada’s John Lekich is a journalist, essayist and the author of several books for young adult readers. They include the novels The Prisoner of Snowflake Falls, King of the Lost and Found and The Losers’ Club. His most recent YA novel is Murder at the Hotel Hopeless (Orca Books 2022). His YA novels have received critical acclaim from various publications, along with recognition from such organizations as The Young Adult Library Services Association, The Canadian Library Association and The Detroit Public Library. His debut YA novel, The Losers’ Club, was a finalist for the Governor General’s Literary Award. Born […]

Born in Bogotá, Francisco Montaña Ibáñez is one of Colombia’s bestselling authors for children and young people. His novels, poetry and short stories — recognized for their seriousness and depth — circulate in Colombia, Mexico, Venezuela, Ecuador, Canada, the United States and Argentina. In addition to being a writer, Francisco is a professor at the National University of Colombia. His 2021 novel The Immortal Boy (Levine Querido, publisher) is his first to be translated into English (by Arely Guzman). Francisco discovered his affinity with literature at the age of 16, when he won a scholarship to study at the Moscow […]

“Stories offer room to engage with multiple things at once, to tell stories that center people, places and ideas that have historically been marginalized.”   Suyi Davies Okungbowa is a Nigerian fantasy, science fiction and general speculative author. Son of the Storm is his first book in The Nameless Republic, an epic fantasy trilogy. David Mogo, Godhunter, his debut godpunk fantasy novel, earned the Nommo Award for Best Novel in 2020. His shorter works have appeared in various publications and anthologies, and have been nominated for various awards. He writes for younger readers as Suyi Davies, the latest novel being […]