Art Coulson, a writer of Cherokee, English, and Dutch descent, comes from a family of storytellers in all three traditions. A Navy brat, Art traveled the world, attending fourteen schools on three continents before graduating high school. Art served as the first executive director of the Wilma Mankiller Foundation in the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma after an award-winning twenty-five-year career in journalism. A 2023 McKnight Fellow in Children’s Literature, Art is the author of twenty books, including Chasing Bigfoot, The Reluctant Storyteller, and Look, Grandma! Ni, Elisi!, which was named a best STEM children’s book by the National Science Teaching Association.

Molly Beth Griffin is the author of many picture books including Ten Beautiful Things, Just Us, and Rhoda’s Rock Hunt. She has also published an award-winning young adult novel, Silhouette of a Sparrow, two chapbooks of poetry, and a series of beginning readers. Molly is a graduate of Hamline University’s MFA Program in Writing for Children and Young Adults and has been teaching writing for children at the Loft Literary Center for over 15 years. She lives in South Minneapolis with her partner and their two children, where she enjoys walking around lakes, taking photos of birds, eating pastries, watching mysteries, and waiting for the mail.

Keenan Jones spent his childhood in northwest Indiana (Gary) and south suburban Chicago (University Park), and currently resides in Plymouth, Minnesota. He comes from a family of educators, pastors, athletes, and musicians. After suffering a career-ending injury while playing college basketball, Keenan switched paths to pursue a career in education, serving as an elementary school teacher before returning to his passion of writing.

Margi Preus has written a bazillion plays and a bunch of books, including the Newbery Honor book Heart of a Samurai, the Minnesota Book Award-winning West of the Moon, and the Midwest Booksellers’ Choice award-winning Enchantment Lake mystery series. Her books have been honored as ALA/ALSC Notables, landed on the New York Times bestseller list, featured on NPR, and selected as community reads.

Matthew Schufman, an author, graphic designer, musician, and art teacher who works creatively with hundreds of students every week, is also the author of the picture book Fraser the Forest Ranger. Matthew’s work has been featured in The New York Times as well as on Netflix and HBO. He enjoys camping and taking long hikes through the forest, and lives with his wife Lauren and a Corgi named Archie in St. Paul.

Joyce Sidman is today’s foremost nature poet for children. Accolades for her books include a Newbery Honor Medal, a Sibert Medal, two Caldecott Honors, the Lee Bennett Hopkins Award, the Claudia Lewis Award, and many best books lists; for her acclaimed body of work, she won the NCTE Award for Excellence in Poetry for Children. She lives in Wayzata, MN.