Looking for authors who write for adults please visit this page.
Teen Authors
![]() | Jennifer Longo Up to This Pointe 2017 WSBA Finalist Jennifer will present a fun and interactive demonstration about how a book is written, including research photos from her books (her most recent is set partially in Antarctica). She’ll talk about how readers and writers can take stories from their own lives and tell them in compelling ways. Suitable for teens, middle schoolers, and adults. |
![]() | Laura Moe Breakfast with Neruda 2018 WSBA Finalist Laura’s novel “Breakfast with Neruda” takes place in a rural community, places that are often underrepresented in literature, particularly in young adult books. She believes great stories are born in small towns. Laura is available for a reading and Q&A, and/or a writing workshop. “Each community knows its needs,” she says. |
![]() | Lily Myers This Impossible Light 2018 WSBA Finalist Lily is an author and a poet who graduated from college in 2015, where she won “Best Love Poem” at a slam poetry competition for college students. Her performance of her poem “Shrinking Women” has more than 5 million views on YouTube, and led to her book contract. She will do a reading and Q&A, or work with you on a program for your community. |
![]() | Nina Packebush Girls Like Me 2018 WSBA Finalist Nina will do a reading followed by a Q&A. She can talk about the marginalization of teen parents, especially queer teen parents, and the importance of these youth being able to see themselves reflected in literature. She can also talk about her own experience as a queer teen mom. She would also be willing to do a writing workshop. |
![]() | Randall Platt The Girl Who Wouldn’t Die 2018 WSBA Finalist Randall offers a workshop titled "So, You Want To Be A Writer!" for ages 12 and up (adults are welcome, too). "Where mayhem often reigns, ideas are tossed about, challenged, honed, and within an hour we will have plotted a novel, developed key characters, and created realistic motivations" she says. |
Authors for Young Readers
![]() | J. Anderson Coats The Many Reflections of Miss Jane Deming 2018 WSBA Winner J. Anderson Coats has four presentations to offer. The first two, suitable for all ages, are: From Idea to Book (interactive session about writing and publishing) and The Not-Boring Backstory of Miss Jane Deming. You may also choose writing programs suitable for adults and older teens: Creating and Sustaining a Creative Life, and Resurrecting Your Frankendraft. |
![]() | Jennifer Bradbury Outside In 2018 WSBA Finalist Jennifer loves talking about the importance of time and place. Setting is often the catalyst for her writing process and the foundation of her stories. It can be a great lens for audience members to consider the powerful settings they know intimately and the ones they want to know better through research and writing She can scale this presentation for audiences from kindergarten to adults. |
![]() | Dori Butler King & Kayla: The Case of the Missing Dog Treats 2018 WSBA Finalist Dori has won multiple awards for writing for youth including, most recently, a (Theodor Seuss) Geisel Honor Award from the American Library Association, and has made classroom visits across the country. She is available for a youth-writing workshop that could be at a school or the location of your choice. She can also speak to adults who are interested in writing for children. |
![]() | Asia Citro Zoey and Sassafras: Dragons and Marshmallows 2018 WSBA Winner Asia is a former science teacher and environmental education camp director who has won multiple awards for her early reader series. Her presentations are hands-on, experimental, educational, lively and fun. She can tailor a presentation for your library event. |
![]() | Sundee Frazier Cleo Edison Oliver: Playground Millionaire 2017 WSBA Finalist Sundee Frazier has written several novels for ages 8 to 12. “Every story has a gift for the one who comes to it with an open heart, no matter that person’s age,” she says. Her presentations focus on encouraging kids to tell their stories, showing how she built some of her stories from experiences in her own life as a person of mixed race. |
![]() | Daniel Gemeinhart Some Kind of Courage 2017 WSBA Winner Dan is a National Board Certified Teacher (and former teacher-librarian) who travels extensively to present to age groups from kindergarten to high school. He is also available to do a slide presentation about himself and his books, followed by a reading and Q&A. |
![]() | Mark Holtzen A Ticket to the Pennant 2017 WSBA Finalist An elementary teacher for 16 years, Mark enjoys engaging with all ages. He creates a safe environment for students to try new things and help get words on the page. Here are a few of Mark's ideas for a presentation. |
![]() | Curtis Manley Shawn Loves Sharks 2018 WSBA Winner Curtis will read his book "Shawn Loves Sharks" and then talk about where story ideas come from, how they can change during the writing and revision process, how words are put together with illustrations and made into a book, and how each of us can write stories from our own lives—the stories that matter most to us. |
![]() | Suzanne Selfors Wedgie & Gizmo 2018 WSBA Finalist Suzanne has written over 30 books for young readers and has won multiple awards (including the 2014 Washington State Book Award for “The Sasquatch Escape”). Her goal is to help young readers and writers get excited about writing their own stories. Her presentation, titled “How Does an Idea Become a Book,” is in demand across the country. |
![]() | Dori Jones Yang The Forbidden Temptation of Baseball 2018 WSBA Finalist Dori, a former foreign correspondent in Asia, aims to build bridges between cultures and generations. She has written nonfiction, historical fiction, and books for children. She loves talking to readers at libraries, schools and in book clubs about her books, her research, and the writing process. |