Ismée Williams is the critically-acclaimed author of the YA contemporary #OwnVoices Water in May (2017) and This Train Is Being Held (2020), a Junior Library Guild selection, published by Amulet Books. Ismée has been an invited speaker at The Virginia Festival of the Book, The NYC Teen Author Festival, The Southern Kentucky Book Festival, and The Bronx Book Festival among others. Ismée is a pediatric cardiologist who trained and worked in New York City for over 20 years. She is the daughter of a Cuban immigrant and was partially raised by her abuelos. Follow her on Twitter and IG @IsmeeWilliams and her website: ismeewilliams.com

Mayra Cuevas is the author of the YA contemporary #OwnVoices romcom Salty, Bitter, Sweet (Blink/HarperCollins). Her short story Resilient will be published as part of the anthology FORESHADOW: The Magic of Reading & Writing YA (Algonquin Young Readers). Mayra was born and raised in Puerto Rico and now lives in Norcross, GA. She works as a special projects producer for CNN and keeps her sanity by practicing Modern Buddhism and meditation. Her husband and two step-sons provide plenty of inspiration for her stories. Follow her journey on Twitter @MayraECuevas, on Instagram @Mayra.Cuevas and her website MayraCuevas.com.

Natalia Sylvester is the author of two novels for adults, CHASING THE SUN and EVERYONE KNOWS YOU GO HOME, which won an International Latino Book Award. RUNNING, her debut novel for young adults, is a 2020 Junior Library Guild Selection. Born in Lima, Peru, Sylvester grew up in Florida and Texas and received a BFA in Creative Writing from the University of Miami. Her essays have appeared in the New York Times, Bustle, Catapult, Latina magazine, and McSweeney’s Publishing, and are forthcoming in various anthologies.

I.W. Gregorio is a practicing surgeon by day, masked avenging YA writer by night. Her novels include Lambda Literary Award finalist None of the Above, and This Is My Brain in Love, which has received three starred reviews so far. She is proud to be a board member of interACT: Advocates for Intersex Youth, and is a founding member of We Need Diverse Books. Find her online at www.iwgregorio.com.