Jennifer Baker is the editor of Everyday People: The Color of Life—A Short Story Anthology, a publishing professional, creator of the Minorities in Publishing podcast, a 2017 NYSCA/NYFA Artist Fellow in nonfiction, and instructor and social media director for Sackett Street Writers' Workshop.

Ibi Zoboi is the author of the YA novel American Street. Her writing has been published in the New York Times Book Review, the Horn Book, and the Rumpus. Her second book, Pride, is forthcoming.

Leah Henderson is a writer, mentor, and avid traveler. When she is not scribbling down her characters’ adventures, she is off on her own, exploring spaces and places around the world. She is the author of the middle grade novel, One Shadow on the Wall and received her MFA from Spalding University.

Tracey Baptiste is the author of The Jumbies and Rise of the Jumbies, the novel Angel's Grace, and nonfiction kids books like The Totally Gross History of Ancient Egypt. Ms. Baptiste teaches at Lesley University, and runs the editorial company Fairy Godauthor.

Renée Watson is an author and educator. Her books include: Piecing Me Together, This Side of Home, and Harlem's Little Blackbird. She teaches at Pine Manor College for Solstice MFA in Children's Literature program.