Dhonielle J. Clayton is the cofounder of CAKE Literary, a boutique book development company with a decidedly diverse bent. She is the coauthor of Tiny Pretty Things and Shiny Broken Pieces with Sona Charaipotra, and the author of The Belles. She is COO of We Need Diverse Books.

Ibi Zoboi has an MFA in writing for children & young adults from Vermont College of Fine Arts. Her writing has appeared in Haiti Noir, the Caribbean Writer, The New York Times Book Review, the Horn Book Magazine, and the Rumpus, among others. Her debut YA novel American Street is forthcoming.

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 the Solstice MFA in Children's Literature program.

Tiffany D. Jackson is the author of the dark contemporary YA novel, Allegedly. A television production manager and producer, she received her BA in film from Howard University and her MA in media studies from The New School University.

Brandy Colbert is the author of Pointe, which was named a best book of the year by Publishers Weekly and the Chicago and Los Angeles Public Libraries, and the forthcoming young adult novel Little & Lion. She has worked as an editor for several national magazines.