Christina Dendy

Christina Dendy is an American author with a wide range of experience in the K-12 educational market, particularly in the social sciences. Her published works include the picture books Hide and Shhh and The Wall and the Wild. She loves just about anything that involves exploration, on or off the printed page, and regularly tumbles down rabbit holes of one sort or another. When not writing or reading, Christina can be found meandering about Dayton, Ohio, with her tallish hobbit husband, three impish children and a few finicky furry friends.

CK Malone

CK (they/them) is super proud of being a Bigender (technically born Intersex) Neurodiverse Kidlit author. When they aren't writing, you'll find them speaking, teaching, cooking, singing, learning the language of their grandmother, playing music, and shooting hoops with students. Oh, and dogs are their favorites. Hand them a doggo and you hand them the world. (And they will adore you for forever, TBH.)

Sally J. Pla

Sally J. Pla writes award-winning books with characters who think about the world a bit differently. Who knows – maybe you will see yourself in them, or someone you know. She lives in Southern California near lots of lemon trees.

Julia Finley Mosca

Julia Finley Mosca is a mom, journalist, and author of the award-winning AMAZING SCIENTISTS children’s book biographies, including THE GIRL WHO THOUGHT IN PICTURES: THE STORY OF DR. TEMPLE GRANDIN. When she’s not writing, Mosca can be found running, protesting book bans, or trying to keep naughty dogs out of trash cans (IMPOSSIBLE!).

Jenn Bailey

Jenn Bailey’s debut picture book, A FRIEND FOR HENRY, won ALA’s 2020 Schneider Family Honor Book award and was named a Bank Street Best Children’s Book of the Year. Henry’s next adventure, HENRY, LIKE ALWAYS, is the first in her early chapter books series and has received Kirkus and The Horn Book starred reviews. Book 2, HENRY AND THE SOMETHING NEW will release in 2024. Jenn’s rhyming “cats meet art” picture book, MEOWSTERPIECES, has been translated into six languages with more planned, and her THE TWELVE HOURS OF CHRISTMAS will come out in October of 2023. When Jenn isn’t writing, baking pies, or attending to her cadre of cats and dogs, she is traveling with her husband, Kevin, searching for the perfect donut.

Maria Dismondy

FACILITATOR FOR THIS PANEL: Nationally recognized Early Childhood Development Speaker, Author and Publisher, Maria Dismondy is dedicated to inspiring and empowering not just children, but grownups as well. She has authored ten children’s books, one parenting book and made more than 900 speaking appearances. She lives in southeast Michigan with her husband, Dave, and their three children.