
His self-illustrated, Kirkus-starred, poetry book A HATFUL OF DRAGONS was selected as a Best Book by Kirkus Reviews, New York Public Library, Bank Street College of Education, and others, and was a Texas Bluebonnet Award finalist. Vikram Madan grew up in India, became a techie, and eventually followed his heart into creating art and books. She is a faculty member in the MFA in Writing for Children and Young Adults at Vermont College of Fine Arts. Sara Ryan is the author of the graphic novel Bad Houses with art by Carla Speed McNeil, young adult novels The Rules for Hearts and Empress of the World, and various comics, short stories, and essays, most recently “Shift” with Val Wise and “Finger Puppet” in the anthology Lost Objects: 50 Stories About the Things We Miss And Why They Matter. She lives in Oakland, California with her husband, son, and objectively perfect dog.

Her graphic novel, Squad, is an Ignyte and Locus Award nominated comic book, and her newest picture book, Love in the Library, has received starred reviews from Book Page, School Library Journal, Booklist, and Publisher’s Weekly. The Mermaid, the Witch, and the Sea is her debut young adult novel, which was an NPR, Kirkus, School Library Journal and Book Page Best Book of 2020. She is the author of the 2017 Parent’s Choice Gold Medal winning picture book, Also an Octopus, illustrated by Benji Davies. Visit her at Maggie Tokuda-Hall has an MFA in creative writing from USF, and a strong cake-decorating game. Her debut picture book Chloe’s Lunar New Year is available January 2023 and her second graphic novel Unhappy Camper is forthcoming in 2023. When she isn’t writing, she’s cooking up new recipes, exploring new crafts, and supporting her library system as a KCLS Foundation board member. She graduated from Hamline’s MFA in Writing for Children and Young Adults. Lily LaMotte is the author of Measuring Up, an ALA Top Ten Graphic Novel and Cybils Award winner. You won’t want to miss this graphic novel panel with some of today’s most innovative authors.

Join moderator Dolores Andral on Zoom Saturday, October 8th, 2022 at 10 am Pacific to welcome Lily LaMotte, Maggie Tokuda Hall, Sara Ryan, and Vikram Madan as special guests for the SCBWI WWA October Professional Series Meeting.
