GET TO KNOW US:

About Our Storytellers

Brenna Jeanneret

Authors

Brenna Jeanneret is a podcaster and author of The Law of Birthdays and Dudes of Disposal. She lives with her husband, son, and two furballs in Northern Colorado. When she’s not writing, you can find her rock climbing, bike riding or any number of other unladylike hobbies.

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/brennajeanneret

Official Website: https://brennajeanneret.com/

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Michelle Pereira

Illustrators

Michelle Pereira is a freelance illustrator and artist. Colourful palettes, graphic shapes and cheery characters are features of her work, which she illustrates from her home studio in Melbourne. She has worked with a range of clients such as Hardie Grant Publishing, Penguin UK, Marie Claire and The Washington Post and some of her children's picture books include The Boy Who Tried to Shrink His Name and Stay For Dinner.

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Alexandria Scott-Christensen

Authors

Alexandria Scott-Christensen loves the thrill of research as much as she enjoys writing. Based in the Washington DC area, she spends most of her time abroad with her husband and four kids. Said four children inspire her love of writing and children's literature. She is also a self-proclaimed faux-naturalist and feels most at home in nature pretending to be Jane Goodall.

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Yoko Baum

Illustrators

Yoko Baum, a Japanese illustrator based in Portland, Oregon, boasts extensive experience in the industry. Armed with a BFA, she dedicated several years to the children's books sector. Today, her passion lies in editorial, advertising, and publishing illustration. When not immersed in her craft, Yoko finds joy in cooking and baking for her sons, summer hikes, and occasional winter knitting, weaving nature's abundance into vibrant 2D visuals.

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Nancy Jeng

Authors

Nancy Jeng is a Taiwanese-American author, born and raised in northern California. She previously published an illustrated cookbook,Noms From Mom, inspired by her mother's Taiwanese recipes. After graduating from the University of Texas at Austin, Nancy built a career in marketing, working for advertising agencies and tech companies before founding a tech startup. Nancy lives in San Francisco and in her spare time, she loves to travel, paint and draw, read and explore the Bay Area with her husband, Brett, and her dog, Felix.

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Felicia Liang

Illustrators

Felicia Liang is a Bay Area based artist and printmaker whose colorful and maximalist work reflects the communities and cultures she’s around. She weaves in storytelling and celebrates her Taiwanese-American identity through her food, still life, and cityscape illustrations.

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Pedro Iniguez

Authors

Pedro Iniguez is a Mexican-American Bram Stoker Award-nominated speculative fiction writer from Los Angeles.The Fibis his first picture book and he is the author ofMexicans on the Moon: Speculative Poetry from a Possible Futureand the comic bookCatrina’s Caravan, among several others. Apart from conducting writing workshops and speaking at several colleges, he has also been a sensitivity reader and has ghostwritten for award-winning apps and online clients. When he’s not reading, writing, daydreaming, or cooking, he likes to paint beside his Chihuahua, Cookie, and his turtle, Squirt.

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Nathan Kwan

Illustrators

Nathan is a Hong Kong-American illustrator, designer, and writer from Dallas, Texas. Unfortunately, he does not have a southern drawl. That would have been cool. The mildly offensive caricatures and comic strips he made as a tot introduced him to the world of illustration and animation where he found a collective calling of narrative storytelling. When he is not at his drawing table, he can be found cooking, at an indie cinema, or reading in a bookstore. Nathan is currently based in Cambridge, UK pursuing a Masters in Children's Book Illustration.

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Harry Shum Jr

Authors

As an actor, dancer, and producer, Harry Shum Jr has proven himself to be a dynamic force in Hollywood. While he is best known for his role as Mike Chang on the hit seriesGlee, Shum has consistently embodied complex and meaningful characters. Shum can currently be seen as the sharp-witted intern Benson “Blue” Kwan on ABC’s long-running hit drama seriesGrey's Anatomy. He can also be seen as a fan favorite character in A24’s Academy Award winning feature,Everything Everywhere All at Once. Beginning his career as a dancer, Shum’s passion for storytelling utilizes his various backgrounds in specialized movement, dance and acting which has collectively forged a path to produce projects from a perspective that challenges the norm.

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Shelby Rabara

Authors

Shelby Rabara is a Filipina-American actor, dancer, and writer from Orange County, California. She is best known for voicing the lovable Peridot in Cartoon Network’sSteven's Universe. Shelby’s passion for dance started at the young age of four, and her love for it continued well into her professional life. Her stage credits include the national and internationalGleetours, The Academy Awards, The Grammy Awards, The Country Music Awards, and Coachella. Shelby can also be seen dancing in the following television shows and films:Glee,Seventeen Again,Step Up 3d, andThe LXD, to name a few. In her spare time, Shelby loves cooking, browsing international farmers markets, frolicking on the beach, and epic dance parties with her husband and daughter.

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Bianca Austria

Illustrators

Bianca Austria is a Filipino-American artist who grew up in Manila, Philippines and is currently based in Long Beach, California. Her work revolves around her travels and childhood memories, often visualized in a playful and whimsical style. She takes pride in using her art to empower her Filipino culture as well as other underrepresented communities.

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Kim Nguyen

Authors

Kim Nguyen is a first-generation Vietnamese-Texan writer. She lives in Austin with her daughter, husband and several foster pugs. She loves telling empowering yet quirky stories for kids. Her award-winning career in advertising and entertainment informs her gently subversive and comedic writing. As a child of Vietnamese refugees, she is dedicated to telling diverse stories that shed light on issues in the world while maintaining a cheerful optimism about the future.

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Libby VanderPloeg

Illustrators

Libby VanderPloeg is an artist and illustrator living in southern California. She’s best known for her silly, sweet animated gifs celebrating community and inclusivity, and also for her colorful, detailed maps. She believes that art has the power to spark hope and bring about change. When she’s not drawing, she loves to explore new places and spend time in nature with her husband and charming dog, Tucker.

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Rev. Edward A. Hailes Jr.

Authors

Edward A. Hailes Jr. is an experienced civil rights attorney and an ordained Baptist minister. He recently retired from his position as the Managing Director and General Counsel for Advancement Project, a national, policy and legal action group that creates strategies for achieving universal opportunity and a racially just democracy. His legal career included key, successful roles at the NAACP and at the U.S Commission on Civil Rights where he led across many advocacy platforms. Hailes earned degrees at Howard University as an Honors Program graduate and the Howard University School of Law. He is a member of the District of Columbia Bar, has served on several nonprofit boards of directors, and served as an Adjunct Professor at Georgetown University Law Center.

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Jennifer Lai-Peterson

Authors

Jennifer Lai-Peterson is a civil rights attorney, legal strategist, and movement lawyer. A litigator and former union and community organizer, Jen served for nearly eight years as senior attorney in the Power and Democracy Program at Advancement Project where she focused on the federal Right to Vote Initiative as well as state-based voting rights restoration efforts. Jen is a member of the California Bar and a graduate of UCLA School of Law and the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She lives in Virginia where she is a proud member of the Political Action Committee of the NAACP Fredericksburg Branch and a supporter of Hamkae Center, a Virginia-based Asian American civil rights organization. Jen believes deeply in the power and leadership of everyday people in protecting and advancing multiracial democracy in the U.S. and abroad.

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Laura Atkins

Authors

Laura Atkins is a children's book author, editor, teacher, and the director of the Manzanita Children’s Book Community. She co-wroteFred Korematsu Speaks Up, winner of several awards including the Carter G. Woodson Award and the Jane Addams Honor Award. She and co-author Stan Yogi have spoken to over 8,000 students at over 50 schools. She also co-wroteBiddy Mason Speaks Upwith poet Arisa White, which won a Nautilus and Independent Publisher Book Award. Laura worked at Children's Book Press and as an editor at Lee & Low Books and is a freelance editor. With an MA in Children's Literature from Roehampton University in London, and an MFA in Writing for Children and Young Adults from Vermont College of Fine Arts, Laura lives in Berkeley, CA. She is passionate about equity and true access to all voices in children’s publishing.

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Srimalie Bassani

Illustrators

Srimalie Bassani lives and works in Italy. As a child, she developed a passion for drawing and painting and was always encouraged in her artistic expression. Srimalie can often be found at her desk with a stack of books, a cup of tea, and her fat cat Dusty. When she's not painting you'll find Srimalie in her kitchen cooking a new delicious dish for her parents and friends.

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Shuli de la Fuente-Lau

Authors

Shuli de la Fuente-Lau (she/her) is a mama, educator, and lover of noodles and lots of spice. She is the author of How We Eat and Becoming Siblings. Born in Malaysia, she grew up in California. She is passionate about the intersection of picture books, identity, and important conversations. She currently lives in Singapore with her partner, two daughters, and their three cats.

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Ann Jaafar

Illustrators

Ann Jaafar is an illustrator and digital designer who is commonly known as the paperbag girl on social media. She has established a masked identity for herself, and is now known as an artist who celebrates her anonymity to focus people on her art rather than her appearance or personal life. Beneath the paperbag is a girl who started her love for doodling while pursuing a diploma in actuarial science. Ann’s doodles are a medium for her to express her thoughts and feelings. She finds inspiration everywhere and in almost anything, even food!

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Naoko Takei Moore

Authors

About the author: Originally from Tokyo, Japan, Naoko Takei Moore is a renowned donabe (Japanese clay pot) and Japanese home-cooking expert based in Los Angeles, California. She is the author of the cookbook DONABE and the owner of TOIRO, a unique shop in West Hollywood specializing in donabe and hand-selected Japanese artisan kitchenware and tableware. Naoko's work has garnered attention from major outlets like the New York Times and the Los Angeles Times. Naoko’s mission is to share the rich Japanese food culture and the joy of donabe cooking worldwide through her shop and various culinary activities.

Instagram: @Mrs Donabe, Toiro Kitchen Account

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Amira Humes

Author and Illustrator

Author and illustrator Amira Humes is a Filipino-Black illustrator, pattern artist, and food enthusiast based in Milwaukee. She has no fear in embracing her inner child and loves bright, bold colors and appreciating the things in life that feel magical. In her art, she enjoys illustrating food and embraces the unique beauty of the endless cultures the world holds.

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/creative.amira/

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Julie Ajinkya

Authors

Julie Ajinkya is a mom, equity advocate and professor of public policy who works to make sure that college is a true possibility for any student who wants to pursue a higher education. She was born and raised in New Jersey, but grew up traveling between the U.S. and India, where much of her large, extended family lives. She enjoys cooking and creating and lives in Washington DC with her partner and two boys.

Intagram: https://www.instagram.com/jajinkya1/

Amazon: Profile and Work

Linked In: https://www.linkedin.com/in/julieajinkya/

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Aditi Kakade Beaufrand

Illustrators

Aditi Kakade Beaufrand is an Indian illustrator based in France. She likes experimenting with bright and happy colours. She grew up reading fairytales, watching animated films imagining adventure stories. Likewise her style is an embodiment of her Indian heritage and western culture. She loves animals and taking long walks on the beach but is never too far from a pencil and paper to draw her perception of the world.

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tiki_lava/

Official Website: https://aditibeaufrandart.com/

Twitter: https://x.com/aditikakade

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Cat Nguyen

Authors

Cat Nguyen is a native of Houston, Texas and the daughter of two Vietnamese refugees. When she became an aunt and later a mom, Cat searched high and low for books in English about Vietnamese food and traditions without much success. She decided to write a book for Vietnamese-American families like her own. Cat works as a lawyer focusing on education and civil rights. She is a co-founder of VietLead, a non-profit that aims to connect and protect communities of color. She lives in Philadelphia with her husband, daughter, son, and their two cats.

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/catnguyenwrites

Amazon: Profile & Work

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Kim Thai Nguyen

Illustrators

Kim Thai Nguyen is a Vietnamese-American artist, currently based in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Kim is most passionate about communicating and connecting with others through illustration and design. She especially loves drawing characters and food while using delicate lines and bright colors. She hopes her artwork in A Very Asian Guide to Vietnamese Food helps readers of all ages learn more about her culture and gather inspiration for their next meal.

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thaikim/

Official Website: https://www.thaikim.com/

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Michelle Li

Authors

Michelle Li is an award-winning, veteran journalist who co-launched The Very Asian Foundation in January 2022 alongside friend and fellow journalist Gia Vang. Her #veryasian response to a racist voicemail became a global movement of unity. Michelle spent years supporting adoptees through heritage camps and volunteer tours to Korea. She also launched a program to support Missouri children in foster care. All of this led to a congressional award in 2010. Michelle's journalistic work - often dealing with race or gender inequity - has been honored with a national Peabody Award, several national Murrows, and multiple regional Emmys. Michelle lives in St. Louis with her family.

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/michellelitv/

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@michellelitv

The Very Asian Foundation https://www.veryasianfoundation.org/

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Sunnu Rebecca Choi

Illustrators

Sunnu Rebecca Choi is an award-winning Korean/Canadian illustrator and printmaker based in London. Her goal is to create art that inspires people to connect with their inner selves and find joy within themselves. Her work is often inspired by various movements, thoughts, emotions and social issues we encounter. Her work is a documentation of life, covering small daily events to more significant moments. Her art is a way of looking back on the past, appreciating the present and thinking of a better future.

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/by_sunnu/

Official Website: https://www.bysunnu.com/

Linked In: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sunnu-rebecca-choi

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Vanessa Lee Christensen

Authors

Vanessa Lee Christensen is a children's book author and travel blogger based in Stillwater, Minnesota. She graduated with an M.A. in Education & Human Development from the George Washington University in Washington, D.C. Her inspiration for Baby Go! is based on her travels with her children and her life growing up abroad.

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cvgotravel/

Website: https://cvgotravel.com/

Amazon Profile: Biography & Work

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Audrey Lee

Illustrators

Audrey Lee is an illustrator, designer and art director from Los Angeles. Her work is highly influenced by the vibrant spirit of her community, her love for color and expressive shapes, her role as a mother, and the power of visual storytelling.

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/audjree/

Official Website: https://www.audreyjl.com/

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Ty-Juana Taylor

Authors

Ty-Juana Taylor is an endless learner. Born and raised in the small town of Smiths Grove, Kentucky, Ty-Juana received her Masters Degree in Social Welfare and a PhD. in ethnomusicology from UCLA. While always hungry for knowledge, she thinks of herself as being more than just a scholar. Ty-Juana understands the value of community, the power of advocacy, and the importance of valuing the marginalized. She is  a proponent of "Because of them, we can" and that echoes in all of her work. Ty-Juana believes it is essential that she uplifts the voices and stories of people of color and the marginalized in all that she does as an educator, advocate, and therapist. Ty-Juana lives in Los Angeles, California.

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ty_juanataylor/

Amazon: Profile and Work

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Jade Johnson

Illustrators

Jade Johnson is a New Orleans-based illustrator. After receiving her BFA in Illustration from the Savannah College of Art and Design, she taught visual arts in non-profit arts education programs until hanging up her apron in 2021. Her work has been recognized by Creative Quarterly, Applied Arts, and the Society of Illustrators.

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jadejohnsonillo/

Official Website: https://www.jadejohnsonillo.com/

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Michael Martinez

Authors

Michael Martinez is a former elementary school teacher, a father, and the founder of LA Compost. Growing up in Los Angeles, he was amazed at the ways in which his family could repair and restore everyday items that he assumed were destined for the trash. He loves riding his bike, eating tacos, and “staycations” with his family in Los Angeles where they live. He is fascinated with life within the soil, and honored to know so many people who are cultivating joy above it. Michael co founded the California Alliance for Community Composting, currently sits on the Board of Directors for the U.S Composting Council, and Food Exploration and Discovery, and was appointed by the Mayor of Los Angeles to become a Commissioner for the Climate Emergency Mobilization Office.

Instagram: LA Compost Account

Official Websites: LA Compost , California Alliance for Community CompostingClimate Emergency Mobilization Commission

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Hannah Abbo

Illustrators

Hannah Abbo is a self-taught, award-winning illustrator from the United Kingdom. She currently lives with her partner, child and cat in Lisbon, Portugal. When she's not drawing she loves gardening, rollerblading and knitting.

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hannahabboillo/

Official Website: https://www.hannahabbo.com/

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Collin Hall

Authors

Collin Hall is a dad, creative and biracial Korean-American living out of Austin, Texas with one dog, two children, three chickens and no time. Collin started writing Mostly Me shortly after his first daughter was born with the hope to provide her a foundational way to approach multiracial identity and learning to claim her own space.  He is a decent gardener, mediocre fly angler, adequate husband, and bedtime story reader extraordinaire.

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Crystal Dawn Chaffee

Illustrators

Crystal is a biracial Filipino-American artist based in the beautiful Pacific Northwest. She loves to paint, make drawings, move, and drink a lot of coffee. Crystal has a passion for bringing stories to life with memorable characters both on the page and on screen. In her artwork, she takes inspiration from her observations of nature, everyday life, and her love for bold mid century design. She enjoys exploring the use of shape, color, and texture, while also using her experience in animation to add rhythm in her illustration work.

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/crystaldrawn/

Threads: https://www.threads.com/@crystaldrawn

Blue Sky: https://bsky.app/profile/crystaldrawn.bsky.social

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Karen Chan

Authors

Karen Chan is a mom, author, entrepreneur and attorney who lives in Los Angeles, What’s That? Is her debut children’s book and she is the founder and CEO of Gloo Books. She loves cooking and eating and is always thumbing through a new children’s book or cookbook.

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/imkarenchan

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Basia Tran

Illustrators

Basia Tran is a Polish-Vietnamese children’s book illustrator based in Jersey City, where she lives with her husband. She hopes that she can share her love of laughter and learning with the world through art.

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/basiatran/

Official Website: https://www.basiatran.com/

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