Author Bios

Sujata Massey is a British-born American author of mystery fiction best known for her Rei Shimura series set in Japan and the Perveen Mistry series set in 1920s Bombay. Her work blends meticulous historical research with compelling detective narratives centered on strong women protagonists.

Rebecca Solnit is an American writer, historian, and activist whose wide-ranging work spans essays, cultural criticism, and political writing. She is the author of more than twenty books on topics including feminism, geography, walking, and power, and is credited with coining the term “mansplaining.”

Leah Penniman is a Black Creole farmer, author, and food justice activist who co-founded Soul Fire Farm in New York. Her book Farming While Black is a practical and spiritual guide to African-heritage farming practices and the movement to reclaim Black people’s relationship with the land.

Wil Haygood is an American journalist and author known for his deeply researched biographies and works of social history. His reporting on a Black White House butler inspired the film Lee Daniels’ The Butler, and his book Tigerland illuminated the civil rights era through sports.

Terese Marie Mailhot is a Native American writer from Seabird Island Band whose debut memoir Heart Berries is a lyrical and unflinching account of trauma, mental illness, and survival. Her prose is celebrated for its fierce originality and emotional power.

Akwaeke Emezi is a Nigerian writer and video artist whose debut novel Freshwater drew on Igbo cosmology to explore identity, multiplicity, and the self. Their work spans fiction, memoir, and young adult literature, earning wide critical acclaim.

Roy Bainton is a British author and journalist specializing in military history and the lesser-known stories of the First World War. His book March 1917 chronicles the momentous events of a single month that reshaped the course of the war and modern history.

Matthew La Plante is an American journalist and author who teaches at Utah State University, where he focuses on narrative science writing. His book Superlative: The Biology of Extremes examines what the world’s most exceptional organisms reveal about life itself.

Linda Sue Park is a Korean-American author of children’s and young adult literature, best known for winning the Newbery Medal for A Single Shard. Her novel Prairie Lotus explores themes of race and belonging in the American frontier through the eyes of a mixed-heritage girl.

Jordan Ifueko is a Nigerian-American author of young adult fantasy whose debut novel Raybearer drew on West African mythology to craft a richly imagined world of empire, loyalty, and identity. The novel became a celebrated entry in the genre upon its release.