While practicing law, Elizabeth Adelman gardened on weekends and summer evenings. Twenty-five years ago, she gave in and started Heritage Flower Farm, an award-winning nursery growing perennial flowers that are featured in botanic gardens, historic sites and backyard gardens around the country. About a decade ago, a friend introduced Adelman to the plants collected on the Lewis and Clark Expedition, and she was hooked.…

B.B. Alston lives in South Carolina. His New York Times bestselling debut novel, “Amari and the Night Brothers,” was a No. 1 Kids’ Indie Next pick and the winner of the Barnes & Noble Children's Book Award for Young Readers. When not writing, Alston can be found eating too many sweets and exploring country roads to see where they lead. The most recent book…

Elana K. Arnold is an award-winning author of books for children and teens. Her books include the Sydney Taylor and National Jewish Book Award winner “The Blood Years,” the Printz Honor winner “Damsel,” the National Book Award finalist “What Girls Are Made Of” and The Global Read Aloud selection “A Boy Called Bat.” Arnold lives in California with her husband, two children and a…

Alex Aster is the No. 1 New York Times, Publishers Weekly, USA Today and Indie bestselling author of the "Lightlark" series. She has over 2 million followers on social media and over half a billion views on her videos. "Lightlark” has been sold in more than 30 countries worldwide and will be adapted into a film. Aster graduated from the University of Pennsylvania, where…

Jennifer Lynn Barnes is the No. 1 New York Times bestselling author of more than 25 young adult novels, including “The Inheritance Games” series, the “Debutantes” series, “The Lovely and the Lost” and “The Naturals” series. Barnes is also a Fulbright scholar with advanced degrees in psychology, psychiatry and cognitive science. She received her doctorate from Yale University and was a professor of psychology…

2025-2026 National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature Mac Barnett is a New York Times bestselling author of stories for children. His work has been translated into more than 30 languages and sold more than five million copies worldwide. His books have won many prizes, including two Caldecott Honors, three E.B. White Read Aloud Awards, the Boston Globe-Horn Book Award and several international awards. Barnett…

Geoff Bennett is the co-anchor and co-managing editor of "PBS NewsHour." A Peabody Award-winning journalist, Bennett has reported on national politics — covering the White House and six presidential election cycles — while conducting interviews with cultural icons, world leaders and groundbreaking artists. His work bridges politics and culture, offering insight into the forces that shape American life. He lives in the Washington, D.C.,…

Kai Bird is an acclaimed biographer and journalist. With Martin J. Sherwin, he won the Pulitzer Prize for biography for “American Prometheus: The Triumph and Tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer,” which was the inspiration for Christopher Nolan’s Academy Award-winning “Oppenheimer.” Bird is the executive director of the Leon Levy Center for Biography at the CUNY Graduate Center in New York City as well as…

Caroline Brewer is an award-winning children’s book author, artist, environmentalist and literacy consultant. Brewer is also the creator of Nature-Wise, a program for students and teachers that blends literacy and outdoor exploration. Her books include “Harriet Tubman, Force of Nature: A Biography in Poems” and “Say Their Names.” Brewer lives in Washington, D.C. Her new picture book, “Anansi and the Talking Cloth,” is featured…

Douglas Brinkley is the Katherine Tsanoff Brown Chair in Humanities and professor of history at Rice University, presidential historian for The New York Historical and a contributing editor at Vanity Fair. He serves on the Board of Trustees of the National Archives Foundation, the James Madison Council of the Library of Congress, and both the Theodore Roosevelt and Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Libraries. Brinkley…

Max Brooks’ works include “The Harlem Hellfighters,” “Minecraft: The Island” and “World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War.” He is working on an upcoming novel, “The First Hundred Hours.” Brooks is a nonresident senior fellow at the Atlantic Council’s Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security, and the Modern War Institute at West Point. He is a former writer for “Saturday Night…

Mariann Edgar Budde is the bishop and spiritual leader of the Episcopal Diocese of Washington, D.C., and serves as the chair of the Protestant Episcopal Cathedral Foundation, which stewards the ministries of the Washington National Cathedral. Prior to her election in 2011, she was a parish priest in Minneapolis for 18 years. She earned her master’s in divinity and doctorate in ministry from Virginia…

Gabi Burton is the international bestselling author of “Sing Me to Sleep” and “Drown Me with Dreams.” She grew up reading and writing in St. Louis, Missouri. Now, Burton works as a paralegal and author. When not working or writing, she is probably watching Netflix, scrolling through X or finding beautiful places to walk — preferably near a body of water. Her latest book,…

Meg Cabot’s many books for both adults and teens include numerous No. 1 New York Times bestsellers, with more than 25 million copies sold worldwide. Her “Princess Diaries” series has been adapted into multiple films by Disney. Cabot currently lives in Florida with her husband and various cats. Her recent graphic novel adaptation of “The Princess Diaries” is featured at the 2026 National Book…

Traci Chee is a bestselling and award-winning author of books for young people. Her works include the New York Times bestseller “The Reader,” Printz Honor Book and National Book Award finalist “We Are Not Free” and National Book Award longlisted “A Thousand Steps into Night.” Her latest title, “Kindling,” a young adult fantasy reimagining of “Seven Samurai,” was a finalist for the LA Times…

Linsday M. Chervinsky is a presidential historian and executive director of the George Washington Presidential Library at Mount Vernon. Chervinsky is the author of the award-winning books “Making the Presidency: John Adams and the Precedents that Forged the Republic” and “The Cabinet: George Washington and the Creation of an American Institution.” She is also co-editor of “Mourning the Presidents: Loss and Legacy in American…

Cátia Chien is a Brazilian Taiwanese illustrator of picture books, including “The Longest Letsgoboy,” “The Bear and the Moon” and “A Boy and a Jaguar” which received the Schneider Family Book Award. Her art has been shown in galleries worldwide. Chien is also the founder of “A Thousand Worlds,” a curated picture book directory celebrating diverse creators. She lives with her family in Los…

Roshani Chokshi is the award-winning author of the New York Times bestselling young adult series “The Star-Touched Queen,” “The Gilded Wolves” and the “Pandava” children’s book series, which started with “Aru Shah and The End of Time.” Chokshi’s adult debut, “The Last Tale of The Flower Bride,” was a No. 1 Sunday Times bestseller. Her novels have been translated into multiple languages. Chokshi is…

Ernesto Cisneros was born and raised in Santa Ana, California, where he still teaches. He is the author of “Efrén Divided,” which won the Pura Belpré Children’s Author Award, and “Falling Short,” which won the Gold Medal in the Best Youth Chapter Fiction Book category at the International Latino Book Awards. Cisneros holds an English degree from the University of California, Irvine, a teaching…

Pamela Colloff is a reporter at ProPublica and a staff writer at The New York Times Magazine. She was the recipient of the National Magazine Award for reporting in 2020 and for feature writing in 2013. Colloff’s work has been anthologized in “The Best American Magazine Writing,” “The Best American Crime Reporting” and “Next Wave: America’s New Generation of Great Literary Journalists.” She lives…

Johnny Compton is a Bram Stoker Award-nominated author whose short stories have appeared in “PseudoPod,” “The NoSleep Podcast,” Strange Horizons magazine and other publications. His fascination with frightening fiction started when he was introduced to the ghost story “The Golden Arm” as a child. Compton’s novels include “The Spite House” and “Devils Kill Devils.” His most recent book, “Dead First,” is featured at the…

Nephi Craig is the executive chef of Café Gozhóó in Whiteriver, Arizona, on the White Mountain Apache Tribe reservation. He is also an advanced certified relapse prevention specialist and behavioral health technician currently serving as the nutritional recovery program coordinator at the Rainbow Treatment Center. Craig is the founder of the Native American Culinary Association, an organization dedicated to the research, refinement and development…

Nick Cutter is the bestselling author of the modern horror novel, “The Troop,” which is currently being developed for film by Lyrical Media. He is also the author of the novels “The Deep,” “Little Heaven,” “The Queen” and “The Handyman Method,” cowritten with Andrew F. Sullivan. Cutter is the pseudonym for Craig Davidson, whose literary fiction includes “Rust and Bone,” “The Saturday Night Ghost…

Sunyi Dean is an author of speculative fiction. She was born in Texas, raised in Hong Kong and now resides in England. Her debut novel, “The Book Eaters,” was a No. 2 USA Today bestseller, as is her newest book, “The Girl with a Thousand Faces.” “The Girl with a Thousand Faces” is featured at the 2026 National Book Festival.

Marc J. Dunkelman is a resident scholar at the Searchlight Institute and a fellow at Brown University’s Watson School for International and Public Affairs. During more than a decade of working in politics, he worked for Democratic members of both the Senate and the House of Representatives. Author of “The Vanishing Neighbor: The Transformation of American Community,” Dunkelman’s work has appeared in The New…

Amal El-Mohtar writes fiction, poetry and criticism. She won the Hugo, Nebula and Locus Awards for her short story “Seasons of Glass and Iron” and again for her novella “This Is How You Lose the Time War,” written with Max Gladstone. “This is How You Lose the Time War” also won the British Science Fiction Association and Aurora Awards, became a New York Times…

Cynthia Erivo is an Emmy, Tony, two-time Grammy Award-winning and three-time Academy Award nominated actress, singer, author and producer. She stars as Elphaba in Universal’s film adaptation of the musical "Wicked,” for which she received Golden Globe, SAG, Critics’ Choice, NAACP, BAFTA and Academy Award nominations. Erivo won a Grammy Award for “Defying Gravity” with Ariana Grande. Her second studio album, “I Forgive You,”…

Craig Fehrman is a journalist and historian. His first book, “Author in Chief,” explored the life of U.S. presidents through their literary works and the impact these works left on American history. Fehrman lives in Indiana with his wife and children. He spent five years writing and researching his latest work, “This Vast Enterprise,” which looks at the different people involved in the Lewis…

Michael Feinstein is a singer and pianist, as well as an educator, archivist, interpreter and No. 1 New York Times bestselling author. He is the recipient of five Grammy Award nominations, a special Tony Award for excellence in theatre and two Emmy nominations. Feinstein founded the Great American Songbook Foundation, which strives to preserve America’s musical heritage, and has served on the Library of…

Isaac Fitzgerald is the New York Times bestselling author of “Dirtbag, Massachusetts,” winner of the New England Book Award. He is also the author of the bestselling children’s book “How to Be a Pirate” as well as the coauthor of “Pen & Ink: Tattoos and the Stories Behind Them” and “Knives & Ink: Chefs and the Stories Behind Their Tattoos,” which won the International…

Beverly Gage teaches American history at Yale. Her book “G-Man: J. Edgar Hoover and the Making of the American Century” received the 2023 Pulitzer Prize for Biography, the Bancroft Prize in American History, the National Book Critics Circle Award for Biography, and the Los Angeles Times Book Prize for Biography. She is also the author of “The Day Wall Street Exploded: A Story of…

John Gallagher is an art teacher, an art director, a cofounder of the literacy organization Kids Love Comics and a leader of workshops teaching kids how to create their own comics. Gallagher lives in Virginia with his family, including a cat, Millie, and dog, Cody (who appears in the “Max Meow” books). His new graphic novel, “Rex Rocket: Cosmic Wiener Dog,” is featured at…

Hayley Gelfuso has a master’s in biology from Miami University. She lives in the Chicago suburbs with her husband and son. Her debut novel, “The Book of Lost Hours,” received the Compton Crook Award from the Baltimore Science Fiction Society and was nominated for the 2025 Goodreads Choice Award for science fiction. “The Book of Lost Hours” was also a Good Morning America Book…

Susan Goldmark was a development economist at the World Bank for 25 years. She held several positions there, including as a country director in Nepal and in Latin American Andean countries. Goldmark provided much of the research for and contributed to the editing of the book “American Scoundrel,” written with her husband Kai Bird. “American Scoundrel” is featured at the 2026 National Book Festival.

Chloe Gong is the No. 1 New York Times bestselling author of the “Secret Shanghai” novels, as well as the “Flesh and False Gods” trilogy. Her books have been published in multiple countries and have been featured in The New York Times, People, Cosmopolitan and more. Gong was named one of Forbes’ 30 Under 30 in 2024. She graduated from the University of Pennsylvania…

Annette Gordon-Reed is an award-winning historian and professor of American law at Harvard University. She is the author of The New York Times bestseller “On Juneteenth” and the Pulitzer Prize-winning “The Hemingses of Monticello: An American Family.” Gordon-Reed serves as a trustee of the National Humanities Center and is a member of the American Philosophical Society. She recently contributed to National Geographic’s “1,000 Days…

John Patrick Green is a human with the human job of making books about animals with human jobs, notably the graphic novel series “InvestiGators.” Green is a New York Times bestselling human author and not just a bunch of animals in a trench coat pretending to have a human job. With over four million copies of “InvestiGators” in print, Green is a successful human…

Andrew Sean Greer is the bestselling author of seven previous works of fiction, including the Pulitzer Prize winner “Less” and its companion “Less Is Lost.” He is the recipient of the Northern California Book Award, the California Book Award, the New York Public Library Young Lions Award and the O. Henry Award for short fiction, as well as fellowships from the National Endowment for…

Shannon Hale is a New York Times bestselling author of over 50 books for preschoolers, kids, teens and adults. Her award-winning novels include “The Goose Girl,” “Book of a Thousand Days,” “Dangerous” and Newbery Honor recipient “Princess Academy.” Hale is the cocreator of the popular “Princess in Black” illustrated chapter books with Dean Hale and LeUyen Pham. Her graphic novels include Eisner-nominee “Rapunzel's Revenge,”…

Donna Barba Higuera is an award-winning author who blends folklore with her lived experiences to create stories for young readers. Growing up in the dust-filled oil fields of Central California, she spent her life weaving tales that sparked her imagination. Now residing in the Pacific Northwest with her family and a lively menagerie of pets, Higuera is the acclaimed author of picture books like…

Patrick Radden Keefe is a staff writer at The New Yorker and the author of the New York Times bestsellers “Empire of Pain,” which received the Baillie Gifford Prize, and "Say Nothing,” which received the National Book Critics Circle Award for nonfiction. His other books include "The Snakehead,” “Chatter” and “Rogues.” Keefe’s work has been recognized with a Guggenheim fellowship, the National Magazine Award…

Tae Keller is the Newbery Award-winning and New York Times bestselling author of “When You Trap a Tiger” and “The Science of Breakable Things.” She was born and raised in Honolulu, where she grew up on purple rice, Spam musubi and her halmoni's stories. After high school, she moved in search of snow and now lives in Seattle. Kellers latest book, “When Tomorrow Burns,”…

Jenny Lawson (aka the Bloggess) is an award-winning humor writer and activist best known for sharing her struggle with depression, anxiety and chronic pain. Her books “Let’s Pretend This Never Happened,” “Furiously Happy,” “You Are Here” and “Broken” are all New York Times bestsellers. Lawson is the owner and proprietress of Nowhere Bookshop, an independent bookstore and bar in Texas. She’s been writing her…

Natalie Lloyd lives in Tennessee. She collects old books, listens to bluegrass music and loves exploring quirky mountain towns with her dog, Biscuit. She is the author of “A Snicker of Magic,” “The Key to Extraordinary” and “Hummingbird.” Lloyd was awarded a Schneider Family Honor Award by the American Library Association in 2023. Her most recent book, “The Witching Wind,” is featured at the…

Annie Lowrey is a staff writer at The Atlantic. She is the author of “Give People Money,” which was short-listed for the Financial Times Business Book of the Year Award. Prior to joining The Atlantic, Lowrey was a staff writer for The New York Times and New York Magazine, as well as the Moneybox columnist for Slate. She lives in Brooklyn with her husband,…

Karan Mahajan is an Indian American novelist and essayist. His debut novel, “Family Planning,” was a finalist for the Dylan Thomas Prize. His sophomore novel, “The Association of Small Bombs,” won the New York Public Library Young Lions Fiction Award, was a finalist for the National Book Award and was named one of the 10 Best Books of 2016 by The New York Times…

I.V. Marie was born to a Peruvian mother and Chilean father in Miami, where she acquired a penchant for afternoon cafecitos and developed an all-consuming obsession with books. Her writing ambitions began behind her grandparent’s computer, where she spent her childhood crafting spooky and fantastical short stories. When she is not writing, she can be found rock climbing or watching atmospheric YouTube videos with…

Amber McBride estimates that she reads about 100 books a year. Her work has been published in literary magazines including Ploughshares and Provincetown Arts. Her debut young adult novel, “Me (Moth),” was a finalist for the National Book Award and won the 2022 Coretta Scott King/John Steptoe Award for New Talent. Her most recent young adult novel, “The Leaving Room,” was also a National…

Kate McKinnon is a No. 1 New York Times bestselling author and award-winning performer. She is known for her work in film and television. She recently played Weird Barbie in Greta Gerwig’s “Barbie” and voiced Ms. Frizzle in Netflix’s “The Magic School Bus Rides Again.” “The Millicent Quibb School of Etiquette for Young Ladies of Mad Science” was McKinnon’s debut novel. Its sequel, “Secrets…

Shannon Messenger graduated from the University of Southern California’s School of Cinematic Arts where she learned — among other things — that she liked watching movies much better than making them. She has studied art, screenwriting and television production, but realized her real passion was writing for kids and teens. Messenger is the bestselling author of the award-winning middle grade series, “Keeper of the…

Bsrat Mezghebe is a writer from Washington, D.C. Her debut novel, “I Hope You Find What You’re Looking For,” delves into the secret lives of three women on the eve of Eritrean independence. Mezghebe’s essays about identity and migration have appeared in Guernica, The Paris Review and the anthology “Well-Read Black Girl: Finding Our Stories, Discovering Ourselves.” She received a Master of Fine Arts…

Chanel Miller is a writer and artist. Her first children’s book, “Magnolia Wu Unfolds It All,” was a Newbery Honor book and a New York Times bestseller. Her memoir, “Know My Name,” was a New York Times bestseller and a winner of the National Book Critics Circle Award, the Dayton Literary Peace Prize, the Ridenhour Book Prize and the California Book Award. Miller was…

Frank Miller is an award-winning comic book writer, artist, novelist, inker, screenwriter, film director and producer. He is best known for his works “Sin City” and “300,” his comic run on Marvel superhero “Daredevil” and his mini-series “Batman: The Dark Knight Returns,” among others. Miller’s projects have been nominated for the Palme d’Or and have won the Harvey and Eisner Awards, including those for…

Beronda L. Montgomery is writer, science communicator and plant biologist. She was named one of Cell Press’ 100 Inspiring Black Scientists in America. Montgomery was awarded the 2022 Cynthia Westcott Science Writing Award, the 2022 Adolph E. Gude, Jr. Award for outstanding service to the science of plant biology and the 2023 Hutchinson Medal of the Chicago Horticultural Society. She is author of “Lessons…

Silvia Moreno-Garcia is the author of “The Intrigue,” “The Bewitching,” “Mexican Gothic” and many other books. She has won the Locus, British Fantasy and World Fantasy awards and has been a finalist for the Los Angeles Times Book Prize and the Macavity Award. Mexican by birth, Canadian by inclination, Moreno-Garcia now resides in Vancouver. She has a master’s in science and technology studies from…

Award-winning author Daniel Nayeri, who was born in Iran and immigrated to Oklahoma as a refugee, captivated readers with his memoir “Everything Sad Is Untrue,” which won the Printz Award. Nayeri has also written the epic adventure “The Many Assassinations of Samir, the Seller of Dreams,” which won the Newbery Honor, and his novel “The Teacher of Nomad Land: A World War II Story,”…

Davia Nelson is half of The Kitchen Sisters with Nikki Silva. The Kitchen Sisters are the producers of two Peabody Award-winning NPR series, “Lost & Found Sound” and “The Sonic Memorial Project,” as well as the duPont-Columbia and James Beard-Awarding winning radio series heard on NPR’s Morning Edition, “Hidden Kitchens.” The Kitchen Sisters are also the producers of “The Hidden World of Girls,” heard…

Kadir Nelson is a painter and illustrator of books for young readers. He illustrated the Caldecott Medal winner “The Undefeated,” written by Kwame Alexander, as well as “Moses: When Harriet Tubman Led Her People to Freedom,” written by Carole Boston Weatherford, which won a NAACP Image Award, a Caldecott Honor and a Coretta Scott King Illustrator Award. Nelson also wrote and illustrated The New…

S.D. Nelson is descended from Norse and American Indian heritage. He is an enrolled member of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe in the Dakotas and his Lakota name is Maȟpíya Kiny’An, or Flying Cloud. He is the author and illustrator of inspiring children’s books that celebrate Lakota and Indigenous cultures. Nelson’s awards include an American Indian Library Association Honor Book, an American Library Association…

Lauren Nossett is a professor turned novelist and the award-winning author of the thrillers “The Resemblance” and “The Professor.” She currently lives in Tennessee, with her spunky Pomeranian, Bowie. Nossett’s new novel, “Indie Darling,” is featured at the 2026 National Book Festival.

Lynn Painter is the No. 1 New York Times bestselling author of romance novels. Her popular works include “Betting on You,” “Nothing Like the Movies,” “Mr. Wrong Number” and “Fake Skating.” Painter lives in Nebraska with her husband and pack of wild children. When she isn’t reading or writing, she is guzzling energy drinks and watching rom-coms. Painter’s new novel, “Better Than the Movies,”…

Ann Patchett is the author of novels, works of nonfiction and children's books. She has been the recipient of numerous awards, including the PEN/Faulkner, the Women's Prize for Fiction in the U.K., and the Book Sense Book of the Year. Patchett’s novel “The Dutch House” was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize. Her work has been translated into more than 30 languages and Time…

Sarah M.S. Pearsall is an award-winning historian with degrees from Yale, Harvard and Cambridge, where she taught for nearly a decade. A professor in and soon-to-be chair of the Department of History at Johns Hopkins University, she has been a National Endowment for the Humanities public scholar and distinguished fellow in the American Revolution at the British Library. Pearsall’s “Freedom Round the Globe: A…

Tom Perrotta is the bestselling author of 11 works of fiction, including “Election” and “Little Children,” both of which were adapted into Oscar-nominated films. Perrotta also wrote “The Leftovers” and “Mrs. Fletcher,” which were adapted into acclaimed HBO series. His novel “Ghost Town” is featured at the 2026 National Book Festival.

Victor Piñeiro is the author of the Pura Belpré Honor Book “The Island of Forgotten Gods” and the International Latino Book Award winner “Time Villains.” His books have also been named Kirkus Best Book of the Year. Piñeiro leads digital innovation at HBO Max, ran social media for YouTube and Skittles, designed games for Hasbro and taught third graders. Piñeiro also wrote and produced…

Randy Ribay is a Filipino-American author of young adult fiction. His novel, “Patron Saints of Nothing,” was a finalist for the National Book Award and the Los Angeles Times Book Prize. Ribay was also a contributor to the Printz Award-winning anthology “The Collectors,” edited by A.S. King. His other works include “An Infinite Number of Parallel Universes,” “After the Shot Drops” and “Chronicles of…

David M. Rubenstein is co-founder and co-chairman of The Carlyle Group. He is a 1970 graduate of Duke University and a 1973 graduate of the University of Chicago Law School. Rubenstein is a Baltimore native and is the chairman, CEO and principal owner of Major League Baseball’s Baltimore Orioles. Rubenstein is a recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom and chairman of many educational…

Geo Rutherford is a New York Times bestselling author as well as an artist and teacher who has spent her entire professional career working in art education. She is an adjunct professor at the University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, and the visual arts director at Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp. Rutherford’s interest in lakes began as a part of her artistic practice, and she soon…

Liselle Sambury is a Trinidadian-Canadian author and Governor General’s Literary Awards finalist. She has a love for stories with dark themes, complicated families and edges of hope. In her free time, Sambury shares helpful tips for up-and-coming writers and details of her publishing journey through a YouTube channel dedicated to demystifying the business of being an author. “A Clash of Carnivores,” her latest book…

Dan Santat is a children's book writer, a commercial illustrator and the creator of Disney's animated hit, “The Replacements.” He lives in California with his wife, two kids, a rabbit, a bird and a cat. His new graphic novel and start of a new series, “A Fishboy Named Sashimi,” is featured at the 2026 National Book Festival.

Martin Scorsese is an Academy Award-winning director and filmmaker. He has directed critically acclaimed, award-winning films including “Taxi Driver,” “Raging Bull,” “Goodfellas,” “Gangs of New York,” “The Aviator,” “Shutter Island” and “Hugo.” His film “The Departed” won an Academy Award for best director and best picture. Scorsese also directed “The Wolf of Wall Street” and “The Irishman,” which both received Academy Award nominations for…

Maria Semple is the bestselling author of “Today Will Be Different,” “Where’d You Go, Bernadette” and “This One Is Mine.” Her novels have been translated into multiple languages. Before writing fiction, Semple wrote for the TV shows “Arrested Development,” “Mad About You,” “Ellen” and “90210.” She lives in New York. Semple’s latest book, “Go Gentle,” is featured at the 2026 National Book Festival.

Nikki Silva is half of The Kitchen Sisters with Davia Nelson. The Kitchen Sisters are the producers of two Peabody Award-winning NPR series, “Lost & Found Sound” and “The Sonic Memorial Project,” as well as the duPont-Columbia and James Beard-Awarding winning radio series heard on NPR’s Morning Edition, “Hidden Kitchens.” The Kitchen Sisters are also the producers of “The Hidden World of Girls,” heard…

Karin Slaughter is the No. 1 New York Times bestselling author of more than 25 novels, including the Edgar-nominated “Cop Town” and standalone novels “Pretty Girls” and “False Witness.” Slaughter’s “Pieces of Her” debuted at No. 1 worldwide on Netflix as an original series in 2022. Her bestselling thriller series, “Will Trent,” is in its fourth season. “The Good Daughter” has been adapted into…

Tim Sullivan is an acclaimed screenwriter whose credits include “A Handful of Dust” starring Kristen Scott Thomas; “Where Angels Fear to Tread” starring Helen Mirren and Helena Bonham Carter; “Jack and Sarah” (which he also directed) starring Richard E. Grant, Judi Dench and Ian McKellen; and “Letters to Juliet” with Amanda Seyfried. Sullivan is also a TV director whose credits include “Sherlock Holmes” and…

Cynthia D’Aprix Sweeney is the author of the New York Times bestselling novels “The Nest” and “Good Company,” a Read with Jenna selection. Sweeney has been a guest on “Today,” “Late Night with Seth Meyers” and NPR’s “All Things Considered.” Her work has been translated into multiple languages and “The Nest” is in development as a limited series with AMC Studios. Sweeney holds a…

Arthur Sze is a poet, translator and editor. In 2025 he was named the 25th Poet Laureate of the United States. Sze is the author of 12 books of poetry, including “Into the Hush,” “The White Orchard: Selected Interviews, Essays, and Poems,” “Sight Lines” and “Archipelago.” His poetry has been translated into 15 languages. Sze received the 2025 Bollingen Prize for lifetime achievement in…

Sabaa Tahir is a former newspaper editor who grew up in California’s Mojave Desert at her family’s eighteen-room motel. There, she spent her time devouring fantasy novels, listening to thunderous indie rock, and playing guitar and piano badly. Her No. 1 New York Times bestselling “An Ember in the Ashes” series has been translated into more than 35 languages, and the first book in…

Lauren Tarshis' New York Times bestselling “I Survived” series tells the stories of young people and their resilience and strength during unimaginable disasters and times of turmoil. Tarshis has brought her signature warmth and exhaustive research to topics such as D-Day, the American Revolution, Hurricane Katrina, the bombing of Pearl Harbor and other world events. She lives in Connecticut with her family. The most…

Jasmine Warga is the No. 1 New York Times bestselling author of “The Unlikely Tale of Chase and Finnegan,” “A Rover’s Story,” “The Shape of Thunder” and “A Strange Thing Happened in Cherry Hall.” Her book “Other Words for Home” received a Newbery Honor and Walter Honor. “Here We Are Now and My Heart” and “Other Black Holes,” her novels for teens, have been…

A moving image artist trained in photography and 16 mm cinema, Sasha Waters’ films pursue ecstatic, metaphorical realism from the relations and materials of ordinary life. Creating across a range of forms — feminist experimental, essay and biography — she illuminates the interior lives of women and mothers, and crafts portraits of artists and other humans chasing wild dreams and radical futures. Waters’ films…

Hannah Whitten has been writing to amuse herself since she could hold a pen and, sometime in high school, figured out that what amused her might also amuse others. Her books have been international bestsellers and translated into multiple languages. Whitten’s books include the “Wilderwood” series and “The Nightshade Crown” series. She lives in Tennessee with her family, two dogs who think they run…

Tia Williams is the bestselling author of “The Accidental Diva,” “It Chicks” and “The Perfect Find,” which is now a Netflix film starring Gabrielle Union. Her novel, “Seven Days in June,” was a New York Times bestseller and a Reese’s Book Club pick. Williams’ NAACP Image Award-nominated bestseller, “A Love Song for Ricki Wilde,” was named one of the year’s best romances by The…

Emily Wilson has been reading, studying, teaching and writing about Ancient Greek and Roman literature for over 30 years. She is the author of numerous books and essays about ancient literature and philosophy and its later receptions. She has published several verse translations including of Homer's “Odyssey” and “Iliad.” She has been awarded MacArthur and Guggenheim fellowships. She is a professor and chair of…