Laura D'Asaro

Heather Alexander (she/her) is the author of numerous books for children, both fiction and nonfiction. Her fiction series include Wallace and Grace Take the Case and The Amazing Stardust Friends, and her nonfiction series include Life of Earth and A Child's Introduction to . . . The former editorial director of Parachute Press, Heather has edited over 100 children's fiction series, including the best-selling Goosebumps. She currently works as a children's book editor and lives in Los Angeles. Learn more about Heather at her website: heatheralexanderbooks.com.

Laura D'Asaro and Rose Wang (she/her) are the co-founders of Chirps, one of the first companies to make food with cricket protein. Both are Shark Tank winners, Forbes 30 under 30 social entrepreneurs, ELLE USA Impact Award winners, Echoing Green fellows, MassChallenge Gold Winners, and Harvard Dean's Design Challenge winners. In addition, Rose is a TEDx speaker, and Laura holds multiple world records, including the record for the world's largest nachos (yes, it was made with cricket chips). They also sit on the board of an education nonprofit, Wema Inc., in Kenya. Laura and Rose were college roommates at Harvard, and now both live in San Francisco, California.

Vanessa Flores (she/her) began drawing at the age of three, inspired by animated movies and books. Summers in Puerto Rico fueled her love for mountains and magic. She loves illustrating humor, magical realism, and representing her Dominican and Puerto Rican culture through the art of storytelling. Vanessa currently lives in Orlando, Florida, where she enjoys trying new food and meditating in botanical gardens. www.vanessafloresart.com.