she/her • @carrie.draws • carolynarcabascio.com

Carolyn Arcabascio is a writer and an illustrator for books, albums, games, and editorial. When she's not painting or teaching, she's sipping tea or poking around the woods with her partner and her dogs, Prudence and Greta.

📚
The Bar Mitzvah Boys
(Albert Whitman, 2019)

she/her • @madijobaker • madijobaker.com

Madi Baker is a cartoonist and illustrator based in Southern Missouri. Madi makes nonfiction and self-reflective comics with a particular fascination and compassion for both critters and people alike. When Madi isn't drawing (which is rare), you can find her with her partner, either throwing sticks into the nearest body of water for her puppy to chase or hiding in a pillow fort, impatiently waiting for her chocolate chip cookies to be done baking.

she/her • @rattusrose • caitlinroseboyle.com

Caitlin Rose Boyle is a cartoonist & writer from rural southern Maryland. When she isn't drawing comics, she's working as a storyboard revisionist in the animation industry. She currently lives on the west coast with her two cats, her husband, and an extensive collection of houseplants.

📚
Jonesy Vol. 1-3 (BOOM! Studios, 2017); Frankie and the Creepy Cute Critters (Oni Press, 2020); Frankie and the Beastly Bog Song
(One Press, 2024)

she/her • mebronstein.com

M.E. Bronstein is a horror and dark fantasy writer who likes to explore (and/or muddle) intersections between scholarship and fiction. She earned her Ph.D. in Comparative Literature and Medieval Studies in 2022 and is a graduate of the Odyssey Writing Workshop ('18) and the Clarion Workshop at UCSD ('19). Her short fiction has appeared in Beneath Ceaseless Skies, PodCastle, khōréō, and elsewhere.

she/her • @hellocookie • stephaniecooke.ca

Stephanie Cooke is an award-nominated writer of graphic novels including ParaNorthern and the Oh My Gods! series. She’s an avid reader, gamer, movie watcher, and pun connoisseur. She’s based out of the City of Raccoons (aka Toronto, Canada) where she can often be found curled up with her snuggly cat…that she happens to be very allergic to.

📚
Oh My Gods! (Clarion Books, 2021); Oh My Gods! 2: The Forgotten Maze (Clarion Books, 2022); ParaNorthern and the Chaos Bunny A-hop-calypse (Clarion Books, 2021); The Racc Pack (Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, 2024); Pillow Talk (HarperAlley, 2024)

she/they • @iinshagram • ifitzpatrick.com

Insha Fitzpatrick is author of the nonfiction middle grade series A Totally Factual Guide to the Supernatural, the WHO HQ graphic novels about Rosa Parks and Tituba, and co-writer of the series Oh My Gods!. She’s also the founder of the horror website DIS/MEMBER. When she’s not writing, she’s watching horror movies, decoding reality tv, or learning new ttRPG systems.

📚
Oh My Gods! (Clarion Books, 2020); Oh My Gods! 2: The Forgotten Maze (Clarion Books, 2022); Who Started the Montgomery Bus Boycott? Rosa Parks (Penguin Workshop, 2022); Hanging with Vampires (Quirk Books, 2023); Chilling with Ghosts (Quirk Books, 2023); Who Was Accused in the Salem Witch Trials?: Tituba (Penguin Workshop, 2023); Sightseeing With Aliens (Quirk Books, 2024)

he/him • @foremancomics • @sliceofmallow

Adam Foreman is an author and illustrator of children's comic books and webcomics based in the UK. After graduating with a degree in Animation, he spent several years as a freelancer in the games industry and working as a Playworker with primary school age children. After his son was born, Adam became a stay at home Dad and started his most popular webcomic, Slice of Mallow, leading him to create comics professionally.

📚
Slice of Mallow
(Andrews McMeel, 2024)

she/her • @arfranklinstein • arfranklinstein.com

Ashley Robin Franklin is a queer cartoonist and illustrator based in Austin, Texas, where she lives with her partner and two goofy tiny dogs. Ashley's originally from the Rio Grande Valley (that's south South Texas), and attended college locally at UT-Pan American, majoring in English lit and minoring in Art. Ashley makes sweet and spooky comics with horror and fantasy elements. In her spare time, she loves painting and reading.

📚
One Million Tiny Fires (Silver Sprocket, 2020; That Full Moon Feeling (Silver Sprocket, 2021; Fruiting Bodies (Silver Sprocket, 2022); The Hills of Estrella Roja (Clarion Books, 2023)

they/them • @smhaught_art • fernhaught.com

Fern Haught is an illustrator, author, and adjunct professor based in Cleveland, Ohio. They love to tell stories about queer people set in fantasy worlds. They create picture books and comics that often incorporate magic and focus on characters and their relationships.

📚
The Baker and the Bard
(Feiwel & Friends, 2024)

she/her • @LauraKnetzger • lauraknetzger.com

Laura Knetzger is a cartoonist from Seattle. She graduated from the School of Visual Arts and began her award-nominated comic series Bug Boys while she was still a student. Laura is the illustrator of the Bigfoot and Nessie series of graphic novels and author/illustrator of other books for children. Her work deals with themes of friendship, the friction between desires for adventure and domestic life, and finding magic in the ordinary.

📚
Bug Boys (Random House Graphic, 2020); Bug Boys: Outside and Beyond (Random House Graphic, 2021); Bug Boys: Adventures and Daydreams (Random House Graphic, 2022); Five Magic Rooms (Holiday House, 2021); The Big Tree (Holiday House, 2022; Bigfoot & Nessie: The Art of Getting Noticed (Penguin Workshop, 2023); Bigfoot & Nessie: The Haunting of Loch Ness Castle (Penguin Workshop, 2023)

they/them • @BonesKLeopard • bonesleopard.com

Bones Leopard is a twin and nonbinary writer/artist. Their projects include illustrating Clean Up from CCP Comics, the twice successful Kickstarter project [Super]Natural Attraction, and the webcomic Mr. Hare & Mr. Bear. Bones has comics experience ranging from small personal projects to working with large teams on major licenses. They work hard to support their fluffy cat at home.

📚
Pandora’s Legacy (BOOM! Studios, 2018); Save Yourself! (BOOM! Studios, June 2021); Who Was Raised to Be the Queen of France? Marie Antoinette (Penguin Workshop, 2024); Identical
(Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, 2025)

she/her • @sammaggs • sammaggs.com

Sam Maggs is a bestselling writer of books, comics, and video games, and Narrative Lead for Wizards of the Coast's Digital Publishing & Licensing division. Her most recent novels are The Unstoppable Wasp: Built on Hope and Con Quest!, and the graphic novels Marvel Action: Captain Marvel, Rick & Morty Ever After, Tell No Tales: Pirates of the Southern Seas, and Critical Role: Mighty Nein Origins—Jester. Her game writing includes work on Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart, Marvel's Spider-Man DLC, Call of Duty: Vanguard, and the upcoming Tiny Tina's Wonderlands. A Canadian in Los Angeles, she misses Coffee Crisp and bagged milk.

📚
Wonder Women (Quirk Books, 2016); Girl Squads (Quirk Books, 2018); Con Quest! (Square Fish, 2020); The Unstoppable Wasp: Built on Hope (Marvel Press, 2020) ; The Fangirl’s Guide to the Universe (Quirk Books, 2020); The Fangirl’s Journal (Quirk Books, October 2020); Tell No Tales: Pirates of the Southern Seas (Amulet Books, 2021); Mighty Nein Origins: Jester (Dark Horse, 2021) ; Mighty Nein Origins: Nott the Brave (Dark Horse, 2022); Star Wars Jedi: Battle Scars (Del Rey, 2023); The Tales of Exandria: Artagan
(Dark Horse, 2024)

she/her • @mechanicshopfemme • mechanicshopfemme.com

Chaya Milchtein is an automotive educator, freelance writer, and empowerment speaker. As founder of Mechanic Shop Femme, she offers inclusive and comprehensive content on plus-size fashion, radical body acceptance, queer life, and—of course—automotive fundamentals. With over half a million followers on TikTok alone, Chaya has become the go-to social media expert on all things automotive for many women and members of the LGBTQ+ community.

📚
Mechanic Shop Femme’s Guide to Car Ownership (Little Brown Spark, 2024)

she/her • @thecatpark • catherinemin.com

Cat Min is a Korean American author-illustrator, animator, and twin mom. Cat grew up in Hong Kong, where she spent most of her childhood drawing and making comic books out of printer paper and staples with her best friend. Her love for visual storytelling led her to study animation and film at New York University, Tisch School of the Arts, and went on to complete the Illustration & Visual Storytelling Summer Residency Program at the School of Visual Arts in New York. She is also a member of SCBWI, Women Who Draw, and the Society of Illustrators in New York. Her favorite pastimes are indulging in nostalgia, playing surreal escape room games on her phone, and spending time with her twin boys.

📚
Shy Willow (Levine Querido, 2021); The Little Toymaker (Levine Querido, 2022); The Shadow & the Ghost (Levine Querido, 2024); Bear in the Air (Knopf Books for Young Readers, 2025)

he/him • www.jamesmullinger.com

James Mullinger is an award-winning British comedian and the co-founder of [Edit] Magazine. He spent fifteen years at GQ magazine before moving to Canada. He has appeared on CBC’s The Debaters, at theatres throughout Canada, and in stand-up specials and movies.

📚
Brit Happens: Living the Canadian Dream (Goose Lane Editions)

he/him • @anthonynerada • anthonynerada.com

Anthony Nerada became a writer after his fifth-grade teacher told him it was his destiny. Since then, he’s read too many books (if there is such a thing) and explored worlds far outside the reaches of his own. Anthony holds a BA in psychology and two diplomas (one in public relations, the other in publishing), which allow him to write the day away while simultaneously psychoanalyzing his friends. Anthony lives in Vancouver, British Columbia, on the traditional, ancestral, and unceded lands of the Coast Salish Peoples. Skater Boy is his debut novel.

📚
Skater Boy
(Soho Teen, 2024)

she/her • @cestmabiologie • ninanesseth.com

Nina Nesseth is a professional science communicator (M.Sc. Comm) whose special interest lies at the intersection of human biology, biotechnology, and popular culture. She moonlights as a horror columnist, with bylines at Dread Central, Grim Magazine, and The Bite by Shudder; by day she is a Staff Scientist at Science North in Sudbury, Ontario, where she develops and delivers a wealth of informal science experiences ranging from school programs and public workshops to escape rooms, immersive theatre experiences, and special exhibitions.

📚
The Science of Orphan Black: The Official Companion (ECW Press, 2017); Nightmare Fuel: The Science of Horror Films (Nightfire, 2022)

she/her • @sarahnoble_art • sarahnoble.art

Sarah Noble is an American author/illustrator with a passion for vibrant settings and relationship-driven stories. She earned her Postgraduate degree in Children’s Book Illustration from the Cambridge School of Art in the UK. Much of Sarah’s inspiration is drawn from nature and wildlife, as evidenced by her debut picture book, As Strong as the River, and her follow-up, The Perfect Rock, both of which have received praise for their beautiful illustrations and unique, heartfelt themes.

📚
As Strong as the River (Flying Eye Books, 2021); The Perfect Rock (Flying Eye Books, 2022)

she/her • @walking_north • walkingnorth.carrd.co

Ari North is the author and illustrator of the webcomics Always Human and Seven Days in Silverglen. She was born in Sydney and (apart from a set of very rainy years in England) has spent most of her life in Australia, which is where she currently lives with her husband and cat. Ari has a deep fondness for character-driven speculative fiction and loves adding music to her work whenever the medium allows.

📚
Always Human: Vol. 1 (Yellow Jacket, 2020); Love and Gravity (Always Human: Vol. 2) (Yellow Jacket, 2023)

she/her • @lauraobuobi • lauraobuobi.com

Laura was born and raised in Accra, Ghana. She is fascinated by pre-colonial West African history and how it connects with the Black diaspora and Black history. Laura loves to explore these themes, elements, and cultural connections in her stories. Laura received an MA in Early Childhood Education from Teachers College, Columbia University, and taught for 8 years as a preschool teacher. Her time with preschoolers and picture books set the stage for her transition into writing for children. Laura is a graduate of the Writing for Children and Young Adults program at Vermont College of Fine Arts.

📚
Black Gold (HarperCollins Children’s, 2022); What Love Looks Like (HarperCollins Children’s, 2024); Becoming a Ballerina (HarperCollins Children’s, 2025)

he/him • @AproposNothing

A writer of graphic novels and lover of 90s soundtracks, Nathan Page's works include The Montague Twins: The Witch’s Hand, The Montague Twins: The Devil’s Music, and Who Was the First Man on the Moon?: Neil Armstrong.

📚
The Montague Twins: The Witch’s Hand (Knopf Books for Young Readers, 2020); The Montague Twins: The Devil’s Music (Knopf Books for Young Readers, 2022); Who Was the First Man on the Moon? Neil Armstrong (Penguin Workshop, 2022)

she/her • www.amypurcell.com

For over 25 years, Amy has written corporate communications by day and fiction by night. She holds an MFA in Creative Writing from Kent State University and a BA in Journalism from Ohio University. Her short stories have been published in Passages North, Triquarterly, The Masters Review, and Third Coast, among others. She is a 2024 BookEnds Fellow at Stony Brook University. When she's not writing or reading, you can find her enjoying the outdoors in Albuquerque, New Mexico where she lives with her husband and two of the best Australian Shepherds ever.

they/them • robinillo.com

Robin Richardson is a nonbinary Malaysia-based author and illustrator. With the ability to tackle most artistic styles, they enjoy creating work to entice different audiences. They have illustrated for a variety of publishers and clients, including BHP Comics, Z2 Comics, Penguin Random House, and Discord. When they aren't writing or drawing, they're cozied up with a cup of tea, their favourite video games, and their two cats Scrunkles and Paya.

📚
Who Was Raised to Be the Queen of France? Marie Antoinette (Penguin Workshop, 2024)

he/him • @joeyroditis • joeyroditis.carrd.co

Joey Roditis considers himself less of an artist and more of an actor with a pencil in hand. Joey graduated with a B.F.A. in Sequential Art in 2021 and currently lives in the Denver Metro Area, where he enjoys gardening and picking up weird novelty musical instruments to eventually learn to play.

he/they • @bonyfingers • drewshannon.ca

Drew Shannon is a Canadian illustrator and educator best known for his work in the Globe in Mail with whom he's been a regular contributor since 2011. His work ranges from editorial to children's books, and graphic novels. Drew lives in Toronto with their cat, Ripley.

📚
Extreme Battlefields: When War Meets the Forces of Nature (Annick Press, 2016); Out of the Ice: How Climate Change is Revealing the Past (Kids Can Press, 2018); The Montague Twins: The Witch’s Hand (Knopf Books for Young Readers, 2020); This is Your Brain on Stereotypes: How Science Is Tackling Unconscious Bias (Kids Can Press, 2020); Finding Home: The Journey of Immigrants and Refugees (Orca Book Publishers, 2021); The Montague Twins: The Devil’s Music (Knopf Books for Young Readers, 2022); Who Was the First Man on the Moon? Neil Armstrong (Penguin Workshop, 2022); Are We There Yet?: How Humans Find their Way (Orca Book Publishers, 2023); You Can Be an Activist
(Kids Can Press, 2024)

she/her • @tayberryjelly • taylorismyfirstname.com

Taylor Tracy writes books filled with humor and heart that explore the joys and hopes of queer kids, focusing on mental health, found family, and the importance of a sense of community. She lives in New Jersey with her family, including a fluffle of mischievous rescue bunnies, and loves everything her home state has to offer: the best bagels, pizza, and beaches. When not writing, she can be found down the shore, in the rock gym or next to her growing pile of books to read and love.

📚
Murray out of Water
(Quill Tree Books, 2024)

they/them • @kendrawcandraw • kendrawcandraw.com

Kendra Wells is a cartoonist, illustrator, and writer for both books and games. Some of their published work includes Tell No Tales: Pirates of the Southern Seas (written by Sam Maggs) and Real Hero Shit, as well as regular contributions to The Nib. Additionally, they've worked with Critical Role, Dimension 20, Dark Horse Comics, Darrington Press, Iron Circus Comics, Pome Mag, and others in both art and writing roles. Their interests include elves, queer stories, and the combination of the two.

📚
Tell No Tales: Pirates of the Southern Seas (Amulet Books, 2021); Real Hero Shit (Iron Circus Comics, 2022); Mighty Nein Origins: Caduceus Clay (Dark Horse, 2024)

she/they

Fox de Winter is a writer of fantasy and horror with a soft spot for fairy tales. She grew up in a rural but nontraditional household, and saw The Rocky Horror Picture Show at a formative age. Gothic manor houses, hauntings, and spooky forests are some of her favorite motifs. They studied enough Latin and German to confidently not summon demons. When she isn’t writing, Fox can be found hunting for murder mysteries, watching horror movies, or cuddling their black cat.

she/her • @yaoxiaoart • www.yao.nyc

Yao Xiao is a Chinese-born, queer illustrator and writer based in New York. Yao’s work has been featured in Buzzfeed, National Geographic, TIME Magazine, and the Wall Street Journal, among others, and she has shown her artwork at galleries in New York, San Francisco, and Seattle.

📚
Everything is Beautiful, and I’m Not Afraid: A Baopu Collection (Andrews McMeel, 2020); How to Solve a Problem: The Rise (and Falls) of a Rock-Climbing Champion (Make Me a World, 2020)