Pathways to Publishing Panel

Kathy MacMillan (she/her) is an award-winning writer, nationally certified American Sign Language interpreter, librarian, editor, and signing storyteller. She has published more than two dozen books with traditional publishers, including picture books, children’s and adult nonfiction, and middle grade and young adult fiction. Her recent nonfiction book, She Spoke Too, was named Foreword INDIES Best Juvenile Nonfiction Book of the Year. She lives in Baltimore, MD. Find her online at KathyMacMillan.com or on Instagram @kathys_quill.

Tracy C. Gold writes books that inspire kids to connect with nature and their families. She also works as a freelance editor, helping writers develop novels, memoirs, and children’s literature. Her published and forthcoming picture books include “Call Your Father,” “Call Your Mother,” “Everyone’s Sleepy but the Baby,” “Trick or Treat, Bugs to Eat,” and “Hide and Seek, Nuts to Eat.” She also writes short stories, essays, novels, and poems. Her work has been published in several magazines and anthologies. Tracy earned her M.F.A. in Creative Writing and Publishing Arts at the University of Baltimore and earned her B.A. in English from Duke University. When she’s not writing or editing, she’s playing with her kid or hanging out with horses and dogs. You can find out more about Tracy at tracycgold.com, by following her on Threads and Instagram at @tracycgold, or by liking her Facebook page.

Born in Vermont and raised in Virginia, Dan (D.C.) Swanson grew up in a baseball family but realized early on that he was better with books than with bats. He worked for nearly two decades as a government attorney before publishing his first children’s book, which he had written with the help of his two daughters. His second book, Catch, will be published in April 2026. He currently lives in Maryland with his wife, his daughters, his puppy, and a couple of crowded bookshelves.