Spring Forward and Be Inspired

Terry Catasús Jennings is a Cuban-American writer who immigrated to the United States after her father was jailed in Cuba by Fidel Castro’s government. She was twelve at the time and knew no English. The Little House of Hope/La casita de esperanza is a semi-autobiographical story in which immigrants give each other a helping hand in a new country. Her goal in life is to lead us to embrace our common humanity, as well as sing the praises of Cuban food. Terry is represented by Natalie Lakosil of Looking Glass Literary and Media Management.

Zara González Hoang is an obsessive scribbler, day-dreamer and doodler. She grew up in a house full of stories where imagination was encouraged and one could never be sure what was truth and what was fiction. She is the author and illustrator of A New Kind of Wild, inspired by the stories her dad told her about his childhood and has illustrated a bunch of picture books by other fabulous authors. She lives in a magical suburban forest in Northern Virginia with her Mad Man husband, human-shaped demons and a jungle of plants

Rashin Kheiriyeh is a multi-award-winning author-illustrator, animator, and painter who has more than ninety children’s books to her credit. Her books have been published in at least twelve countries and she was nominated for the 2023 Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award for outstanding contributions to children's literature. She is also the recipient of a Sendak Fellowship Award, a 2009 New Horizon Award (Bologna Ragazzi), and is a six-time winner of the Bologna Book Fair Illustration competition. Rashin Kheiriyeh is the character artist of the most popular animation series on national television in Iran called “Shekarestan” (“Sugarland”). A native of Iran, she now lives in Washington, DC.

Chiêu Anh Urban is an award-winning children's book author, illustrator, and book designer. She enjoys creating playful books that provide fun learning and exploration for the youngest readers. Her recent titles include Illusions in Art: Animals and Illusions in Art: Food and novelty books 123 ZOOM and ABC ROAR. Chiêu is the creator of the board book series Color Wonder: Hooray for Spring! and Color Wonder: Winter Is Here! When she's not delving into novelty book projects, she's indulging in sweet confections and arts and crafts with her family.