SPRING SPIRIT 2026 - REGISTRATION NOW OPEN!

Ariel Richardson is a Senior Editor in Children's at Chronicle Books in San Francisco. She is a versatile bookmaker, working at the intersection of art and impact. She’s had demonstrated successes, from Invisible Things debuting on the New York Times bestseller list to Seen and Unseen: What Dorothea Lange, Toyo Miyatake, and Ansel Adams’s Photographs Reveal About the Japanese American Incarceration winning the Robert F. Sibert Medal and Bologna Ragazzi Award. She has worked at three independent bookstores on two coasts, and has a masters degree in Children’s Literature from Simmons University.

Isabella Kung is an author and illustrator who delights in mixing humor, heart, and irresistible characters. She’s the creator of Nunu and the Sea (Knopf), No Fuzzball! and No Snowball!(Scholastic), and has illustrated many other books and projects — including 123 CATS and ABC CATS by Lesléa Newman (Candlewick), which were listed in Bank Street College of Education’s Best Children’s Books of the Year 2022 edition. Her award-winning work has been recognized by the Society of Illustrators, Spectrum Fantasy Art, 3x3, Creative Quarterly, SCBWI, and the International Cat Writers Association. With over a decade of teaching experience, Isabella currently shares her passion for storytelling and art at Storyteller Academy.

JENNIFER MARCH SOLOWAY is a cofounder and agent with Starling Literary + Media. She enjoys laugh-out-loud picture books and middle-grade adventures, but her sweet spot is young adult. She adores action-packed thrillers, mysteries and psychological horror. Throw in a dash of (bad) romance, and she’s hooked! But regardless of genre, her favorite novels focus on characters who feel like real people and explore themes of family, relationships, identity, sexuality, mental health, and/or addiction. She is actively seeking fresh literary voices. To learn more about Jennifer, follow her on Bluesky, @marchsoloway, and find her full wish list at www.starlingliterary.com.

Nikki Shannon Smith is an educator, presenter, and the award-winning author of nearly 30 books, ranging from board books to young adult novels. Her most recent title is PRINCE: A Little Golden Book Biography, and her middle grade historical fiction novel, DEEP SECRETS: A Titanic Novel (Scholastic) will release on 4/21/26. Nikki’s book STRANDED is a nominee for the 2026 Georgia and Tennessee state book awards. Nikki’s writing is informed not only by her research, but by her childlike curiosity, a love of words, and thirty years of elementary school teaching. She is represented by Jennifer March Soloway at Starling Literary + Media. Learn more about Nikki at https://nikkishannonsmith.com/home-page.

Lori Mortensen is an award-winning children’s author. Her books, which have been praised as “stellar” “as good as it gets” and “begs to be read aloud” include Arlo Draws an Octopus (Abrams), If Wendell Had a Walrus (Henry Holt), Cowpoke Clyde Rides the Range (HarperCollins), and biographies Nonsense! The Curious Story of Edward Gorey (HarperCollins) and Away with Words, the Daring True Story of Explorer Isabella Bird (Peachtree). Recent honors include PA One Book and NY Public Library’s Best Books for Kids. She tries to write the sort of books she loves—funny, surprising, heartfelt, and unforgettable. When she’s not birdwatching or sticking her nose in a mystery, she’s tapping away at her keyboard coaxing her latest stories to life. She lives in the foothills of Northern CA.