The Foggy River Children's Book Festival

Valerie Bolling is passionate about creating stories in which all children can see themselves and feel seen and heard, valued and validated. She’s the author of six picture books -- LET’S DANCE! (SCBWI Crystal Kite Award winner); TOGETHER WE RIDE; TOGETHER WE SWIM (2023 Kirkus Prize Finalist); RIDE, ROLL, RUN: TIME FOR FUN!; BING, BOP, BAM: TIME TO JAM!; and I SEE COLOR (Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection) -- as well as a Scholastic Acorn early reader series, RAINBOW DAYS. Sharing her books with children and inspiring them to write their own stories brings Valerie immense joy!

Doe Boyle is the author of four STEAM-infused picture books in poetry and prose. They inspire young learners to immerse their imaginations in studies of animals and nature. These titles—Hear the Wind Blow, Heartbeat, Blink!, and Water—were recently published by Albert Whitman. Doe’s earlier books, published by Soundprints in association with the Smithsonian Institution and the National Wildlife Federation, include Otter on His Own: The Story of a Sea Otter; Coral Reef Hideaway: The Story of A Clown Anemonefish; Summer Coat, Winter Coat: The Story of a Snowshoe Hare; Gray Wolf Pup; and Earth Day Every Day, among other titles. Doe has also written many editions of two travel guides, Fun with the Family/Connecticut and Guide to the Connecticut Shore. An editor of adult nonfiction, Doe edits books on travel, cooking, gardening, and cultural and natural history. A teaching artist since 1997, she shares her love of reading and writing in residencies with schoolchildren. In Connecticut, not too far from the sea, she shares an ancient house at the side of an ancient road with her husband and some amusing speckled hens who remind her of her four daughters. In summer, she writes at the edge of a beloved pond in midcoast Maine.

Edna Cabcabin Moran is a multi-disciplined author/illustrator, performing artist, educator, and advocate for youth voices and diversity in publishing. She dances with acclaimed hālau hula and dance company, Nā Lei Hulu I Ka Wēkiu, and is a teaching artist specializing in STEAM and integrative arts. She has served on several nonprofit art org committees including We Need Diverse Books and Alternative in Action’s Project Youthview: The Power of Youth in Film. Edna's picture book, HONU AND MOA, received an Aesop Accolade from the American Folklore Society in 2019. She received the SF Bay Area North SCBWI's 2022 Equity and Inclusion Tapestry of Voices Member Award for her manuscript, A LEI STARTS.

Charlotte Crowder lives and writes on the coast of Maine. An accredited editor in the life sciences, she has recently retired from a career as a medical writer and editor. She writes for adults, as well as children. Her publications include, among others, stories in Tamarind Magazine, Maine Standard, Intima, Branching Out: International Tales of Brilliant Flash Fiction, Maine Character Energy; and a picture book, A Fine Orange Bucket (North Country Press; Unity, Maine. 2019).

Melanie Ellsworth writes for children in her office in an old barn in Maine. Her husband, daughter, and two silly co-worker dogs provide inspiration for her picture books. Holding a master’s degree in language and literacy, Melanie has also worked as an ESOL teacher and a literacy specialist. She’s a volunteer shelter dog walker and a member of the Equity & Inclusion Committee for the New England Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators. Melanie loves creating books that make children laugh while they learn!

Julie Gonzalez is a picture book author and former teacher who is always eager to get kids excited about reading. She likes to visit schools, bookstores, libraries, and book festivals. Her favorite place to be, however, is the woods, where she runs, hikes, and talks to the animals. Julie lives in New York with her husband and two children.

Alexandra S. D. Hinrichs is a poet and author of picture books including The Lobster Lady, I Am Made of Mountains, The Pocket Book, The Traveling Camera, and Thérèse Makes a Tapestry. Her books have won awards like Maine’s Lupine Award and Wisconsin’s Outstanding Achievement Award. They have also been featured on news outlets such as ABC Morning News, CBS News, and The Washington Post. Alex is a librarian and has worked in school, public, and academic libraries. She was also a historical researcher at American Girl. She currently works in a public library tucked in the woods in rural Maine. She serves as a co-assistant regional advisor to SCBWI New England and on the board of directors for Island Readers and Writers. She lives in Bangor with her husband, three wild sons, two tame cats, and a tortoise.

Writer for children—reader forever…that’s Vivian Kirkfield in five words. Her bucket list contains many more than five words – but she’s already checked off skydiving, parasailing, banana-boat riding, and visiting critique buddies all around the world. When she isn’t looking for ways to fall from the sky or sink under the water, she can be found writing picture books in the picturesque village of Bedford, NH. A retired kindergarten teacher with a masters in Early Childhood Education, Vivian inspires budding writers during classroom visits and shares insights with aspiring authors at conferences and on her blog, Picture Books Help Kids Soar where she hosts the #50PreciousWords International Writing Contest and the #50PreciousWordsforKids Challenge. She is the author of numerous picture books. You can connect with her on her website, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram, Linkedin, or just about any place people where picture books are found.

Rebekah Lowell is an award-winning author/illustrator and surface pattern designer with a curiosity for nature. Her childhood, filled with wildflowers, finds its way into her work. A homeschooling mother of two and survivor of domestic abuse, she is passionate about resiliency, freedom, and hope. Inspired by the natural world, she writes books for kids, designs patterns for fabric, creates products for sale, paints live at weddings. She earned her BFA from The Rhode Island School of Design, and her MFA from Hollins University. She is earning her certificate in natural science illustration through RISD, as well as earning her certificate as a nature journal educator through the Wild Wonder Foundation. She serves on the Board for York County Audubon, transports birds for Avian Haven, and rescues monarchs from local hayfields.

Christy Mihaly writes for young readers because she believes that our best hope for the future is raising kids who love to read. She especially enjoys nonfiction, and has written 40-ish books, among them picture books Hey, Hey, Hay! (A Tale of Bales and the Machines That Make Them), Patience, Patches! and the award-winning WATER: A Deep Dive of Discovery. A former lawyer, Christy has penned many books about democracy and our government, including the timely informational picture book, OUR CONGRESS, illustrated by Doruntina Beqiraj. Christy also loves writing poetry for—and with—kids. She lives in Vermont where she enjoys walking in the woods and playing cello (though not simultaneously).

Laurel Neme writes about animals for children and adults. She contributes regularly to National Geographic and is the author of ANIMAL INVESTIGATORS: How the World’s First Wildlife Forensics Lab is Solving Crimes and Saving Endangered Species, ORANGUTAN HOUDINI, and THE ELEPHANT’S NEW SHOE. Her next picture book, GiRAFT, will be published by Sleeping Bear Press in 2026.

Lucky Platt is a visual artist and children’s book creator based in Burnham, Maine. Her debut picture book, Imagine a Wolf (Page Street Kids 2021) was a 2022 Maine Literary Awards Finalist in Children’s, a 2022 Ezra Jack Keats Award Finalist in New Writers, a 2021 New England Book Award Finalist, and has been translated into Korean. Lucky’s stories explore themes of resilience, healing, inclusion and positive self expression, and are illustrated in traditional art mediums including oil paint, ink, gouache, graphite, paper sculpture, drypoint, pyrography and colored pencil. She has presented narrative art and writing workshops and artist talks for children and adults through the Society of Children’s Book Writers & Illustrators (NESCBWI), Maine Writers & Publishers Alliance, Farnsworth Art Museum, Maine Media Workshops & College, Maine Crafts Association, Waterville Creates, Maine Arts Commission, and many libraries, schools and indie bookshops. Lucky is a contributing writer for Maine Home + Design Magazine’s Showcase, and a grateful recipient of three Maine Arts Commission Project Grants. She is artist-in-residence at Unity Public Library, where she helped launch the library’s Children’s Storyteller Series. The Series brings award-winning children’s book creators to rural western Waldo County for readings, book talks, art activities, and Storyteller Suppers.

Casey W. Robinson grew up in Maine and used to keep a shoebox of favorite words and phrases under her bed. She now lives with her family just west of Boston, in a yellow house overflowing with books. When she’s not writing, Casey manages book events for her local indie bookseller. Her debut picture book, Iver & Ellsworth, was a finalist for the Crystal Kite Award and Pennsylvania Young Reader’s Choice Award. Her latest picture book, Small Things Mended, is a Kids’ Indie Next Pick and winner of the New England Book Award.

Cameron Kelly Rosenblum is the author of two young adult novels published by HarperCollins, with a third in the works. The Stepping Off Place (2020) was a Maine Indie bestseller and a Kirkus Best Book and Best Book Dealing with Mental Health. The Sharp Edge of Silence (2023) is an Edgar Allan Poe Finalist, the 2024 winner of the Maine Literary Book Award for Young People’s Literature, a YALSA Best Fiction for Young Adults, and an Eason (Ireland) YA Book of the Month. In addition to her writing career, Cameron is a school librarian in Cape Elizabeth. She lives in Cumberland Foreside with her family.

REBECCA J. ALLEN grew up with her nose stuck in books like A Wrinkle in Time and The Hobbit. Now, she writes middle grade stories that blend mystery and adventure and young adult stories with kick-butt heroines. Her latest books, My Cat Can’t Tell Time (But I Can) + 3 other books in the narrative nonfiction series Math All Around launched August 1st. They teach core math concepts to kindergarten and first-grade readers through engaging stories. Her novels, Cole Champion Is Not Super & Cole Champion Takes on the Villains are STEM superhero adventures for 3rd-5th grade readers. Rebecca lives in New Hampshire with her husband, two kids, and Emmy the cat. When not writing, she likes to hike, bike, watch spy thrillers, and grow yummy things in her garden.

Jon is the author of Dragons Eat Noodles on Tuesdays (Scholastic Press, 2019) which has sold over 250,000 copies in North America. He is also a filmmaker, whose award-winning documentary Jacob is available on Amazon Prime Video. A former elementary school teacher, Jon has a Master’s in Education from Teachers College, Columbia University, and is a proud member of SCBWI. Jon lives with his wife, their two extremely silly children, and their ash-grey goldendoodle Lucy outside Boston.

Heidi didn’t want to be a writer when she grew up. In fact, after she graduated from college, she became a probation officer in Florida. It wasn’t until she was 28 years old that she gave in and joined the family business, publishing her first short story in a book called Famous Writers and Their Kids Write Spooky Stories. The famous writer was her mom, author Jane Yolen. Since then, she has published almost 50 books and numerous short stories and poems, mostly for children. Heidi lives and writes on a big old farm in Massachusetts that she shares a dozen deer, a family of bears, three coyotes, two bobcats, a gray fox, tons of birds, and some very fat groundhogs. Once a year she calls owls for the Audubon Christmas Bird Count.

Alex Thayer is a former film and television actress and elementary school teacher. She lives in New England with her two sons. Happy & Sad & Everything True is her debut novel.

Pam Vaughan has never had a pet mammoth, but if she did, she wonders if her mammoth would enjoy doing some of her favorite things with her, like taking walks and playing ice hockey. Pam is the co-ARA of New England’s SCBWI chapter and the director of Whispering Pines Writers’ Retreat. lives with her family across from a pond on a cul-de-sac in central Massachusetts. Missy Wants a Mammoth is her first book.