As a Programs team member, Mandy is the United Through Reading Program Coordinator in the D.C. Area. She works with commands and local military support groups, increases awareness of United Through Reading and the importance of the read-aloud experience for the entire military family, and coordinates recording opportunities.Mandy is an Air Force spouse of 18 years and mom of three. She has a Bachelor of Arts in Child Development. As a volunteer, Mandy has served on the board of the McChord Thrift Shop and was part of the team that created the Joan Brown Spouse Space at JBLM. When she is not working, she enjoys all things peloton, coaching youth soccer, and glamping with her family in their travel trailer. Mandy can be reached at mandydisney@utr.org.Learn more at https://unitedthroughreading.org/#unitedthroughreading #militaryfamilies #literacy

Guojing is an award-winning author and illustrator of picture books and graphic novels. Her wordless picture book The Only Child was named a New York Times Best Illustrated Book of the Year. Her second wordless picture book Stormy: A Story About Finding a Forever Home was an ALA Notable Children’s Book, hailed as “masterful” by The New York Times.Her graphic novels The Flamingo and Oasis received widespread acclaim, with Oasis recognized as Best Children's Book of the Year by The New York Times, NPR, Publishers Weekly, and more. The House That Floated was published in September 2025 by Penguin Random House, and her latest book, The Octopus, will be published by Two Lions in April 2026.Learn more at https://www.guojingart.com/about

Author Christy Mihaly loves history, nature, and books. She writes for kids because she believes that our best hope for the future is raising young people who love to read, and giving them the knowledge and skills to lead. Christy has written around 40 children's nonfiction titles on topics from hayfields to free speech to food.Her fall 2021 picture book with Barefoot Books, WATER: A Deep Dive of Discovery, illustrated by Mariona Cabassa, was awarded a Kirkus star and a Gold in the Nautilus Book Awards. Other picture books include Patience, Patches, a fictional tale of a dog and a new baby (Dial), Our Congress and The Supreme Court and Us, which introduce young readers to the history and functions of the U.S. Supreme Court and Congress. (Albert Whitman.) A former lawyer, Christy has written extensively about civics and our government. The picture book Free for You and Me introduces the First Amendment through poems and stories. (Albert Whitman 2020.) Other books include the YA Diet for a Changing Climate: Food for Thought (Lerner 2018, co-written with Sue Heavenrich), which explores how our food affects the environment, and Hey, Hey, Hay! (A Tale of Bales and the Machines That Make Them), a rhyming picture book about haymaking (Holiday House, 2018). In addition to the Nautilus Gold, Christy's books have been included on the Green Earth Book Award shortlist, Bank Street Children's Best Books, and Junior Library Guild Gold Standard selections. Many of her poems appear in anthologies and magazines. She is represented by Erzsi Deak of Hen&ink Literary Studio. She lives in Vermont, where she enjoys walking her dog in the woods and playing cello (though not simultaneously).Learn more at https://www.christymihaly.com/

Tom was born and raised in Southern New Jersey. Growing up in rural America, Tom has a deep sense of community - when our families, neighbors, farmers, local businesses, and organizations all work in concert to support one another, it strengthens us individually and collectively. Tom relishes opportunities to develop meaningful relationships with his local community. ​​As a gay dad and a father of BIPOC daughters, Tom is committed to advancing children’s stories that are inclusive of diverse families, who have been historically under-represented in children's books. Tom's work helps to fill that representation gap. Professionally, Tom is a NJ Licensed Clinical Social Worker and has worked with at-risk youth and individuals living with mental illness for most of his career. Through that work, he has come to appreciate the importance of sharing one's lived experience with others through story-telling. He hopes his kids books help others feel more seen and valued. https://www.tomtracybooks.com/

Alby C. Williams hails from the land of snow and salt potatoes. They are a storyteller, poet and artist of dubious skill but endless enthusiasm. If you catch them in their spare time, you might mistake them for a cat based on the amount of yarn in their immediate vicinity, but don't be fooled---they're actually several pigeons in a trench coat.Learn more at https://albycwilliams.com/

Lija Fisher is the author of funny adventure novels for kids that explore the world of cryptozoology, or the search for legendary animals that might be real. Her debut novel. THE CRYPTID CATCHER (Farrar, Straus & Giroux) received a starred review from Booklist and was a Junior Library Guild Selection. The sequel, THE CRYPTID KEEPER, was written while Lija was the Writer in Residence with Aspen Words and was a finalist for the Colorado Book Award in juvenile literature.Lija travels the country speaking at schools, libraries, and Bigfoot festivals where she gets kids interested in reading and science through searching for hidden animals, or cryptids, like the Loch Ness Monster. ‘Cryptozoology for Kids’ is her specialty! Prior to becoming an author, she trained for a while (a very short while) to be a Hollywood stunt person. She lives in Colorado near several Bigfoot sightings. Learn more at https://www.lijafisher.com/

Isabelle Knight is the middle-grade fantasy author of the Enchantria series, which she began writing at age ten and published during her middle school years. A lifelong book and cat lover, she now resides somewhere in a book-filled apartment, surrounded by an unimaginable number of stuffed pandas and enough books to start her own bookstore. When she’s not writing about creepy shadows, daring heroines, and magical adventures, she’s talking about books, writing, and other writerly ramblings on her YouTube channel (https://www.youtube.com/@isabelleknightbooks)!Learn more at https://springfallschronicle.com/

After years of professional writing, private equity attorney Jeff Dorrill decided it was time to write something a little different. Switching gears from his experience writing law review articles, including over thirty-five pieces for publication in SMU Law Review, Baylor Law Review, and Journal of Energy and Natural Resources Law, Jeff wanted to write something that would be read for fun.Growing up, Jeff combined the skills and life lessons he learned from each of the caring adults in his life to build his own roadmap for living. Now an adult with children of his own and recognizing that families in today’s world are formed in ever-changing ways, Jeff sought to pen an entertaining and emotional children’s book about the magic of chosen family. Inspired by the many caregivers who played a role in his own rearing, Jeff dreamt up Brunt and Eggbert and brought the story to life.Jeff currently resides in Dallas, Texas with his wife, Melisa, children, Tenley and Hunter, and his grandchild, Vivian. He is working on his third master's degree at the University of Southern California in criminal justice, and despite the time dedicated to practicing law, studying, and writing, Jeff doesn’t spend his life behind a desk. He has won multiple national championships in triathlons including three-time Ultra-Distance Triathlon National Champion in his age group.Learn more at https://bruntandeggbert.com/