Kwame Mbalia is the
New York Times best-selling author of
Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky, for which he received a Coretta Scott King Author Honor award. The book was also named to best-of-the-year lists
compiled by
Publishers Weekly, the Chicago Public Library, and the
New York Times. The second book in the trilogy is
Tristan Strong Destroys the World, and
Tristan Strong Keeps Punching is the third. Kwame also co-wrote
Last Gate of the Emperor with Prince Joel Makonnen and edited the instant
New York Times best-seller
Black Boy Joy: 17 Stories Celebrating Black Boyhood. Kwame lives with his wife and children near Raleigh, North Carolina, where he is currently working several projects, including a new middle grade series. Follow him on Twitter @KSekouM.
Robert Venditti is a
New York Times best-selling author whose characters and concepts have been adapted to film and television. He has written the monthly comic book series "X-O Manowar" and "Wrath of the Eternal Warrior" for Valiant Entertainment, "Green Lantern," "The Flash," and "Justice League" for DC, and the children's novel series Miles Taylor and the Golden Cape. He has also adapted Rick Riordan's Percy Jackson and Heroes of Olympus graphic novels. He lives in Atlanta, Georgia and can be found on Twitter @robertvenditti.
Olivia Stephens is a graphic novelist, illustrator, and writer from the Pacific Northwest. She is the author of
Artie and the Wolf Moon, a supernatural graphic novel. Olivia has also created work for a number of sites and publications, including the
New York Times,
The Guardian, and
FIYAH Magazine of Black Speculative Fiction. When not drawing, she enjoys eating spicy foods and losing her voice at rock concerns. Visit her website at www.olivia-stephens.com.