Shay Youngblood

Shay Youngblood is a playwright and the author of the children's book Mama's Home, the novels Black Girl in Paris and Soul Kiss, and a collection of short fiction, The Big Mama Stories. She is the recipient of numerous grants and awards including a Pushcart Prize for fiction. She received her MFA in creative writing from Brown University and has taught at New York University and City College, NY. She currently lives in Atlanta.

At the age of five, Kristina Swarner decided that she wanted to be an artist when she grew up. Since graduating from the Rhode Island School of Design, Kristina has created many award-winning illustrations and exhibited her work internationally. She lives in Chicago with her mostly four-legged family.