ANDREW JORDAN NANCE is an educator with more than twenty-five years in the classroom and the author of
Puppy Mind and
Mindful Arts in the Classroom. He is the founder of Mindful Arts San Francisco, whose mission is to provide volunteer mindful educators to teach at underserved San Francisco schools. Nance is also an award-winning actor and director. For almost thirty years he taught performing arts to students from diverse backgrounds, and for eighteen years he was the Conservatory Director at San Francisco's New Conservatory Theatre Center. He is on the board of directors of several educational nonprofit organizations including the Mindful Life Project, San Francisco's New Conservatory Theater Center, and Arts Ed Matters.
OLIVIA HOLDEN studied fine art, textiles, and English literature and obtained a degree with first-class honors in textile design at the University of Huddersfield. Developing her growing love for illustration, she creates her own art for children's books, prints, and publications. She enjoys creating painterly illustrations, playing around with color and composition, and drawing inspiration from everyday life and objects.
