This roundtable event is available for all registered members.

Events can only be accessed on the date and time they become available.

This event will remain accessible until March 1st for members with General and Full Admission, and March 22nd for members with Extended and Time Traveler Admission.

Halli Gomez teaches martial arts and writes for children and young adults. She has written several stories with neurodivergent characters including her young adult novel, List of Ten (Sterling, March 2021) When no one is looking, she sock skates through the house and talks to dogs like they are human. When people are looking, she enjoys reading, outdoors, and breaking out of escape rooms with her family. Halli lives in North Carolina with her husband, two boys, and two dogs.

pronouns: she/her

Payal Doshi has a Masters in Creative Writing (Fiction) from The New School, New York. Having lived in the UK and US, she noticed a lack of Indian protagonists in global children’s fiction and one day wrote the opening paragraph to what would become her first children’s novel. She was born and raised in Mumbai, India, and currently resides in Minneapolis, Minnesota with her husband and three-year-old daughter. When she isn’t writing or spending time with her family, you can find her nose deep in a book with a cup of coffee or daydreaming of fantasy realms to send her characters off into. She loves the smell of old, yellowed books. Rea and the Blood of the Nectar, the first book in the Chronicles of Astranthia series is her debut middle grade novel.

pronouns: she/her

Ronni Davis lives in Chicago with her husband Adam and her son Aidan. By day she copy edits everything from TV commercials to billboards, and by night she writes contemporary teen novels about brown girls falling in love.

Her debut novel, When the Stars Lead to You, is available now from Little Brown Books for Young Readers, and the anthology You Too?, in which she is a contributor, is available now from Inkyard Press.

pronouns: she/her

Stefanie is an associate assistant at the Jennifer de Chiara Literary Agency. She is also a book coach working exclusively with women writers of color. Stefanie is obsessed with learning and sharing knowledge, and treasures the endless love and excitement authors have for their work. She believes the most important characteristic a writer can have is persistence, and she adores boosting morale and motivating her authors to reach the elusive finish line. She works hard to infuse the writing process with joy and fun. Few things are better to her than helping an author gain confidence and reach their goal!

As a woman of color, Stefanie is personally invested in increasing representation in publishing, and is most interested in diverse stories with fresh perspectives. Any story that blends adventure and romance is her perfect cup of tea.

When she’s not adding books to her reading list at an unsustainable rate, you can usually find her in the great outdoors; exploring her multiple cultures through food; or in a totally unrelated daydream.