Website:  valerieellery.com

Alan Gratz's first novel, Samurai Shortstop, was named one of the ALA's 2007 Top Ten Best Books for Young Adults. His second novel, Something Rotten, was a 2008 ALA Quick Pick for Young Adult Readers, and was followed by a sequel, Something Wicked, in October 2008. As the first Artist in Residence at the American School in Japan, Alan spent six weeks teaching historical fiction-writing to middle school students in Tokyo, and he was the Thurber House Children's Writer in Residence in 2011, living and writing in James Thurber's attic for a month.  

In addition to writing plays, he has authored magazine articles, and a few TV episodes, and thousands of radio commercials. He now lives with his wife Wendi and his daughter Jo in the high country of Western North Carolina.    

Website:  alangratz.blogspot.com

Marilyn Pryle is a classroom teacher certified in secondary English and reading instruction. She’s taught at the middle school, high school, and college levels, and in several ELL programs. While teaching a full-time 8th grade writing workshop, she began creating her own materials and scaffolding them to ensure a progression of learning.  She then wrote and shared these in what became her first book, Teaching Students to Write Effective Essays. 

Since then, she has written three additional books about writing workshop and writing instruction, including 50 Common Core Reading Response Activities.  She now teaches 10th grade World Literature in Clarks Summit, PA.                     

Website:  marilynpryle.com

Jennifer Serravallo is a graduate of Vassar College.  Jennifer began teaching in schools in New York City where she also started working towards her MA at Teachers College, Columbia University. There she became a Senior Staff Developer for their Reading and Writing Project, where she worked for eight years helping urban, suburban, and rural schools implement exceptional literacy instruction through reading and writing workshops. Her work in Title I schools with swelling class sizes, high numbers of ELLs, and an enormous range of learners provided the foundation for the many books she has authored on the teaching of reading and writing. These include The Reading Strategies Book, The Literacy Teacher’s Playbook: Four Steps for Turning Assessment Data into Goal-Directed Instruction, and Independent Reading Assessment. 

Website:  http://jenniferserravallo.com   

Follow her on Twitter (@jserravallo).

Shoulders spent his childhood traveling the world in an Army family (including Fort Chaffee, AR). He taught for 14 years before finishing his 30-year career as an instructional supervisor in Tennessee. He earned his doctoral degree in 2004. Shoulders now visits nearly 80 schools across America each year spreading the message that “Reading IS Magic!” His newest book is Crossing the Dead Line, a Civil War novel.

William H. Teale is Professor in the Literacy, Language & Culture Program, University Scholar, and Director of the UIC  (Chicago) Center for Literacy. He teaches courses on early literacy and children's/young adult literature at the master's and doctoral levels. Author of more than 150 publications, Teale is a member of the Reading Hall of Fame, served on the Board of Directors of the International Reading Association from 2011 to 2014, and was recently elected to become president of the International Literacy Association in 2016.     http://education.uic.edu/personnel/faculty/william-teale-edd

William Van Cleave is an educational consultant whose specialties include morphology and written expression. A nationally recognized speaker, he has presented on effective teaching practices at conferences and schools around the country. The strategies William promotes are effective for students of all skill levels and abilities. His high level of enthusiasm and energy, his interactive style, and his passion for working with teachers make him an effective presenter, whether he is visiting a school and sharing with its faculty or presenting at a national conference.

In 2004 William published Everything You Want To Know & Exactly Where To Find It, an Orton-Gillingham based reference guide that serves tutors and teachers of struggling readers and spellers around the country.  In the fall of 2013, he and co-author Caroline Dover published Phrases & Sentences for Reading & Spelling, a companion to the Everything text. He also authored Writing Matters: Developing Sentence Skills in Students of All Ages. http://wvced.com

Anya Wallach is the real-life creator of The Random Farms Kids’ Theater, a not-for-profit organization she started in her parents’ basement when she was a teenager. Today, the Random Farms kids can be regularly seen on Broadway and in film and television.  Anya also created the theater’s extensive outreach program, with a focus on bullying prevention. 

In conjunction with Random Farms, Anya has been featured in The New York Times, FOX News Channel, Teen Kids News, and was recognized by The Huffington Post for her work as a young social entrepreneur.   She loves to speak at schools and conferences about her work and the importance of the performing arts.  She lives in New York City.                http://www.anyawallach.com