Stephanie MacKendrick is a former journalist dedicated to women’s career advancement and non-profit leadership. She served as board Vice-Chair for The Samara Centre for Democracy, engaging Canadians in politics, and played a key role in establishing the Canadian chapter of the 30% Club, which aims to increase the representation of women on corporate boards. Stephanie was President of the board of The International Alliance for Women (TIAW) and co-founded the TIAW World of Difference 100 Awards. She has twice been recognized by the Women’s Executive Network as one of  Canada’s Most Powerful Women: Top 100, and in 2010 was admitted to the Freedom of the City of London (UK).

With over four million books in print, Sigmund Brouwer is a bestselling author of books for both children and adults. His novel Dead Man’s Switch was the 2015 winner of the Arthur Ellis Award for Canada’s best young adult mystery of the year. Two of his novels have been finalists for Canadian Children’s Book Centre Book Awards. Sigmund lives in Alberta and travels frequently to deliver his Rock and Roll Literacy presentation to schools across Canada and the United States.

Alice Kuipers is the award-winning, bestselling author of six novels, Always Smile, Me and Me, Life on the Refrigerator Door, The Worst Thing She Ever Did, 40 Things I Want to Tell You and The Death of Us, as well as two picture books. Her work has been published in thirty-two countries. She lives in Saskatoon.

At some point, every kid starts asking, “Why?” Lindsey Carmichael never stopped. As a PhD candidate, she uncovered new reasons why arctic foxes are the coolest; as a forensic scientist, she found out why bears sometimes get away with murder. As a writer, she follows her sense of wonder to the “whys” of subjects as diverse as nature, the environment, medicine and technology.#The award-winning author of more than 20 STEM books for children and young adults, Lindsey writes to spark her readers’ curiosity and ignite their imaginations. Packed with “oh wow!” and “I never knew that!” her books reveal the process of discovery and the stories behind the science. A popular speaker, Lindsey’s school visits encourage inquiry and kindle a love of lifelong learning.#Publishing under the name L. E. Carmichael, Lindsey loves beaches, platypuses and all things fantasy. She’s fascinated by the moment when facts reveal truth.|Lindsey lives in Ontario with her husband and a six-toed cat named Sasquatch.

Lynette Noni grew up on a farm in outback Australia. She now lives on the Sunshine Coast, where she can be found baking cupcakes, singing along to animated movies or daydreaming about being swept away to a fantasy world. Some days, she can even do all three at once – and still find the time to sneak in a nap afterwards.