Ann-Maureen Owens is the manager of Kingston WritersFest’s events for young readers and writers. Together with her friend and collaborator Jane Yealland, Ann-Maureen is the co-author of the popular children’s information books Forts of Canada, The Kids Book of Canadian Exploration and Our Flag: The Story of Canada’s Maple Leaf. Their books encourage children to discover Canadian history in entertaining and sometimes “hands-on” ways.#Ann-Maureen lives with her husband in Kingston, Ontario, where she taught in both elementary and secondary schools, raised four sons and now enjoys visits with her three young grandchildren. She also writes for a variety of magazines and online journals, and is happily exploring ideas for her next book by trying new things, meeting interesting people and reading endlessly.#As a member of the Writers’ Union of Canada and of Young Kingston: Southeastern Ontario Writers for Children and Teens, Ann-Maureen offers writing workshops and author visits to kids of all ages.

Jean E. Pendziwol is the author of Once Upon a Dragon A Treasure at Sea for Dragon and Me and No Dragons for Tea, which has been recognized by the National Fire Prevention Association as a recommended resource for teaching fire safety. She lives with her family in Thunder Bay, Ontario, where she divides her time between family, writing and pursuing elusive dragons.

Trudee Romanek is a children’s book editor and the author of The Technology Book for Girls and Other Advanced Beings. She has also written magazine and textbook articles for kids and adults. She lives in Barrie, Ontario.

Judy Ann Sadler grew up in big, noisy family on a busy farm near London, Ontario. Ever since she can remember, she has loved to read, write and make things. When her kids were little, she decided to combine her love of words and crafts by writing craft books. She knows that making original, beautiful, useful items is amazing and wonderful, but there are also many other benefits to working with your hands: you become creative, curious, resourceful, patient, passionate and generous. She strives to be creative every day by writing words into stories, stitching fabric into quilts, knitting yarn into baby caps and baking ingredients into treats for sharing. Along with over 20 craft books, Judy Ann has written picture books, dozens of craft columns and numerous magazine features. Judy Ann’s books have been translated into many languages and have sold over a million copies around the world. She has made crafts and shared stories with tens of thousands of children in schools and libraries across the country. Judy Ann works part-time at two different branches of the London Public Library, where she’s delighted to spend time with books and the wonderful people who read them. One of the libraries Judy Ann works at is in a busy part of the city, and the other is in a rural village and has cows in the backyard. Judy Ann lives with her family in London, Ontario.