Desaray Mnyandu was born into a military family. Her travels around the globe as a child led to a passion for world cultures. Her goal is to write books that introduce children to the world and help them gain cultural competence at an early age. She hopes her writing will help children discover common affirmations that exist among all people in order to grow their own confidence as global citizens. She works as an art teacher as well as the president of the Children’s Book Guild of Washington D.C. She is married to her college sweetheart and they live outside Washington DC, where she homeschools their four children.

Long ago when all the animals in the African savannah had no tails, little Imbila wanted one so badly! Visitors to author Desaray Mnyandu’s table will use crafty materials (pom-poms, pipe cleaners, beads, and markers) to make a tail for Imbila, the adorable but lazy main character of the children’s picture book Imbila’s Tale. 

Lear more at desaraywrites.com

Pamela Ehrenberg is a DC resident and the author of seven books for young readers, including The See-You-Soon Spice Box and Detour Ahead (co-authored with Tracy López), which was a National Jewish Book Award finalist. Pamela works at the National Association for the Education of Young Children and lives near the National Zoo with her teenager and pet rabbit (and when, lucky, her visiting college student!).

In celebration of her newly re-released Planting Parsley, Pamela’s festival booth will offer an opportunity for young readers and gardeners to plant parsley seeds in compostable pots.

Learn more at pamelaehrenberg.com

Ginger Park is an award-winning author of children’s books that celebrate Korean heritage, family, and belonging. Her honors include the International Reading Association Children’s Book Award, the IRA–CBC Teachers’ Choice Award, the Notable Books for a Global Society Award, and the Bank Street College Book Award, among others. Her forthcoming picture book, MoonCat, celebrates family bonds and Chuseok, the Korean harvest festival.

Honors for her middle grade novel The Hundred Choices Department Store: Administrative Offices of the U.S. Courts & federal judiciary AANHPI selection, Best of Korea Best Books by Korean American Authors, National Women’s History Alliance Book of the Week, Book Riot Twenty Must-Read Korean Novels. The book was also published in South Korea.

When Ginger isn’t writing, you can usually find her spending quality time with her husband, Skip, and their three doodles Madison, Oliver, and Nabi or traveling to the Bay Area to visit their son, Justin.

Ginger will be featuring her books, My Sister’s Doljabi and Grandpa’s Scroll – both books celebrate family traditions and yearning for bonds. Stop by Ginger’s both to check out her books and learn the Korean alphabet through scroll painting!

Naaz Khan is an educator, writer, and life long learner with a background in refugee education, curriculum development, and interfaith dialogue. Her debut picture book, Room for Everyone came out November 9, 2021! She is represented by Lilly Ghahremani of Full Circle Literary.

She has lived in a number of places including Jubail, Cairo, Nairobi, Bangalore, Berkeley, San Diego, New York, and currently lives in the city of Washington DC.

Naaz works as an education coordinator at An Open Book Foundation, a literacy organization that connects young people in the DC area with authors, illustrators and books.

Other awesome places she has worked include Kramerbooks & Afterwords Cafe. Church World Service – Resettlement Support Center Africa, The Center for Applied Linguistics, University of Maryland – College Park, Montgomery Community College Refugee Training Center, Lutheran Social Services/Refugee and Immigrant Services and the International Rescue Committee. She has also served on the board of The Interfaith Conference of Washington, DC.

When she’s not reading or writing, Naaz loves exploring new places, going for walks in the woods, and tinkering around on her ukelele.

Naaz Khan will be featuring her book, Room For Everyone. Visit her table to participate in a decorate your own bus craft!

Tenbeete Solomon, better known as Trap Bob, is a multidisciplinary artist based in Washington, DC. She is known for her use of bold colors and gestures to convey both the humor and struggles of everyday life. Her work is socially conscious and frequently inspired by activism and community issues, with an aim to bridge the gap between her audience and her message. Her work is rooted in the belief that “Art Will Save the World”.

Inspired by her coloring book, Super Drawn, stop by Naaz’s table to Draw your Dreams with Trap Bob. Grab some color and express your dreams, hopes and ideas on a paper cloud!