Association of Jewish Libraries 2024 Conference San Diego

Liza Wiemer is an award-winning educator with over twenty years of teaching experience. Her second novel, The Assignment, has received 12 honors, including being named a Sydney Taylor Notable Book. To date, The Assignment has also been translated to Russian, Polish, Italian, and Korean... Read More →

Emily Barth Isler is the award-winning author of middle grade novels AfterMath and The Color of Sound (Carolrhoda), and forthcoming picture book, Always Enough Love (Nancy Paulsen Books, Spring 2026).Emily is a passionate advocate for gun control in America, and has written extensively... Read More →

Sidura Ludwig is an award-winning author. Her recent short-story collection You Are Not What We Expected (House of Anansi, 2020) won the Vine Literary Award for Fiction and was short-listed for the Danuta Gleed Award. She has two books for children out in 2024: her debut picture book... Read More →

Chana Stiefel is the award-winning author of more than 30 books for children. Her picture book, The Tower of Life: How Yaffa Eliach Rebuilt Her Town in Stories and Photographs (Scholastic), has won many honors, including the 2023 Sydney Taylor Book Award, a Robert F. Sibert Honor... Read More →

Chris Baron is the award winning author of novels for young (and young at heart) readers including All Of Me an NCTE Notable Book, The Magical Imperfect a Sydney Taylor Book Award Notable Book/an SLJ Best Book of 2021, The Gray (2023) and Forest Heart (2024) from Feiwel & Friends/Macmillan... Read More →

Stacy Nockowitz is a retired middle school librarian and former language arts teacher with 30+ years of experience in middle grade education. She holds Master's Degrees from Columbia University, Kent State University, and Vermont College of Fine Arts. Her debut middle grade novel... Read More →

Arthur A. Levine publishes books that explore the lives and stories of people who have historically been oppressed. In 2019, he founded the independent publisher Levine Querido, itself named after two intersectional Jews (Arthur, who is Jewish, Gay, and Disabled; Emanuel Querido who... Read More →

Michal Babay is a former teacher and elementary school resource specialist. She is the author of I'm a Gluten Sniffing Service Dog, The Incredible Shrinking Lunchroom, and On Friday Afternoon. Michal lives in California with her husband, three kids, three dogs, one cat, and a bearded... Read More →

Cambria is the author of the newly released young adult historical fiction novel, Trajectory, a Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection and Heather’s Pick. Her debut novel The Poetry of Secrets was called an "epic, poetic journey," by Ruta Sepetys. Cambria is coauthor of the... Read More →

Deborah Lakritz is the author of A Place to Belong: Debbie Friedman Sings Her Way Home, as well as PJ picture books, Say Hello, Lily, a Sydney Taylor Notable Book for Young Readers, and Joey and the Giant Box. She is also the author of debut middle grade novel Things That Shimmer... Read More →

Emi Watanabe Cohen grew up on the South Side of Chicago, where she spent most of her time reading, writing, or pretending to do her homework while secretly continuing to read or write. The stories she tells are informed by her mixed Japanese/Jewish heritage, as well as by her experiences... Read More →

Lisa Gerin is a former school librarian and high school teacher with a master’s degree in education. She had a satisfying career working with children, teaching reading and writing to grades PreK through 12 in New York and New Jersey. She writes creative nonfiction, usually STEM... Read More →

Lauren H. Kerstein is an author and psychotherapist. She is represented by Deborah Warren with East/West Literary Agency. Lauren writes pictures books through young adult books. She is a developmental editor and ghost writer. Lauren's books are infused with SEL, heart, and a bit of... Read More →

Charlotte Offsay is a picture book author living in Los Angeles with her husband and two children. She is the author of Eight Sweet Nights, A Festival of Lights, illustrated by Menahem Halberstadt (Doubleday Books for Young Readers, 2024), The Quiet Forest, illustrated by Abi Cushman... Read More →

Ellen Leventhal is an author and educator in Houston, TX. She is the author of four picture books, including Debbie's Song: The Debbie Friedman Story which has been named by Tablet Magazine as one of the top Jewish children’s books of 2023. Aside from her picture books, Ellen’s... Read More →