Brooklyn born and raised, Torrey Maldonado empowers young people through his writing, which include his books What Lane?, Tight, and Secret Saturdays. Overcoming failing, culturally unresponsive schools plus hardships in Red Hook projects, Maldonado has become a critically recognized and beloved middle grade and young adult novelist and educator who has taught in NYC public schools for nearly twenty-five years. His writing reflects his and his students’ experiences. You can meet him through torreymaldonado.com and @torreymaldonado on Twitter and Instagram.

Michela Martello is a multidisciplinary artist influenced by traditional and contemporary sources characterized by a symbolism that distinguishes her practice adding an universal language. In 2019, she received a Special Merit Honor Prize from Cultural Affairs Bureau, Tainan City Government, for her installation Everything Has A Vortex. Her work has been collected and commissioned by both public and private clients, such as Andrea Soros collection and MAAM Museum. In 2020, she was selected for publication in New American Painting Magazine. Michela collaborates with Pen + Brush, an association which supports women’s work in literary and visual arts.

Daniel O’Brien is a Trinidadian-born author and illustrator currently residing in New York with his amazing wife Ashleigh and his loyal dog, Obbie. Daniel holds a BFA in Illustration from The School of Visual Arts. His training, coupled with his love of science, folklore, and nature, inspires Daniel to create otherworldly illustrations. He is enthusiastic about contributing to the telling of Caribbean stories and is honored to be a part of the Caribbean Reads community. Daniel’s ultimate goal is to help children in the Caribbean and of Caribbean descent see themselves in the books they read.