Hooked on Fiction:

Jennifer L. Brown is an author of middle grade and young adult novels. She spent many years as a performer, working in theatres across the country in plays ranging from contemporary musicals to Shakespeare. When not writing, she tutors standardized tests, English, and essay writing. Her novel won a space in an intensive mentoring program called Pitch Wars in the fall of 2017. She has served as a mentor in that same program for the last four years. Her writing is represented by Alyssa Jennette at Stonesong Literary.

Christiane Calixte is a Brooklyn-based Caribbean American freelance writer and public speaker studying Creative Writing at Columbia University. She is passionate about exploring literature and media to shine a light on issues affecting justice-impacted marginalized communities. As a teaching artist at the literary organization Girls Write Now, she has taught multiple community studios exploring writing as a means of cultural expression and advocacy. As a Community Service Director for the Columbia Black Pre-Law Society, she collaborated with CUNY Law School and Books Through Bars to expand access to books in prisons nationwide. Her work has been featured in The Washington Post, YR Media, the New York Public Library's Teen Voices Magazine, and the Girls Write Now Anthology.