Speakers

Afiq Salam is an experienced comic artist who has been publishing best-selling comics for students and teenagers for over 10 years. 

Ajia (阿甲) is a Chinese author and translator of children’s books, a promoter of reading, an enthusiastic storyteller and a 2022 Carle Honors Bridge Honoree. As an independent researcher, he has written several books including A Little History of Picture Books and Passion for Reading – A Handbook on Reading Promotion. Picture books authored by Ajia include Li Na: Be an Even Better You illustrated by Yu Rong and Drawing a horse illustrated by Dai Dunbang. He has also translated several reference books like Dear Genius by Leonard S. Marcus and more than 200 picture books from English to Chinese, such as the Peter Rabbit Series, Goodnight Moon, and Where the Wild Things Are. 

A.J. Low is the husband-and-wife writing team of Adan Jimenez and Felicia Low-Jimenez. They write the best-selling Sherlock Sam series. Their books have been published in North America, Indonesia, Turkey, South Korea, Myanmar, China, the Middle East, and Taiwan. The series has been adapted into a musical and rights have been optioned for an animated series. Felicia is a comics publisher and Adan edits video games.

Amanda Ruiqing Flynn is an artist, writer, Chinese-English translator and creative writing teacher who has lived and worked in the UK, Taiwan and Singapore. She holds a BA in Chinese and Development Studies from SOAS and an MFA in Art and Design. Amanda has won several competitions for her writing and artwork. She is the author-illustrator of The Woof that Went Weng, her first children’s picture book, which will be published by Balestier Press in 2024. On most days, she is chief storyteller to her son.

Amelia has been mentoring education professionals in the area of language and literacy for the last 16 years. She is a lecturer at the National Institute of Early Childhood Development, advocating children’s literature, language and literacy, teaching literacy to diverse learners, and teaching techniques for preschool education. Amelia also trains in-service educators in Continuing Professional Development (CPD) programmes and Continuing Education & Training (CET) courses, and conducts workshops for parents.

Anja von Kampen is a Berlin-based film producer, director, world traveler, inventor and author. In 2012, she created the award-winning animated character Knietzsche for German children's television. As of now the Knietzsche universe consists of eleven books, an app and almost 80 short-films, available in different languages.

Visit www.knietzsche.com

Photo by www.visionx.de 

Ariel Lee is an assistant editor at Epigram Books. She specialises in middle grade fiction. She has previously worked with translated works of contemporary world literature, with a specific focus on Asia.

ArunDitha is a Singaporean poet, singer, speaker and coach. Her work has been invited to different writers festivals and events internationally. She has written books, one-woman-shows and enjoys drinking rose tea when she needs a relaxing beverage. She loves watching the sun as it rises on a new day.

Ashley is a Librarian from the Arts & General Reference team at the National Library Board (NLB), Singapore. She is in charge of content creation, the curation, development and management of collections and exhibitions, as well as the provision of reference and research services to the public. Previously, she was an Early Literacy librarian for children aged 0-6 years old, promoting a robust reading culture from young. 

Canato Jimo is a picture book maker who currently works with Pratham Books, India, as an art director. He is author-illustrator of award-winning books, Snip and Asamo, Is that you?. He moonlights as a musician and is a recovering stationery addict.

Carlene Tan is the Director of Orignal Production and Development (Kids - Asia Pacific) at Warner Bros. Discovery where she leads a team in identifying new IP and producing original content. She currently oversees and steers production of APAC originals, including the International Emmy-nominated series, Lamput. Her portfolio includes projects such as  Oddbods and Insectibles at One Animation and original animation at Disney SEA. 

Cassia Leong is the Director of AcesCube Education Services. After graduating with a Bachelor in Civil Engineering, she went on and obtained a PGDE (Post-graduate Diploma in Education) from the National Institute of Education . A strong advocate for life-long learning, Cassia is currently pursuing her second degree in Translation and Interpretation at the Singapore University of Social Sciences.

Catherine Dellosa plays games for a living, reads comics for inspiration, and writes fiction because she’s in love with words. She works as a games journalist for one of the UK's biggest mobile gaming media outlets. Her Young Adult fantasy novel, Of Myths And Men, was published by Penguin Random House SEA. She is already working on the sequel for the trilogy, along with a few more projects up her sleeve. Her other titles include The Bookshop Back Home, Raya and Grayson’s Guide to Saving the World, and The Choices We Made (And Those We Didn't).

Chen Min is a promoter of children's reading, a children's book translator, and a reading teacher loved by children. She actively participates in and organizes reading clubs and lectures, and is active in schools, kindergartens, libraries, and communities. She has translated many picture books, such as the fifth series of Miffy, Journey Cake, Ho!, Winter Dance, Seashore Book, and the children's novel series Sherlock Sam.

Christine is the head of Tusitala, a Singapore-based digital storytelling studio that creates novel literary experiences. She has an MA in English Literature from the National University of Singapore, and a background in editorial and arts management. She currently serves on the executive committee of the Singapore Book Publishers Association.

Cindy works at the intersection of learning, design, and technology, with a keen interest in the orchestration of future-ready tech-enabled learning. Specifically, her research is concerned with the implications that the use of adaptive technologies has on teacher-student interactions, as teachers grapple with balancing personalised learning and learning in community.    

Cindy is a seasoned expert in Media, Communications, Education, and Publishing. With extensive experience as a journalist, writer, editor, and PR specialist, she now teaches as a lecturer and programme leader for Strategic Communication at a Malaysian university. Cindy's creativity extends beyond academia as she is currently working on her first children's picture book and is the mastermind behind kokoku.news, an innovative visual news platform. Her impressive portfolio and limitless ideas make her a multi-talented visionary.

Claire is a long-term member of the Children’s Book Council of Australia and president of the subbranch. In 2008, she initiated the Jeans Genies project which was adopted by many international libraries. As a member of the IFLA Libraries for Children and Young Adults committee she is a coordinator of the World Through Picture Books Programme. Claire is a member of IBBY Australia’s national executive, and chairs its Ena Noël Award, and the IBBY Outstanding Books on Disabilty List. Claire has presented papers at IBBY, IRSCL and IFLA conferences.

An actor, singer, director, scriptwriter, community arts worker and educator, Claire Teo has spearheaded 2 inclusive, multidisciplinary arts projects, and is currently teaching at SPED schools and mainstream arts colleges. She is also the programmes’ executive at Methodist Welfare Services, working with youths at risk and broken families.

Photo by Crispian Chan    

Colin Goh created DIM SUM WARRIORS which has spawned a Scholastic graphic novel series, a bilingual children’s book series, a giant musical in China, and now an education technology startup. He also wrote and directed the award-winning movie “Singapore Dreaming” and drew cartoons for 2 New York Times bestsellers.

Dai Yun is the renowned author of The Wandering Chicken, The Plane Tree and Sudan’s Horn. Her books have won several awards, including the Hsin-Yi Picture Book Award and Wenjin Book Award of Top 5 Original Picture Books by the National Library of China in 2018. Created at the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic in 2020, her story Do not Scroll Around during Chinese New Year received more than one million views to bring comfort and strength to a large number of little readers and their families during these unusual times.

Daniel Miyares is a critically acclaimed picture book author and illustrator. Some of his books include: Float, Hope At Sea, Night Out, and Bring Me A Rock!. Daniel has been called “…a master of visual storytelling.”- Jody Hewston, Kinderlit, and “…enchanting, versatile” – The New York Times. He believes that our stories have the power to connect us all. Daniel’s story currently takes place in Lenexa, KS with his wife, their two wonderful children, and a dog named Violet that gives them all a run for their money     

When he’s not illustrating books like Eliza Teoh’s Ellie Belly and Hwee Goh’s Change Makers, David can be found building miniature worlds in unattended drawers. In-between this artistic mayhem, he teaches at local art colleges and polytechnics. If adequately incentivised he’ll admit to illustrating Pippa Chorley’s Eye Spy series and Melanie Lee’s The Adventures of Squirky the Alien as well.

Denise is a bookseller who has worked with children’s literature for over a decade. In 2013, she very delightfully co-founded Closetful of Books. With Closetful of Books, she shares her love for stories by bringing bookfairs, talks and workshops with authors and illustrators to local and international schools.

Drewscape (aka Andrew Tan) is a freelance illustrator and Eisner-nominated comic artist from Singapore. He's authored two graphic novels- Monsters, Miracles and Mayonnaise and The Ollie Comics: Diary of a first-time dad. He illustrates picture books such as Panjang: The Tall Boy Who Became Prime Minister and big books for Singapore's Ministry of Education. Over the years, he's teamed up with husband-and-wife writing team, A.J. Low, to illustrate the children's detective series, Sherlock Sam.

Website: drewscape.net

As an educator, Elaine believes in harnessing the power of imagination, the pleasure of play and the wonder of stories. She has over a decade of experience teaching and mentoring children, teenagers and young adults, while working on various early literacy projects. As a lecturer at the National Institute of Early Childhood Development, she champions children’s literature, social emotional learning, and language and literacy. She currently serves as an advisor to the Ministry of Social and Family Development for Family Values Education projects targeted at preschools.

Elizabeth Chua is currently pursuing her Masters in Early Childhood Education. She has journeyed professionally from a classroom teacher, a mentor-teacher to centre leadership in the first child study centre in Singapore. As a leader, she continues to develop potential and grow learning and thinking communities that are grounded on sound and innovative practices. She believes that instilling a passion for literature in young children is a pathway into education and an opportunity to be exposed to other worlds of meaning-making.

After a Master in Philosophy and a Master in Art Management, and professional experience as a civil servant for cultural actitivities in the city, Emilie Bettega became a librarian in 2008. She developped her professional experience overseas as Chief Librarian for Lisbon and Pekin French Institute before teaching French in Brazil. She now works at the French National Library (BnF) and she is a member of the Children and Young Adult Section at IFLA.

Emily Lim-Leh is a multi-award-winning author of over 40 children’s picture books. She was named Mediacorp’s Singapore Woman Award Honoree for inspiring readers through her books and finding her voice in writing following a rare voice affliction. She is also recipient of the Covid-19 Public Service Medal for her book collaborations with the healthcare sector.

Erika Turner is an editor of award-winning and critically acclaimed books for young readers. As an executive editor at Little Brown Books for Young Readers, she focuses on books in all formats, with a particular specialty in stories that uplift marginalized voices. She’s also a dog lover, a yoga enthusiast, and an aspiring language nerd, with intermediate fluency in Spanish and Japanese.

Co-founder of Hoods Inc. Productions, Esan is best known as the writer and director of Singapore and Malaysia’s highest rated English comedies, Under One Roof and Phua Chu Kang. Approaching his 30th year in the media industry, he has created over 500 hours of content for multiple genres and formats.

Fei Victor Lim is Associate Professor at the National Institute of Education, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore. He is interested in how and what we should teach learners in today’s digital age. He researches and teaches on multiliteracies, multimodal discourse analyses, and digital learning.

Photo by Alden Lim    

Felicia Low-Jimenez has worked in bookselling and publishing for over a decade. She is the Publisher at Difference Engine, an independent comics publisher in Singapore. She is also one half of the writing team behind the best-selling Sherlock Sam series of children’s books. She has her first published adult fantasy short story in Fish Eats Lion Redux.

Geraldine Teo-Zuzarte holds a PhD in Early Childhood Education and is passionate about the development of children, especially those in their early years. A seasoned speaker with 30 years of experience, she has presented papers in conferences and workshops both locally and internationally. With her deep theoretical and practical knowledge on ECCE, Geraldine has inspired and nurtured many to become current leaders in the ECCE sector.

Gina Chew is a storyteller based in Singapore. Her day job involves writing for the screen, and Afterlife: The Boy Next Realm marks her first foray into the world of graphic novels. Her interests include exploring the ways we are tied to memory and tradition, needlessly complicated board games, and sleeping in.

Hanna Alkaf is the critically acclaimed author of the Freeman Award winner The Weight of Our Sky, the Kirkus Prize finalist The Girl and the Ghost, and Queen of the Tiles. She graduated with a degree in journalism from Northwestern University and spent over ten years in journalism and communications before trading in nonfiction for fiction. Her next books are the MG fantasy adventure Hamra & the Jungle of Memories (HarperCollins, March 28th 2023) and the YA magic school murder mystery anthology The Grimoire of Grave Fates (Delacorte Press, June 6th 2023).  Hanna lives in Kuala Lumpur with her family.

Helen Wang translates Chinese children’s books into English. In 2017, she won the Marsh Christian Award for Children’s Literature in Translation for her translation of 《青铜葵花》(Bronze and Sunflower) by Cao Wenxuan, as well as the Chen Bochui Special Contribution Award for translation and increasing visibility of Chinese children's literature.

Hendarto is a freelance translator who works from German and English into his native Bahasa Indonesia. He launched his career in the mid-1980s and to date has translated more than 100 titles, most of them books for children and young readers. He joined Himpunan Penerjemah Indonesia (the Association of Indonesian Translators) in 2004 and currently serves on the advisory board of the organisation. He lives with his family in Bogor near Jakarta and enjoys working from home in the tranquility of his semi-rural surroundings.

Hidayah Amin is a Singapore-born, award-winning author. Her first short story, The Funny Accident, was published when she was 11 years old.  To date, she has written eight non-fiction books and 10 children’s books—The Mango Tree book won the 2015 Hedwig Anuar Book Award for Best Children’s Book while Leluhur: Singapore’s Kampong Gelam is the winner of the 2021 NUS Singapore History Prize. Like Hemingway, Hidayah writes to express; not to impress. 

Hongyu Jasmine Zhu 朱弘昱, from Chengdu, China, found joy while translating English lyrics for her choir. She performed her English dramatization of Sanmao’s short story “Chui Bing” at her school’s Declamation, was a 2022 ALTA Travel Fellow, and has translated for The Book of Beijing (Comma Press). She’ll attend Brown University ’23-27.

Huong Anh Trinh graduated with a Master’s degree in Children’s literature and illustration in London, UK. A lot of her work is driven by her love for trees and animals and where possible, she loves to infuse her illustrations with a sense of fun and warmth. Her ultimate goal is to create artworks that brim with positive energy and hopefully bring human beings closer to nature. She is now working for Nha Nam JSC as an Art coordinator, playing a part in creating books that stand out in the market, spark wonder in readers and be treasured for a lifetime.

Hwee Goh was classically trained at the Medill School of Journalism and spent 16 years at CNA before writing 11 fiction and non-fiction books for children. She is also a strategic communications and editorial specialist. Hwee is most appreciated for her experience as a journalist and her insights on reading and writing. Since 2014, she has been known for her bookish content, reviews and author interviews @hweezbooks.

Jane De Suza is an award-winning author, columnist and creative consultant. Her books combine humour with thought-provoking insights and are published worldwide. She is a management grad, has been Creative Director, film writer and columnist for leading publications in India. Currently, she lives in Singapore. 

Photo by Sudhakara Jain    

Jane Wee has been a librarian with NLB since 1993. She started her career as a Librarian with the Public Libraries, joined the National Reference Library in 1998, and between 2012 to 2015, was the Region Head of Eastern Libraries comprising six branches in the Eastern part of Singapore. Currently the Head of Chinese Language, she is responsible for the overall strategic directions and implementation of nationwide reading programmes for the Chinese Language. Her team works on the development of the Chinese physical and digital collections in the entire public library network

Jaspreet Kaur Sekhon, a founding member of Diverse Abilities Dance Collective (DADC), has performed with the group representing PWDs. In 2022, she received the Promising Award from the President for being a role model and disability advocate. Recently, DADC collaborated with Candoco (UK) for Dan:s Focus: EveryBody can dance by The Esplanade. Jaspreet is part of a 2-year Industry Mentorship Programme by Art:Dis and believes in contributing to society through her art.

Jeet Zdung fuses traditional Vietnamese art with manga, using pencils, watercolours, ink and other digital means to create works of beauty and innovation. He has won several awards, including a silent manga audition excellence award for his manga stand up and fly. He lives in Hanoi ,Vietnam.

Jeffrey is an experienced Theatre Director and Drama Educator. He has taught ‘Creativity in Collaborative Learning’ and ‘Lesson Planning’ for the National institute of Education, ‘Educational Drama’ for Nanyang Technological University, 'Children's Theatre' for the University of Warwick and 'Educational Theatre' for New York University's Study Abroad Programme in London.

Jiwone Lee is an art historian, translator of children’s literature, and curator of children’s book exhibitions. With an MA and PhD in art history from Poland, she specializes in the history of children’s book illustrations. She is a lecturer at Hankuk University of Foreign Studies and the University of Seoul and has translated 69 books into Korean. She has curated numerous events and exhibitions related to children’s picture books, including at the Bologna Book Fair and the Albus Gallery in Seoul.

Jo Lusby is co-founder of Pixie B, a content management and strategy agency specialising in China and Asia, and represents corporate clients, including Harry Potter digital publisher Pottermore Publishing and US children’s franchise Rebel Girls, as well as individual authors. Jo was formerly the CEO of Penguin Random House North Asia.

Josef Lee is visual storyteller based in Singapore. With his background in branding and advertising, Josef expanded his skills into the field of animation and founded motion design and creative studio  MOJO in 2008. He writes and draws picture stories and published his first picture-book via crowdfunding in 2017. Since then, his works have attracted the attention of publishers from Taiwan and China and has published over 10 picture-books to date. Josef is pursuing a part time MA in Design and is researching combining infographics and comics to create a more effective visual narrative medium.

Josephine Chia likes to capture vignettes of Singaporean history and stories  in her books. She enjoys including  her rich Peranakan culture and heritage and writes both fiction and non-fiction. Altogether, she has published thirteen books. Her children’s novel, Queen of the Sky, was shortlisted for the Scholastic Asian Book Award 2018.  In 2019, she won the Singapore Publishers Book Award for her first YA Novel, Big Tree in a Small Pot.

Joyce Chng lives in Singapore. They write science fiction and fantasy as well as YA and MG. Their short stories have appeared in The Apex Book of World SF II, The Future Fire and Multispecies Cities. Dragon Dancer (Lantana Publishing) is Joyce’s first picture book, celebrating dragon dancing and Lunar New Year, followed by Oyster Girl (Pepper Dog Press), a tribute to their grandmother and the hawker heritage in Singapore. For YA readers, Fire Heart (Scholastic Asia) is a fantasy book about swords and coming-of-age. You can find Joyce at https://awolfstale.wordpress.com or @jolantru at Twitter.

Joy has recently graduated from Anglo-Chinese School (Independent) and is awaiting matriculation into the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences at the National University of Singapore. A jack of all trades, she enjoys dabbling in a bit of everything but loves creative writing above all else, often gathering inspiration for new works at absurd hours in the night. She has always had a deep love for Chinese, with a particular interest in Chinese crosstalk.

Kiana Fedly aka Kifurai is the creator behind Two Tails. She is an illustrator and full-time animal lover. She comes from a family in the creative field and went on to study at the Jakarta Institute of Arts (IKJ). Her interest lies in creating cute-looking characters to accompany her narrative art. She has worked with independent artists, companies, and brands for projects such as music video storyboarding, merchandise illustration, company mascots, and digital content.

Kim Beeman has worked worked as a teacher-librarian in international schools in Thailand and Singapore for the last ten years. She now works as the Head of Library in the Senior School at Tanglin Trust in Singapore. She holds a degree in English from Harvard College, as well a Master's degree in Library Science and a PGCEi. Kim is also a member of the executive committee of the International Schools Library Network and sits on the Authors and Illustrators Committee for AFCC. Kim is passionate about reading, writing, and research.    

Lee Uk-bae is a picture book artist. His picture books, depicting villages with old trees and laughing children, reflect on the importance of a simple life, the value of family, and the sorrow of a divided nation. Sori’s Harvest Moon Day, published in 1995, was translated and published in six countries. Lee also participated in the Book Project for Peace, a project involving picture book artists from Korea, China, and Japan. In 2020, When Spring Comes to the DMZ was awarded the Batchelder Award Honor by the American Library Association. His latest works include A Page-by-page Picture Book.

Le Hoang is the Vice President of the Vietnam Publishers Association and Director of HCMC Book Street Company. He is the former director and Editor-in-Chief of Tre Publishing House and the former Editor-in-Chief of Tuoi Tre Newspaper, HCMC. 

Le My Ai has more than 15 years of experience as an editor. She is currently the editor of nonfiction books at Kim Dong Publishing House, and has worked on many bestselling titles by domestic and foreign authors.

Lianne Ong works as an editor and is an award-winning children’s author. To date, she has published 16 children’s picture books. She is best known as the author of the series, Stacey & the Museums – about local museums – and A Place for Us, about special needs. Her latest title is Sing A Song of Hawker Food: Humpty Dumpty & Friends Have A Singapore Hawker Feast which won second prize in the POPULAR Reader's Choice Awards (Children's Category). She stays in Singapore with her family.

As a child, Lin Bo Ting’s dream was to become a vet, now he creates picture books for a living. He decided to pursue a Master’s Degree in Art in his 40s. Despite his aversion to noise, he enjoys interacting with children. He is adept at using oil pastels, acrylic paint, mixed media, and the computer to create his artwork. His accolades include the 2023 Taipei International Book Exhibition Award, 2021 Golden Tripod Awards (Outstanding Publication) and the 7th Feng Zikai Chinese Children's Picture Book Award (Recommended Book). 
  

Linh Nguyen has been working as a children’s book translator and editor at Nha Nam Publishing since 2017. She has experience in book promotion activities and  helps run Nha Nam’s Facebook fanpage which has more than 990,000 fans, and a page for children's books. She has a strong desire to create picture books that make both children and adults smile.

Linn T Sunne has worked as a senior advisor at Innlandet County Library for the past 16 years, working on literature dissemination for children and adults. She is also a teacher and has published a number of books for children and young adults.

Lisa Zuliana Binte Zulkifli is an Associate Librarian with the National Library Board, where she works to ensure young children between 0-6 years old enjoy valuable curated programmes that boost their literacy and love for reading. Lisa is also an avid feminist since young and believes that children are never too young to learn about gender equality and how perceptions of gender change with time.

Low Ying Ping is the bestselling author of the middle grade/young adult fantasy series Mount Emily, as well as the quirky and full-filled fantasy adventure story Prophecy of the Underworld. She has written a three-volume English adaptation of the Chinese classic, Journey to the West, for younger children. Her novels have won the Singapore Book Awards and were shortlisted for the Hedwig Anuar Children’s Book Award and the Popular Readers’ Choice Award. She reviews books on Instagram @lowyingping.

Lucia has been working in academic libraries, and also as a freelance illustrator and editor in the children's publishing industry. Trained in Cultural Anthropology, Chinese Literature, Art and the Library and Information Sciences, she is now the language specialist for Chinese and Korean children's literature at the International Youth Library in Munich, Germany.

Ly Nguyen has 10 years of experience working in the publishing sector, as a translator, editor, and is currently part of the copyright team at the Vietnam Women's Publishing House. One of her goals is to promote the love of books, fiction and nonfiction,  in children. 

For many years now, Marie-Aude Murail has explored different veins of children’s literature. Whether it be political, realist, or fantasy, her motto is to never repeat herself and to never be where you expect her. After her PhD in literature at the Sorbonne, she devoted herself to writing. She received the Legion of Honor, the highest French distinction, for her contribution to children’s literature and the common good and the prestigious Hans Christian Andersen Award in 2022.

Maya is a 13 year old student from Singapore. and lists reading, basketball and soccer as her hobbies, in addition to playing the violin. Her favourite genres are Mystery and Sci-Fi. 

Melanie is the author of the graphic novel series Amazing Ash & Superhero Ah Ma, the picture book series, The Adventures of Squirky the Alien, and the travel guide series Out & About in Singapore. She is also a part-time communications lecturer.

Mindy has more than a decade of experience as editor and marketing manager at Marshall Cavendish International. She is the driving force behind key publications as a senior editor and develops marketing strategies to help the publishing house remain a leading publisher in Asia and beyond.

Mohini Gupta is a DPhil Candidate at the University of Oxford. She is the founder of the digital collective Mother Tongue Twisters. She has co-edited The Hindu Bard: The Poetry of Dorothy Bonarjee (Honno Press, 2023) and Rethinking Education in the Context of Post-Pandemic South Asia: Challenges and Possibilities (Routledge, 2023).    

Mukhlis Abu Bakar is Head of Asian Languages & Cultures Academic Group and Associate Professor at the National Institute of Education, NTU. He obtained his MA and PhD in Applied Linguistics from the University of Wales, Bangor, UK. His research interests lie in the fields of bilingualism, biliteracy, literacy learning, and socio-phonetics. He is Co-Editor of the 2021 volume The Bloomsbury Handbook of Cultural Identity from Early Childhood to Early Adulthood.

Nadhir Nor is an illustrator from Selangor, Malaysia who’s into all things otherworldly. Mythology, lost traditions and their relationship with modern society are some of the subjects he holds dear too. He is the illustrator of Afterlife: The Boy Next Realm.

Namita Moolani Mehra is a children’s book author and food writer.  She is the author of The Magic Spicebox, Superfoods for Superheroes, and Anni Dreams of Biryani. Namita was born in Nigeria, spent her childhood in England and India, and then moved to the United States. She spent over a decade in New York working in advertising and as a creative strategist at Facebook. Namita currently lives in Singapore with her husband and two children. 

www.namitamehra.com
Twitter @namstwit 
Instagram @indianspicebox 

Nazry Salam is a writer, artist, and animator who has been involved in the creation of 40 comic book titles, 12 novels, 2 magazines, and 3 animated series. He has been awarded the Johor Literature Award in the kids' novel category, as well as the National Book Award for best comic book. His most popular work is the MISI comic book series, an educational comic series that he co-founded with his brother, Afiq Salam.

With more than 20 years of working in the publishing industry, Nguyen Thanh Nam has developed book projects in different genres for Tre Publishing House, working with authors and translators across many projects. He has also represented Tre in multiple international book fairs, including the Frankfurt Book Fair and Bologna Children's Book Fair. 

Nicholas oversees the content strategy for local commissions for kids programmes on Mediacorp's kids brand, and Okto on platforms like YouTube & linear channels.    

Bestselling author Nikki Grimes received the Virginia Hamilton Lifetime Achievement Award, ALAN Award for teen literature, Children's Literature Legacy Medal, NCTE Award for Excellence in Poetry, and the Coretta Scott King Award. Recent titles include Legacy: Women Poets of the Harlem Renaissance, Playtime for Restless Rascals, and Garvey in the Dark. 

Norlin is the author of the bilingual Ally's Adventures book series. She is an ex-primary school teacher with a Post-graduate Diploma in Education and an MA in Language Studies. A passionate educator, Norlin provides various institutions in Singapore with educational programmes targeted at young children, parents and educators. She writes and helps other writers conceptualise and publish their children’s books. 

Nur Azeezah Fakrudin is a Secondary 4 student from Queensway Secondary School. Her CCA is the Library club and her hobbies are reading and playing online games, such as Call Of Duty. She enjoys reading series books such as Harry Potter and Percy Jackson as well as fanfiction online.

Nur Khairiah is an author, multidisciplinary artist and educator with more than 15 years of experience in Malay Language education. Her published works include children’s picture books, young adult novels, educational comic and short fiction anthologies in English and Malay languages. She has won writing awards for blogging, children’s literature and poetry competitions in Singapore.

Oliver Phommavanh loves to make people laugh, whether it’s on the page writing humour for kids or on stage as a stand-up comedian. He also shares his passion for writing with kids, using his experience as a primary school teacher. Oliver has performed at various comedy and writers festivals around Australia and Asia. Oliver’s recent books include Brain Freeze, Don’t Follow Vee and Natural Born Loser, and he is best known for Thai-riffic!, Con-nerd and The Other Christy.

Paul holds a Musical Theatre Diploma & a BA in Performance from the University of Huddersfield. He's worked with UK theatre companies, managing Arts Education programs for participants in formal education, community outreach & venue-based programs. With an MA in Leadership, Strategy & Innovation, he aims to transform arts leadership. Paul uses theatre as a tool in non-traditional settings, working with diverse groups to boost self-esteem, lead inclusive arts programs & enhance leadership skills.    

Writing teacher Pauline Loh has published 13 adult non-fiction books, 6 Young Adult books, 9 children’s storybooks and 3 junior chapter books. Her awards include FTWIPI 2009, Scholastic Asian Book Award runner up 2012, shortlisted for Hedwig Anuar Book Award 2015, Samsung KidsTime Author’s Award 2015 and Singapore Book Awards 2016. Longlisted for Epigram Books Fiction Prize 2016. Awarded Singapore heritage grants thrice.    

Peter Schoppert is a publisher and reformed technopreneur who has made his career in Singapore. He is currently the Director of the NUS Press, the scholarly publishing arm of the National University of Singpore, and serves on number of creative industry groups in Singapore and internationally. He writes on generative AI at aicopyright.substack.com

Photo created by Stability Diffusion

Pham Thi Hoai Anh is an independent children's picture book author and the founder of Vietnam's ICBC (Initiative of Children's Book Creative content). Through ICBC, Hoai Anh spearheads diverse educational programs and art activities, including visual art exhibitions, reading concerts, and drama performances. Passionate about reading with children, she strives to enrich their artistic experiences and spread the joy of reading, considering it a vital responsibility as a children's book author.

Award-winning British children’s author Pippa Chorley lives in Singapore. Trained as a primary school teacher, Pippa loves to write stories that take children on adventures into magical worlds. A passionate advocate for Singapore’s cultural diversity, rich history and beautiful nature, Pippa created Eye Spy Singapore, to celebrate everything that makes Singapore special.

Hong Shin is a Singaporean picture book author and illustrator. He has illustrated several picture books and his work has been shortlisted twice for the Hedwig Anuar Children's Book Award. His book The Incredible Basket, published by Epigram Books, was the winner of Best Children's Book at the 2019 Singapore Book Awards. 

Mr Vairavan is passionate about Tamil literature and has been writing since 1998. He has released 8 books in Tamil. His book "Kavithai Kuzhandaikal" clinched the 2012 Singapore Literature Prize in the Tamil category. From 2013 to 2017, he organized ASTW's monthly "Kathaikkalam" event and nurtured many new budding writers.    

Ray is a Singaporean with extensive experience in children's edutainment, having managed one of Thailand's largest family entertainment centers. As a marketer for Dream Academy®, the local theatre production company behind shows like the Dim Sum Dollies®, KUMAR, Meenah and Cheena, and Broadway Beng®. He is passionate about promoting local arts and looks forward to sharing insights on the adaptation process of local book series, Sherlock Sam (by A.J. Low) into a musical.    

Photo by Beyondtheisland

Razina Akhter is Head of the Library at Bangladesh Shishu (Children) Academy with degrees in Information Science & Library Management. She currently serves as Senior Vice President of the Bangladesh Associations of Librarians, Information Scientist and Documentalist (BALID), and is a standing committee member of IFLA Libraries for Children and Young Adults and an IRRT member of the American Library Association (ALA).

Sarah A. Evans is the Presidential Early Career Professor at the University of North Texas, Director for the Children's and Young Adult Librarianship program and Co-Director of the Multiple Literacies Lab. Her research examines the literacies and identities taken up in voluntary learning experiences. Sarah has extensive experience in working for and with libraries, and holds a PhD in Learning Sciences from the University of Washington.

Sara Patricia Kelly is a creative storyteller and children's poet. Based in Singapore, she authors flossiebossy.com - a 'sticky poppy poetry' blog for kids, and performs spoken word poetry at local events. She completed an MA in Creative Writing at LASALLE College of the Arts.

Sharifah Aishah Osman is Senior Lecturer at the Department of English, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, Universiti Malaya, Kuala Lumpur. Her research focuses mainly on the intersection between feminism and literature for children and young adults. She has published articles and book chapters and presented conference papers on various aspects of Malaysian youth literature. She is co-editor of The Principal Girl: Feminist Tales from Asia (2019), and is currently working on a monograph on feminist folktales and folktale adaptations in Malaysian youth literature.

Shaun Low is the Principal Educational Therapist of Swords & Stationery, the first game-based educational therapy in Singapore for dyslexic students. He strongly believes that learning can be made more effective when students have fun.

Simon Chesterman is David Marshall Professor and Vice Provost at the National University of Singapore, where is he also Dean of NUS College. Serious works include "We, the Robots? Regulating Artificial Intelligence and the Limits of the Law". His novels include the "Raising Arcadia" trilogy, "I, Huckleberry", and "Artifice".

Smit Zaveri is an editor by day and baker by night. She has worked across departments in publishing before joining Penguin Random House India as an editor. Smit currently works at Pratham Books, where she edits the most delicious picture books. She lives in Bangalore in her yellow house that always smells of cake.

Ex-Teacher, Editor, Freelance Instructor, Interactive Voice Actor, full-time writer Suriya Rethnna is Singapore’s first female Tamil novelist. 

Besides novels, inspiring stories, contemporary women’s literature, Horror, Comedy, Scriptwriting for Mediacorp, Curriculum Content (Singapore Syllabus), she has written Children Fiction amounting to more than 60 stories, including those written for the Ministry of Education. 

Addition to Mont Blanc Young Writers’ Fellowship Award 1998, Karikalan Literary Award 2013, she was awarded the ‘Achievement Woman Singapore (Tamil) 2023. 

Susan Xu Yun is the Head of Translation and Interpretation programmes and Associate Professor at the School of Humanities and Behavioural Sciences, Singapore University of Social Sciences (SUSS). Her publications include a monograph, Translation of Autobiography: Narrating Self, Translating the Other, Vol. 136, Benjamins Translation Library. Susan is involved in developing the Bachelor of Arts in Translation and Interpretation and Graduate Diploma in Translation and Technology, the first and only programme of its type in Singapore. She also set up the Certification Examination for Professional Interpreters and Translators (CEPI/CEPT). She is a member of the Chinese Resource Panel for National Translation Committee, Singapore.
  

Born in Hanoi, Tam is a graduate from the National University of Singapore and is currently living in Ho Chi Minh City. Tam first began writing for her children, by translating her favorite picture books to read to her daughter. This experience led her to write her own stories that celebrate Vietnamese culture and family values. Her first picture book, This is Tết! has been translated into many languages and has become a favorite book for Vietnamese children in many countries. 

Su Ching writes and produces content for film, stage and audio. She has written for shows on HBO Asia, Netflix and Audible. Before adapting Mr Midnight with Beach House Kids, Su Ching and local filmmaker Wee Li Lin worked with Verite Productions to adapt Haresh Sharma’s play October into a telemovie. A mother of two, Su Ching is also a published poet and essayist. She is a certified vinyasa yoga teacher and training to become an end-of-life coach.

Photo by Jacqueline Chang

Tew Beng Siong is an accomplished educator and entrepreneur with a Master of Education in Learning Sciences and Technologies. He is the co-founder of AcesCube Education Services, a company that specialises in providing quality customised programs for MOE schools. Beng Siong is passionate about board games and believes that playing board games help develop critical thinking skills as well as strengthens familial bonds.

Tone Larssen Rogne has worked at the Sølvberget Public Library in Stavanger for 8 years coordinating class visits, reading campaigns for primary, secondary levels and high schools and events for children and young adults.

Trang Nguyen is a Vietnamese wildlife conservationist, environmental activist and writer, known for her conservation work in tackling the illegal wildlife trade in Africa and Asia. In 2018, she was featured in the documentary film Stroop: Journey Into The Rhino Horn War, alongside Jane Goodall and  named on the BBC'S 100 Women of 2019 List. Trang is the founder and executive director of Wildact, an NGO that monitors the illegal wildlife trade markets and provides conservation education programmes for Vietnamese youth. 

Tran Le Thuy Linh has been an editor of Nha Nam Publishing since 2008. Apart from being a translator, she is the editor of many important Vietnamese editions such as Catch 22, The Remains of the Day, The Portrait of Dorian Gray, Midnight's Children and many children’s books. She is now in charge of the copyright department of Nha Nam.

Tung Roh Suan is the founding director and editor-in-chief of Balestier Press, an independent publisher with a focus on world literature and literary translation from Asia.    

Tutu Dutta is the author of nine books, including Timeless Tales of Malaysia (Marshall Cavendish, 2009), Phoenix Song (Lantana Publishing (UK) 2016) and The Jugra Chronicles (MPH Publishing in 2010 and 2011.) Her latest book, The Blood Prince of Langkasuka, was published in 2021 (Penguin Random House SEA). Tutu has spoken about her stories that are rooted in Asian culture, at past AFCCs (2015 & 2017) and at folklore and book related conferences across Malaysia.

Vizhiyan is a contemporary Tamil children’s writer. He has published 35 books and has written more than 230 stories for children. Apart from working in children literature, he has been constantly contributing in the educational field and parenting kids. He devised an innovative programme 'Vasippu Mugaam'- Reading Workshop, which propagates reading habits among rural and urban children. He is currently the General Secretary of the Tamil Nadu Children Writers and Artists Association.

Vu Xuan Hoan is the illustrator and author of many picture books published in Vietnam. He has more than 17 years of experience as an art editor for children's books at Kim Dong Publishing House.

Wang Shu Fen is a renowned Taiwanese children’s books author and reviewer. She is also an expert in handcrafting books and avid proponent of reading. She was a primary school teacher in Taiwan and TV programme host and consultant with Taiwan Television. She has written more than 60 children’s books and teaching handbooks, including the Junwei Goes to School series; the young adult novel, I am an Idiot, which was adapted into the South Korean movie, Fly Heo Dong-gu;  the children’s fables series, Qiaoke the Cat ; and  handbooks, How to Make a Book from a Piece of Paper and How to Bring Picture Books to Life.  

William Sim is a full-time art practitioner and a partner at a visual arts studio based in Singapore since 1997. He has showcased his paintings in various group and solo exhibitions, in Singapore, Korea, Taiwan and Hong Kong. William is the author of several books including the best-selling colouring book, Colouring the Lion City. William also co-authored Of Happiness and Biophilia, an art book that showcases a comprehensive collection of artwork created in a span of ten years.

Xiran Jay Zhao is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Iron Widow series and Zachary Ying and the Dragon Emperor. A first-gen Hui Chinese immigrant from small-town China to Vancouver, Canada, they were raised by the Internet and made the inexplicable decision to leave their biochem degree in the dust to write books and make educational content instead. You can find them on Twitter for memes, Instagram for cosplays and fancy outfits, TikTok for fun short videos, and YouTube for long videos about Chinese history and culture.