Jyoti Rajan Gopal

Jyoti Rajan Gopal is an award-winning picture book author, mom and forever kindergarten teacher. Her books have received starred reviews in Kirkus Reviews, Publisher’s Weekly, School Library Journal, Booklist, and BookPage and are on the Bank Street, NYPL, and SLJ Best Books lists. She is the recipient of the ALA 2024 Stonewall Honor Award and a finalist for the 2023 Neev Literature Award.

Jyoti writes stories--fiction and nonfiction--of identity, community and belonging, themes that speak to her heart and reflect her multiple identities.

Growing up, she lived in Thailand, Indonesia, Myanmar, India, and China. She now lives in New York with her husband, where they raised their two daughters.

Tara Anand (she/her) is an illustrator and visual artist from Bombay, India. She is currently pursuing a BFA in illustration from the School of Visual Arts in New York. Her work tends to draw from books, history, and her surroundings, and she enjoys working with female-driven narratives. She has worked primarily on editorial and children’s book projects.