I’m From

GARY R. GRAY, JR., was born and raised in Preston, Nova Scotia, the largest Black community in Canada. Since completing his master's degree in Early Elementary Pedagogy, Gary has spent the last eleven years teaching abroad in Kuwait, Singapore, the Philippines, and most recently in Vietnam. As a teacher, Gary is passionate about creating classroom environments that are anti-racist and equitable, and he looks to carry these values forward in his writing. His fondest memories are of family and friends in his community, and he strives to bring these to life in his work, while allowing his readers to explore their own social identity. Gary also has a podcast called ItsPersonal in which he speaks with authors and educators of color about their personal experience. Some notable guests include Matt de la Peña, Nic Stone, Kiese Laymon and Minh Lê, among others.OGE MORA is a collage artist and storyteller. Her picture book, Thank You, Omu!, was a Caldecott Honor Book, Coretta Scott King/John Steptoe New Talent Award winner, and Ezra Jack Keats Book Award recipient. Her second book, Saturday, won the 2020 Boston Globe–Horn Book Picture Book Award. Oge's artwork has received praise from the Washington Post, New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and Boston Globe. She also recently made the Forbes 30 Under 30 2021 list in Arts & Style. Oge grew up in Columbus, Ohio, but resides in Providence, Rhode Island.