PNWA Board Trustee, Jacqui (J.D.) Sullivan is a Seattle author / blogger who is currently finishing her third novel, a time-travel thriller. Her first published work, “I, Otherkin,” is a macabre short story about the lengths we might go to in the name of unconditional love. During her day job, J.D. is a technology program and project manager. She’s also a ten-year volunteer with PNWA who contributes a technical perspective for marketing initiatives. This year she donned her project manager hat to assist in PNWA’s move to a virtual, online conference.

Young Author's Day Keynote, Jason Reynolds, is a New York Times bestselling author who writes novels and poetry for young adult and middle-grade audiences. His most recent book, Look Both Ways: A Tale Told in Ten Blocks, was a National Book Award finalist and was named one of the best books of 2019 by NPR, The New York Times, School Library Journal, and more. Look Both Ways is composed of interconnected stories, each centering on a different student from the same school and tells what happens after the dismissal bell rings, brilliantly reminding readers to look at our surroundings more closely and notice all the things that connect us to our communities.

Born in Washington, DC, and raised in Maryland, Reynolds first found inspiration in rap and began writing poetry when he was nine years old. He went on to publish several poetry collections before publishing his first novel, When I Was the Greatest, which won the Corretta Scott King/John Steptoe Award for New Talent. He has since written numerous award-winning novels, including All American Boys, the Track series, Patina, Sunny, For Everyone, Miles Morales-Spiderman, and As Brave As You, which won the Kirkus Prize, an NAACP Image Award, and the Schneider Family Book Award. He is also the author of Long Way Down, a novel in verse which was named a Newberry Honor book, a Printz Honor Book, and best young adult work by the Mystery Writers of America’s Edgar Awards.

Reynolds’ forthcoming book, Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You, written in collaboration with author and historian Dr. Ibram X. Kendi, is a gripping, fast-paced, and energizing narrative that illuminates the many insidious forms of racist ideas and give readers the tools to identify and stamp out racist thoughts in their own lives. Based on Kendi’s National Book Award-winning Stamped from the Beginning, Reynolds has re-imagined this ground-breaking work for young adults and provides an accessible book that helps young readers understand race and  society.

Reynolds currently lives and writes in Washington, DC.

Young Author's Day Speaker, Kaitlyn Lawson, is a junior at Annie Wright Schools in Tacoma, Washington, where she has participated in the writing group Annie Writers since freshman year. She writes poetry, flash fiction, and short stories. Kaitlyn is an avid reader who has a special interest in YA fantasy. She loves animals and is heavily involved in 4H.

Jade and Wilnona are one of the 20 Iconic Authors Authors according to every writer’s resource. Jade is currently The Poet of the Year. They are the founders of The Inspirational Women in Literature Media And Journalism Awards, the magazine 25 Hottest Authors, & And I Thought Literary Magazine. They have read their book for fans in Australia, the U.K., Greece, and Canada by Invitation for two Regional poet laureates, & at numerous U.K Literary Book Awards. They have been on four European book tours reading their poetry, promoting their magazines and the upcoming film they star in, Create Aspire and Inspire. They are the 18th most interviewed authors.

PNWA Board Trustee, Jim Harris has been in the book business since September 1972 when he opened a bookstore in rural New Jersey. In December 1974 he was hired by Crown Publishers. During Jim’s 47 year career he attended over 150 trade shows. Shortly after arriving in Seattle, Jim became a Board member of the Pacific NW Booksellers Association, two of those year were as President. Jim writes book reviews for PNWA and completed a Book and Travel Blog for PNWA’s Newsletter.

Award-winning and bestselling author of the Greywalker paranormal detective novels, Kat Richardson lives in Western Washington, writing and editing Crime, Mystery, Science Fiction, and Fantasy. She is currently the President of the Northwest Regional chapter of the Mystery Writers of America. As a former journalist and editor, she has a wide range of non-fiction publications on topics from technology, software, and security, to history, health, and precious metals. A lifelong fan of crime and mystery fiction, and noir films, she is also the author of the Endeavour Award-Winning Science Fiction Police Procedural Blood Orbit under the pseudonym K. R. Richardson.

Jamie Pacton is a Young Adult and Middle Grade author who grew up minutes away from the National Storytelling Center in the mountains of East Tennessee. She has a BA and MA in English Literature, and currently teaches English at the college level. While pursuing her dream of being an author, she worked as a waitress, pen salesperson, lab assistant, art museum guard, bookseller, pool attendant, nanny, and lots of other weird jobs in between. Her writing has appeared in national and local magazines, and she spent many years blogging for Parents.com. Currently, Jamie lives in Wisconsin with her family and a dog named Lego. The Life and (Medieval) Times of Kit Sweetly is her debut novel and her sophomore novel, Lucky Girl is forthcoming in 2021. Find Jamie online at www.jamiepacton.com and on Instagram and Twitter @JamiePacton.

Joe Hight has spent his life pursuing ways and stories to help and impact people’s lives. He helped found the international Dart Center for Journalism and Trauma, now based at Columbia University. He has led and been involved in projects that have won numerous national awards, including the Pulitzer Prize in 2014. He’s written essays and chapters on trauma, journalism and ethics. He is the endowed chair of journalism ethics at the University of Central Oklahoma and director of the Oklahoma Journalism Hall of Fame in which he is a member. He writes a weekly column called “Oklahoma Joe.” Unnecessary Sorrow: A Journalist Investigates the Life and Death of His Older Brother Ordained, Discarded, Slain by Police is published by The Road Runner Press. He was also the lead editor/writer of the recently published Our Greatest Journalists. He and his family own Best of Books, an independent bookstore in Edmond, Oklahoma.

Kate Woods (Williams) is a former Seattle Police officer who began writing ten years ago as a hobby and fell in love with the art of storytelling. After spending a decade learning the craft, she’s finally querying agents for her debut novel Justice Due, a police procedural featuring a recently – and reluctantly – divorced detective who is investigating a series of murders that hit a little too close to home.