Young Author's Day Speaker, Anna Parrott, is a high school junior at Annie Wright Schools in Tacoma, Washington. She is co-captain of the upper school for girls’ writing group, Annie Writers, and loves to write short stories. Anna has written a one-act play that was performed at a school-wide event and has written several poems and short stories. As a reader, she loves characters with skewed morals that go on unusual adventures. She also enjoys poetry related to the natural world, reflecting her passion for environmental advocacy.

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.

Young Author's Day Speaker, Lu Henry-Mitchell, (she/her or they/them) is a senior at Annie Wright Schools in Tacoma, Washington, where they are co-captain of their school writing group, Annie Writers. They were an international finalist in the River of Words poetry competition, and their short stories have appeared in their school newspaper, Inkwell. They are passionate about queer representation, enjoy a good YA romance, and love researching obscure details that will almost certainly never end up in their book. Lu can be found writing in most of their spare time, and they are currently working on a YA romance with a dash of sci-fi.

Young Author's Day Speaker, Annika Christensen, is a high school senior at Annie Wright Schools in Tacoma, Washington. She is an avid reader and dedicated writer with a soft spot for fantasy. She is a two-time recipient of the Scholastic Art and Writing Awards’ Silver Key, and she was a finalist in the 2019 Tacoma Ocean Fest Youth Story Contest. She is co-captain of her school’s extracurricular creative writing activity, Annie Writers, which she’s been a part of for nearly four years, and she attended the PNWA conference with them last fall. Other than writing, Annika enjoys drawing, studying Chinese, and spending time with her family.

Young Author's Day Speaker, Kiana Davis, is an author, poetic-storyteller, and educator. She began writing poetry at the age of 12 to help cope with growing up in poverty. Kiana believes poetry builds bridges, and she teaches poetry workshops to help communities and organizations tackle tough conversations about equity and social justice, poverty, and identity.

Young Author's Day Speaker, Wendy Wahman, is a former Seattle P-I newspaper artist, who now writes and illustrates children’s books. Her debut picture book, Don’t Lick the Dog, was selected as a 2010 Bank Street Best Children’s Book of the Year, starred for Outstanding Merit and accepted to the Society of Illustrators Original Art show. Other books are A Cat Like That, Rabbit Stew, Pony in the City, and Nanny Paws, and coming Fall 2021, Old Pearl. Wendy’s editorial illustrations have appeared in major publications including Harper’s Magazine, The Boston Globe, The New York Times, and The LA Times.

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, Laura Barber, is an author of both women's fiction and memoir. She loves chick lit, especially Bridget Jones's Diary, which she re-reads about once a year. She is currently working on a women's fiction novel. She has published an assortment of freelance articles, columns, and poems for various publications in Missouri, Colorado, and Washington. She has presented sessions on writing at the 2016 and 2019 Northwest Association of Independent Schools (NWAIS) conferences. She is a member of the Pacific Northwest Writers Association and Women's Fiction Writers Association, and she has been a reader for the Pacific Northwest Writers Association Mainstream Literary Contest for the last four years. She teaches high school English at Annie Wright Schools, an all-girls’ day and boarding school in Tacoma, Washington, where she leads the after-school creative writing group Annie Writers. Laura double-majored in English (with an emphasis in creative writing) and art history at the University of Missouri-Columbia, where she also earned a Master's of Education in Secondary English Curriculum and Instruction as well as certification. In addition