S Archives - Hudson Childrens Book Festival

Saks, Dan

Saks, Dan

Dan Saks is a musician, music educator and author. He has lived and taught in NYC, Mexico City, and Switzerland and has traveled the world as a performing musician. He is the creator and host of Noodle Loaf, a popular music education podcast for kids which has been awarded a Webby Honor and the Common Sense Media Seal of Approval. He is the author of a board book series celebrating diverse family experiences, (FAMILIES BELONG, FAMILIES CAN, FAMILIES GROW,) and a board book series about community (WE SHARE THIS SCHOOL, WE SHARE THIS EARTH, WE SHARE THIS NEIGHBORHOOD). www.noodleloaf.com

Awards

FAMILIES GROW – SLJ & Kirkus Starred Reviews, FAMILIES CAN – NCTE Notable Social Studies Book (2022), FAMILIES BELONG – Imagination Library, NOODLE LOAF – Common Sense Media Seal

3 Fun Facts

1. I’ve played banjo in Mexico.
2. I’ve played piano in Switzerland.
3. I’ve sang everyplace I’ve ever been.

Sell, Chad

Sell, Chad

Chad Sell is an author and cartoonist originally from central Wisconsin. His children’s books include The Cardboard Kingdom, Doodleville, and The Stupendous Switcheroo. Chad lives in Connecticut. www.chadsellcomics.com

Awards

2020 Maine Student Book Award
2020 Nēnē Award for Best Graphic Novel
2019 Dwayne McDuffie Award for Kids’ Comics

3 Fun Facts

1. I love video games!
2. I’m weirdly good at croquet.
3. I love cats.

Sullivan, Lauren

Lauren Sullivan is an artist and filmmaker based in Los Angeles, CA. Though she produces video content full time, her creative pursuits span nearly every medium, from pastry to pencil to Procreate. She is the illustrator of Bears Don’t Share, an immersive and action-packed story written by Rick Bobrick. In her free time, Lauren loves making fresh pasta, hiking in the greenest parts of Southern California she can find, and visiting her hometown of Tacoma, Washington. www.laurensullivanartworks.com

3 Fun Facts

1. I’m learning to play the banjo.
2. You may have seen my hands in cooking videos before. They have over 2 billion views on Facebook!
3. I love the Pacific Northwest (especially the weather).

Schmidt, Tiffany

Tiffany Schmidt is the author of ten acclaimed books for young readers. Most recently, All is Found – Frozen Anthology, and Once Bitten Twice Dead (7/2024)—set in the original Monster High world. She’s also written I’m Dreaming of a Wyatt Christmas and the four book YA rom com series: Bookish Boyfriends, as well as several other YA novels. A former sixth grade teacher, she currently lives in Pennsylvania with her impish twin sons, their rascally little brother, a spoiled pup, and her very saintly husband. Follow her online at TiffanySchmidt.com or on Twitter and Instagram @TiffanySchmidt.

Awards

YALSA Teen Top Ten nominee, Indie Next List, and Romantic Times Top Pick.

3 Fun Facts

1. I have run three half-marathons at Disney World.
2. I cannot whistle, snap, or wink.
3. When I get stuck writing a scene, I switch to writing by hand.

Stark, Hannah

Stark, Hannah

Hannah Stark is an author and public school teacher in New York City. She loves teachings kids to write, as well as, making and sharing resources with fellow educators. Hannah was inspired to write her debut book, TRUCKER AND TRAIN, while playing with her son. When not writing or teaching, she can be found taking road trips and train rides to unfamiliar places. www.hannahcarinastark.com

Amazon Editor’s Pick August 2019
Participant and author reader at Chappaqua Children’s Book Festival and Brooklyn Museum of Art Children’s Book Fair 2019

3 Fun Facts

1. I’ve never driven a truck or a train but I used to drive taxi cabs.
2. When I was a kid I was a sock model.
3. I played soccer for 30 years.

Stephens, Dr. Cynthia

Dr. Cynthia Stephens, a recent Hudson resident, earned a doctorate in Deafness Rehabilitation from New York University, and worked as a Speech and Language Pathologist for NYS, as well as various early childhood education settings in NYC. She studied and performed with dance greats such as Shawneequa Baker-Scott, Chuck Davis, LaRoque Bey, and the esteemed Babatunde Olatunji. Cynthia founded The Hear Me Now Project, Inc., an arts program for youth with disabilities, based in Bridgehampton, N.Y. A career in playwriting developed from her work with the children. Since then, Dr. Stephens has expanded her authorship to children’s fiction. www.sacredgroundproductions.com

I received the (2004) Professional of the Year award from the International Association of Black Women in Business, for my work in the arts.

I was the recipient of the (2012) Lab Award from the LaGuardia Performing Arts Center for my play titled “Painted Red”, which chronicles the life of Henrietta Lacks, the woman from whom the first immortal human cell line was taken.

3 Fun Facts

1. I began my artistic life as a dancer and traveled the country with several African and Afro-Caribbean dance companies.
2. After earning a Ph.D., I began a cultural program for students with disabilities on the east end of Long Island.
3. After retiring from my work with the New York State Office of Developmental Disabilities, I realized a dream and became a playwright (with two off-Broadway performances) and author of 3 children’s books-soon to be 5!

Sibson, Laura

After a career in undergraduate counseling, Laura Sibson pursued an MFA from Vermont College of Fine Arts. When she’s not writing in a local coffee shop, you can find her running the neighborhood streets or hiking with her dog. She lives in Philadelphia with her husband. Edie In Between, is her latest book following her debut novel, The Art of Breaking Things. www.laurasibson.com

3 Fun Facts

1. My happy place is our cabin in the Adirondacks where I can cross-country ski in the winter and kayak in the summer
2. I have a fierce and abiding love for strong coffee. And chocolate.
3. I become grouchy when I go too long without working on a story.

Stamper, Vesper

Stamper, Vesper

Vesper Stamper’s debut novel, What the Night Sings, has been longlisted for the National Book Award and received numerous accolades for recounting the seldom-told story of what happened to Holocaust survivors in the aftermath of World War 2. For twenty years, Author-Illustrator Vesper Stamper has created work through which asks the central question: how do people, especially children, who suffer trauma, go on to rise above their experiences as victims and go beyond surviving to flourishing? She believes in the dignity of every human being as made in the image of God, and in the resilience of the human spirit. www.vesperillustration.com

Sales, Leila

Sales, Leila

Leila Sales is the author of six young adult and middle grade novels, including This Song Will Save Your Life, Once Was a Time, and, most recently, If You Don’t Have Anything Nice to Say. Leila grew up outside of Boston, Massachusetts, and graduated with a degree in psychology from the University of Chicago. Her hobbies include riding her bike, eating chocolate, and sleeping. Leila lives in Brooklyn, New York, and works in children’s book publishing. Follow her @LeilaSalesBooks or at leilasales.com.

3 Fun Facts

1.I type using only two fingers.
2. I did gymnastics for eight years.
3. I can recite the names of every student in my high school class in alphabetical order.

Stewart, Melissa

Stewart, Melissa

Melissa Stewart is the award-winning author of more than 180 nonfiction books for children, including Can an Aardvark Bark?; No Monkeys, No Chocolate; and Feathers: Not Just for Flying. She holds a degree in biology from Union College in Schenectady, NY, and a master’s degree in science journalism from New York University. Melissa believes that nothing brings nonfiction writing to life like firsthand research. While gathering information for her books, she has explored tropical rain forests in Costa Rica, gone on safari in East Africa, and swum with sea lions in the Galapagos Islands. www.melissa-stewart.com

3 Fun Facts

1. My favorite research experience was observing hippos from a hot air balloon floating over the African savannah.
2. I often write in my pajamas.
3. My favorite punctuation mark is the question mark because I’m so curious.