ALA 2025 - Author Signings - Library Journal | School Library Journal | The Horn Book

Saturday, june 28

LJ/SLJ/HB:
10:00 AM - Ashley Wall (The Day I Had a Bulldozer)
11:00 AM - Amrit Kallar (Gilded Spirits)
12:00 PM - Victoria Vanransom (The Captain's Cook: A Novel)
1:00 PM - Ryan K. Woodall (The Distraction Monster #1 & #2)
2:00 PM - Dan Schlund (The Last Rocketman: A Memoir)
3:00 PM - Susan Hagedorn & Carla Berrigan (BLOCK ISLAND: Poems, Photos, and Letters)

JLG:
9:00 AM - Ruchira Gupta (The Freedom Seeker)
10:00 AM - Laurie Halse Anderson (Rebellion 1776)
2:00 PM - Jenni Walsh (Bug Bandits)
3:00: PM - Steve Weiner and Dan Mazur (Will Eisner: A Comics Biography)

Ashley Wall, M.Ed., is the award-winning author behind The Day I Had series, a passionate educator, and the visionary founder of MamaBear Books. A proud Texas native, Ashley finds her greatest inspiration in the joyful chaos of life with her two young children. Fueled by their boundless curiosity, she created a lively cast of characters whose larger-than-life adventures spark imagination and laughter. A former teacher, Ashley brings her love of learning into every page, crafting stories that both entertain and empower young readers through playful, purposeful storytelling.

Victoria Vanransom is a classically trained chef with decades of culinary experience, beginning in 1977 at The Good Earth Restaurant in Boulder, Colorado, where she spent 12 years developing recipes and opening new locations. She later ran her own restaurant in Encinitas, California, served as Executive Chef at a Palm Springs Marriott in 1997, and cooked privately for clients in Malibu. A passionate traveler and accomplished sailor with over 150,000 sea miles, Victoria has cooked aboard sailboats since 2010, mastering the art of creating flavorful meals with limited resources. Deeply influenced by Asian culture and the women who taught her their cooking traditions, she brings cultural appreciation and storytelling to every dish. She lives in California with her three whiskered writing assistants: Cleo, Juji, and Piper.

Ryan K. Woodall is a Dallas-based author specializing in children's books. Ryan entered the world of television during his college years at Baylor University. With a background in children's entertainment, he brings his experience from television to his writing, creating stories that resonate with young readers. Ryan shares these performances on his streaming platform, www.FaithChannel.com. His work focuses on engaging children through both storytelling and interactive learning. His projects reflect a seamless blend of artistic innovation and engagement, resonating with audiences both in print and on screen.

Dan Schlund, also known as "The Rocketman," is a daring jetpack pilot whose life story is marked by remarkable achievements as a stunt man, pyrotechnician and paramedic. Throughout his career, he faced numerous challenges, including a life-threatening crash that resulted in severe injuries and ignited a battle with addiction. Despite his setbacks, Dan's faith, family, and the love for his son, Danny, provided the strength he needed to rebuild his life, highlighting the importance of faith and community in overcoming adversity.

Susan Hagedorn earned a BA in English at Ohio Wesleyan University, a BS in nursing at the University of Massachusetts, an MS in maternal-child nursing at Boston College, an MA in Media Studies at The New School, and a PhD in nursing at the University of Colorado where she taught, practiced as a nurse practitioner, and did research. Sue's nursing career has been dedicated to social justice as a nurse educator, nurse practitioner, philanthropist, filmmaker, and activist. Susan "retired" from nursing academia to a career in documentary filmmaking. She has produced more than fifteen films focused on nursing and social justice, including films advocating for a variety of roles within the practice of nursing and celebrating nursing history. She also made a feature about a hate crime on Long Island (Deputized, 2013), followed by two Berrigan films: Seeking Shelter: A Story of Place, Faith, and Resistance (2018) and The Berrigans: Devout and Dangerous (2021) about the Berrigans' century of peacemaking. Susan is the recipient of the Thomas Jefferson Award, the Florence Nightingale Award for Excellence in Health and Care Analytics, and the Humanitarian Award, which she received at the Long Island International Film Expo for Deputized. She is also a fellow of the American Academy of Nursing and the American Association of Nurse Practitioners. She lives part-time on Block Island and is co-president of the Block Island Historical Society.

Carla Berrigan, beloved niece of Daniel, spent thirty-seven years being a literacy advocate to inner-city children in Syracuse, New York. Her annual respite in Dan's cottage on Block Island nourished and replenished her spirit to continue her vocation as an educator and proliferator of the peace and justice work that is the legacy of her family. Since Carla's retirement from the Syracuse City School District in 2023, her main focus has been caring for her cherished husband, Marc, who courageously battles the final stages of a rare form of early-onset dementia. Carla's practice of long-distance running keeps her strong for this work.

Calvin Stovall’s career in hospitality began as a front desk clerk at a Chicago Holiday Inn. Since then, Calvin has enjoyed a nearly thirty-year career in the hospitality industry, during which he served as vice president of brand marketing with Hilton Worldwide. In addition to running his own business, ICONIC Presentations, LLC, he also serves as the Director of Executive Programs for The Advanced Leadership Institute (TALI). During his tenure at Cornell University, Calvin was asked by the cofounder of the National Society of Minority Hoteliers (NSMH) to conduct research on the historical contributions of African American hoteliers. This is where his journey with Hidden Hospitality began.

One of the most well known teachers on social media, Matt Eicheldinger has captured the attention of over 100 million views on Instagram and TikTok, where he is known for his captivating and relatable storytelling. Eicheldinger is currently on leave from teaching as he writes his newest books and travels the country for author visits and keynote addresses.

His first middle grade book, the first in the The Matt Sprouts Series, was an instant USA TODAY and New York Times bestseller in its first week of publication. In the same year his first adult book, Sticky Notes: Memorable Lessons from Ordinary Moments was an immediate USA TODAY Bestseller.

Ruchira Gupta is a writer, feminist campaigner, professor at New York University and founder of the anti-sex-trafficking organization, Apne Aap Women Worldwide. She won the Clinton Global Citizen award in 2009, the Sera Bangali Award in 2012 and an Emmy for outstanding investigative journalism in 1996. She has helped more than twenty thousand girls and women in India exit prostitution systems and her experiences with this work inspired her debut novel I Kick and I Fly. She has also edited As If Women Matter, an anthology of Gloria Steinem’s essays, and written manuals on human trafficking for the UN Office for Drugs and Crime. Ruchira divides her time between Delhi and New York.

Laurie Halse Anderson is a New York Times bestselling author known for tackling tough subjects with humor and sensitivity. Her novel, Speak, was a Printz Honor book in 2000, the first year that the award was given. Since then, her writing has alternated between Young Adult contemporary novels and historical fiction. A two-time National Book Award finalist (Speak and Chains), Laurie was recently honored with the Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award, presented to her by the Crown Princess of Sweden. Her latest work, Rebellion 1776, is a high-spirited adventure set in Boston at the beginning of the Revolutionary War, as a smallpox epidemic breaks out. Laurie splits her time between suburban Philadelphia and a remote cabin in the Adirondacks. You can follow her adventures on Instagram (@halseanderson) or Bluesky (halseanderson.bsky.social). Visit her at MadWomanintheForest.com.

Stephen Weiner has been writing about graphic novels since 1992 and spearheaded the movement to bring graphic novels into public libraries. His books include: 100 Graphic Novels for Public Libraries, The Will Eisner Companion, Will the Real Will Eisner Please Stand Up & Other Adventures in Comics, The 101 Best Graphic Novels, The Rise of the Graphic Novel (Introduction by Will Eisner), Analysis of BONE: a Closer Look at the Jeff Smith Graphic Novel Masterpiece, and Hellboy: the Companion. He is co-editor of the 7-volume series, Graphic Novels: A Critical Survey. His novel, Briandigo's Dagger, is available from Haverhill House Press. He lives outside of Boston.

Dan Mazur’s previous graphic novels are Lunatic (2020) and Hannabell Hobb and Her Horrible Heads (2021). His comics have appeared in numerous anthologies. His history book, Comics, A Global History: 1968 to the Present (2014, co-written with Alexander Danner) has been translated into seven languages. As a screenwriter, his credits include Brave New World (1998), Night of The Scarecrow (1995) and Virtual Nightmare (2000), as well as uncredited writing on John Carpenter’s Vampires and K-9. He is co-founder of MICE, the Massachusetts Independent Comics Expo and the Boston Comics Roundtable.