Linda McCarthy is a 30+ years retired librarian with experience in academic and public libraries. She is an avid cookbook reader, diner and cook who’s taken and taught cooking classes for years. She delights in a wide variety of cuisines from Southern cooking to vegetarian and every culinary culture. Linda subscribes to a variety of cooking magazines reading cookbook reviews and seeking out items of interest. She owns over 700 cookbooks.

Katharine Zimmerman is a native Floridian with family roots reaching back to the Spanish settlers. She hails from a long line of reader, writers and wonderful cooks. Katharine learned to prepare dishes passed down from her family along with recipes from the delicious and diverse flavors of Florida cuisine including coastal seafood, country cookin’, and Bahamian, Cuban, Greek and Spanish delicacies. She has cooked professionally and for family, friends and countless covered dish suppers.

Katharine is an award-winning grant consultant working with local, national and international organizations and funders. Katharine has a B.A. from The American University and over the years has written poetry and essays for national and local publications. She is on the Board of Directors of Air Care Alliance, a nonprofit public service organization representing a nationwide network of volunteer pilot groups that deliver impactful and inspiring service through aviation.

Chef Justin Timineri is a certified executive chef, author, award winner, teacher and television personality. He currently serves as the State Chef of Florida and culinary ambassador and promotes the value of healthy food choices and proper nutrition.

In 2006, Chef Justin won the Food Network Challenge Great American Seafood Cook-off in New Orleans for the country’s best domestic seafood dish. He has also worked internationally for premier hospitality and catering companies, including the 2012 Olympic Games in London.

R. Boyd Murphree is the coeditor (along with Robert A. Taylor) of The Governors of Florida, the 2020 Florida Book Awards’ Phillip and Dana Zimmerman Gold Medal for Florida nonfiction. His research and writing interests include Florida history and politics, U.S. political and intellectual history, the history of the American Civil War Era, and Cold War history. Murphree was born in Key West, raised in Tallahassee, and lives with his wife, Margaret, in Gainesville, Florida. He received his PhD in history from Florida State University and is the Political Papers Archivist for Special and Area Studies Collections for the University of Florida George A. Smathers Libraries in Gainesville.

Rebecca Campbell is the Library Director for City of Tavares Public Library, America’s Seaplane City. Rebecca holds a Bachelor’s degree in English Literature from Salve Regina University, Newport, Rhode Island and a Master’s degree in Library and Information Science from Simmons University, Boston, Massachusetts. Rebecca moved to Mount Dora in 2019. Prior to moving to Florida, Rebecca was employed at the Boston Public Library. From Children’s Librarian and Adult Reference Librarian to Community Outreach Librarian and Programs Librarian, Rebecca has dedicated her entire career to librarianship. Rebecca’s favorite activities are reading and traveling.

Steven Noll is an Instructional Professor in the department of history at the University of Florida. In 2012, he was named one of the 300 best professors in the US by the Princeton Review. His 2009 book was the prize-winning Ditch of Dreams (co-authored with David Tegeder), which analyzed the history of the ill-fated Cross Florida Barge Canal project. His latest book, published in 2022 and published by the University Press of Florida, is entitled Writing for the Public Good: Essays from David Colburn and Senator Bob Graham.  His interests include Florida history, environmental history, and the history of disability. Currently, he is working on two projects- one a continuation of the barge canal book that examines the ongoing controversy over Rodman (Kirkpatrick) Dam and the other an analysis of the nationwide 1977 disability rights demonstrations.

Susan Ray is the Chief Communications Officer of the Tallahassee Board of REALTORS®, where she has worked since 2004. She holds BA degrees in English and Anthropology from Florida State University. An avid daily reader, Susan is especially fond of literary fiction and mystery novels. Her top-ten list of favorite reads is ever-changing, but usually includes John McPhee’s nonfiction Oranges, The Elements of Style by Strunk and White, and the Dickens classic, Great Expectations.

Before becoming a professional technical writer, Kathleen served as a high school writing/literature/AP Rhetoric and Composition instructor and college English professor; She is an expert in writing theory and practice. Kathleen has written/published professionally in the sciences (emerging technology/Artificial Intelligence/cognitive development/other research-related topics), in the field of education and training, and as an expert in literary analysis. She is also a poet, and had one of her works selected as a finalist by the Florida Today (in a poetry contest). Kathleen is a fan of Florida history, and worked as a Reference Librarian at the Melbourne Beach library, where she explored their extensive Florida history collection. 

Ron was born in the South Carolina Low Country where he grew to love the wildlife and sounds of the swamp. He received a BA in philosophy from the College of Charleston, an MA from the University of South Carolina, and a Ph.D. from Rutgers University. He moved to Florida in 1988 and since 1995 has taught at the College of Central Florida in Ocala where he lives with his wife Sandra (also a CF faculty member) and their three children.

Ron's fiction, poetry, and essays have appeared in publications such as Chattahoochee Review, Yalobusha Review, Apostrophe, Timber Creek Review, Deep South Magazine, and The Blotter. His novels The Gospel of the Twin,  Hume's Fork, and Purple Jesus are available from Bancroft Press. 

Deborah Williamson is a recently retired teacher with over 30 years experience teaching in the public schools of Alabama, South Carolina and Florida as well as over 10 years experience as an adjunct professor at Santa Fe College in Gainesville, Florida. She started out as an art teacher but also worked in the ESE department teaching gifted students. Deborah holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree (drawing/printmaking), a Bachelor of Arts Education, a Master of Arts Education, and an Education Specialist degree in Arts Education.

Maria is the Director of Communications and Marketing for the College of Sciences and Mathematics at Auburn University. She has been the editor of the Florida Libraries journal since 2010 and received the President's Award from the Florida Library Association in 2015. Maria earned an MSLIS from Florida State University and an MBA from Florida Atlantic University.

Christiana Succar, Ph.D., is a retired secondary English language arts teacher of grades 6-12. Since obtaining her Ph.D. in education, Dr. Succar has also served as a Visiting Professor of Education, is an independent scholar and writes a monthly book review column for the Cocoa Beach Explorer magazine.

Noelle Mahone is a media specialist with Leon County Schools. Her love for reading started in kindergarten when she discovered Maurice Sendak’s Chicken Soup with Rice: A Book of Months. She checked it out from the Shalimar Elementary School Library so many times, her mother still groans when she hears the title. Noelle received her B.A. in International Affairs from Florida State University and her M.S. in International Relations from Troy University. She worked for a legislator and then a cabinet member. It wasn’t until she had her children that she started teaching preschool and moved to being a middle school librarian in 2018. Noelle loves to help the students see reading as fun. She currently is a member of Florida Association of Media Educators and sits on one of their committees.

Jamie M. Smith has over 25 years of integrated marketing and communications experience and is currently Associate Vice President of Communications and Government Relations for State College of Florida, Manatee-Sarasota (SCF). Smith holds a Master of Business Administration (MBA) in Management and Marketing and various industry certifications and is a Gulf Coast Leadership Institute and Leadership Florida graduate. She is the recipient of SCF’s Innovation Grant and Awards of Excellence, and her creative direction has been recognized with numerous state and national awards, including the prestigious Telly Award. She loves gardening and exercising and is an avid reader and collector of signed books of all genres.

Sandra Simonds is an award-winning writer and professor who has taught at Bennington College, Florida State University and Thomas University. She is the author of eight collections of poetry, most recently Triptychs (Wave Books, November 2022) which was a 2022 New York Times selection. Her awards include the University of Akron Poetry Prize for Further Problems with Pleasure and the Cleveland State University Open Poetry Prize for Mother Was a Tragic Girl. She has been a finalist for numerous awards including the National Poetry Series. Her first novel, Assia (Noemi Press, 2023), based on the life of Assia Wevill, is currently #2 on the SPD bestseller list and was shortlisted for the Dzanc Fiction Prize. Her poetry and criticism have been published in the New Yorker, The New York Times, the Best American Poetry, Poetry, the American Poetry Review, the Chicago Review, Granta, Boston Review, Ploughshares, and others. She was the recipient of the Reader’s Choice Award for her sonnet “Red Wand,” which was published on the Academy of American Poets website. She has also been granted residencies at Millay Arts Colony, Vermont Studio Center and Studio Faire in Southern France. She earned a B.A. in Psychology and English at UCLA, an M.F.A. at the University of Montana, and her Ph.D. (with honors) at Florida State University.

Dr. Precious Symonette is an award-winning educator. She teaches Creative Writing at Miami Norland Senior High School and has been teaching for 17 years. Dr. Symonette was named the 2017 M-DCPS Teacher of the Year, 2017 Florida Teacher of the Year Finalist, and recognized as a 2016 National Education Association Superhero Educator. She is an official Freedom Writers Teacher, and she started the Florida Freedom Writers Foundation which helps to promote free expression both in written and verbal form. Due to her unique lived experiences, educational journey, and love for writing and civic engagement, Dr. Symonette actively collaborates with colleagues and organizations to create opportunities for students to learn about themselves, and the world around them, and to participate in service-learning projects.

I'm an almost-native Floridian, having moved down in 1989. I grew up with shuttle launches in my back yard. I loved reading and knew I wanted to be a teacher as long as I could remember. I'm currently entering my 21st year as a classroom teacher. Although my background is English Literature, I've taught everything from middle school journalism to Speech & Social Media. I have a wonderful husband of 7 years, Diego, and a sleek little kitten named Alice Rose. If I'm not in the classroom, I'm probably teaching a yoga class or making a mess in the kitchen.

Samiri Hernández Hiraldo, Ph. D. was a finalist of the National Poetry Series’ Paz Prize for Poetry 2012 competition (in honor of Octavio Paz). Her poems in English and Spanish have appeared in several journals and magazines. She is the author of three books of poetry in Spanish, Al vapor, Cuando el líquido es sólido, and Perforaciones, and one book of poetry in English, The Five Legs of the Cat. She coordinates poetry events and currently teaches anthropology at Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University.

My name is Andres Pi Andreu. I’m Cuban-American. I was born in Havana, Cuba, in 1969. I live in Miami, Florida, since 2003. I currently work as a National Bilingual Literacy Consultant for different major educational publishers. I am also the author of several Spanish Language Acquisition programs and Language transference programs. I have worked for Houghton Mifflin, Pearson, McGraw Hill, Benchmark Educations, and many other major publishers as a Senior Development Editor, Curriculum developer and writer.

Currently I own TIB Editorial, a small educational development house that works with all major publishers in the US. I’m also the Director of Ediciones Malecón, a publishing company that specializes in literature written in Spanish in the US.

From 2000 to 2023, Joy Wallace Dickinson hundreds of “Florida Flashback” features for the Orlando Sentinel about aspects of Central Florida’s past. She’s also the author of three nonfiction books and one historical mystery and has received honors from the Florida Historical Society, the Historical Society of Central Florida, and AIA Orlando, for work that promotes an appreciation of historic architecture. In a past life, she worked at Stanford University Press and as a book and publication designer in San Francisco, where she helped complete graphic-standards projects for both Hewlett-Packard and Apple Inc.

Dr. Michelle Demeter serves as the Head of Instruction and Undergraduate Services at New York University Libraries. In her role, Michelle leads the development and facilitation of instructional services that support the research and creative endeavors of faculty and students across campus. Prior to moving to NYC, Michelle spent the majority of her life in Florida. She grew up in Spring Hill, and earned her undergraduate degrees in English Literature and Religious Studies at the University of South Florida. She continued her graduate education with a master's degree in Religious Studies and a master's degree in Library and Information Studies at Florida State University. Michelle is currently ABD in the Art History doctoral program at Florida State, where her dissertation is focused on the art and visual culture expressed within the four attractions created by Walt Disney for the 1964-1965 New York World's Fair.

Laurie Arnez has lived in Naples, Florida for 35 years. She is a retired Elementary School Media Specialist, having taught for over 30 years. Laurie was previously a member of the Sunshine State Young Readers’ Award Program, a program sponsored by the Florida Association of Media Educators. Laurie served as a member of the program for grades 3-8 and K-2 and served as its Chairperson.She spent her career reading, selecting and promoting children’s literature and enjoys discovering new books and authors.

Jennifer Siegel has been an avid reader her entire life, with her nose always in a book. This love led her to study English and film in college and volunteer staffing at several author signings and attended several others as a reader. Jennifer considers her bookshelf to be her prized possession. Although she wishes she could have found my place in the book world,she and her husband have dedicated themselves to growing their restaurant business.

Karyn Dombrosky grew up in Broward County and received both her undergraduate degree in Special Education and her Master's in Library and Information Science from the University of South Florida. She has worked in the Youth Services section of Florida public libraries since 1999 with a focus on providing services and programming to children, teens, and adults with special needs. A new transplant to Central Florida, she is happy to be surrounded by family and is excited to discover the unique qualities of the Orlando Metropolitan area.

Caitie Cerise has worn many hats in her career as an elementary school teacher, technology project manager, and public library manager and is currently the Library Director for the Walton County Public Library System. Caitie and her family have been based in the Florida Panhandle for her husband's Air Force service for the last 14 years, and love exploring the beautiful nature on the Emerald Coast. 

A proud graduate of Auburn University and Florida State University, Caitie holds a BA in English and an MA in Information Science and is working on her Certified Public Manager certification. When not reading picture books with her son, she spends her time volunteering as a coach for soccer and tee-ball, soaking up the sun on the beach, and traveling with her family. Caitie is thrilled to support Florida authors as a Florida Book Awards juror. 

Nadia King is thrilled to serve as a juror for the Florida Book Awards in the Younger Children's Literature category. With a certification as a K-6 teacher, Nadia currently excels as an Instructional Technology Specialist for Hernando County and holds a Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education and Creative Writing from the University of South Florida and a Master’s in Curriculum and Instruction from the University of West Florida . Beyond her professional achievements, Nadia is a competitive bowler, a published author, and a dedicated single mom with a profound passion for writing and reading.

Pam Picray is a retired school librarian with over 40 years’ experience. A graduate of Mississippi University for Women, Pam’s career has spanned a variety of levels of libraries including public, army medical, private middle and elementary schools, and public elementary schools. The majority of her career was spent with Duval County Public Schools as an elementary school librarian. While with DCPS, Pam served as a mentor for new librarians in the county. She also served on the boards of Media Educators of Duval in Action (MEDIA) and Northeast Florida Library Information Network (NEFLIN). While on the board of MEDIA, Pam served as President two times. Her specialties during her career included inner-city school librarianship and cultural-diversity training.

Pam believes that the most important part of being a librarian is to foster a love of reading. 

In her spare time, Pam volunteers with various non-profit organizations including running a summer reading program for families battling cancer. Pam enjoys spending time with her husband, daughter, son-in-law, and grand-dog Doodles. She is an avid sports fan, working with the Edward Waters University basketball and football teams. Pam lives in Jacksonville with her husband and rescue border collie, Bella.