Two-time Newbery Honor Award recipient and young adult author "I want to see children curled up with books, finding an awareness of themselves as they discover other people's thoughts. I want them to make the connection that books are people's stories, that writing is talking on paper, and I want them to write their own stories. I'd like my books to provide that connection for them." --Patricia Reilly Giff
randomhouse.com
Nadine Wimmer currently co-anchors KSL 5 Television's Eyewitness News at 5, 6 and 10pm. She is also an Emmy award-winning reporter who produces a series of reports "Staying Safe," to help parents protect their families from danger, injuries and other preventable problems. Wimmer moved up the ranks in the KSL 5 newsroom as weekend anchor, political reporter, education reporter, and producer. She was born and raised in Salt Lake City and began her broadcasting career at KSL Television as a University of Utah intern. Education has always been important to Nadine. She earned her Master's degree in political communication and bachelor's degree in communication from the University of Utah. She attended a fellows program on education and journalism through the University of Washington. Because of her commitment to education, she is most excited about her involvement in the ³Read Today,² KSL¹s Reading Incentive program. Read today aims to boost reading scores by encouraging families to read together. Through stories and our online digital reading tracker we¹re helping parents realize the importance of reading with their children and providing incentives. Nadine won a regional Emmy award for her Staying Safe reports. She has received various awards from Utah Broadcasters Association and Society of Professional Journalists. She serves on the Governor's Literacy Commission and on boards at the University of Utah. In her free time, she loves the outdoors and outdoor recreating in Utah's mountains and red rock country. She is often trail running, mountain biking, hiking, water skiing and has recently taken up skate skiing. She's an avid reader and studies Spanish. Her favorite thing is to spend time with family. She's married to Phil Kirk, who works in law enforcement. They live with their two boys in Park City.
David Booth is professor emeritus in education at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education of the University of Toronto, where he is Scholar in Residence in the Curriculum, Teaching, and Language Department. For over forty years, he has been involved in teaching children and teachers, as a classroom teacher, language arts consultant, professor, speaker and author. His students have included teachers and administrators enrolled in the preservice, master's, and doctoral programs in education. David has authored many teacher reference books and textbooks in all areas of language development: reading, writing, speaking, and listening, and has worked on several guidelines for the Ontario Ministry of Education. A popular speaker internationally, David has addressed educators in every province of Canada, throughout most American states, and in England, Germany, the Near East, New Zealand, and Australia. He has participated in many international conferences, speaking and presenting workshops in all areas of language learning. He has won several awards in Canada and the United States for his teaching, for his contributions to language and literacy, and for his books for young people.
Caldecott Honor winning illustrator-author tandem Steve Jenkins and Robin Page Robin Page and Steve Jenkins have been working together for more than 35 years. After meeting in design school in North Carolina, they moved to New York City, eventually opening their own graphic design office. Robin’s first children’s book was published in 1986, the year her daughter Page was born. Reading aloud soon became a daily activity for parents and child, a ritual that continued when their son Alec arrived two years later. Steve’s first book was published in 1994, the year the family immigrated to Boulder, Colorado. Since then, Robin and Steve have produced some 27 nonfiction children’s books and their third child, Jamie.
Learn more about Steve Jenkins at stevejenkinsbooks.com For some great insights into what makes Steve Jenkins "tick," take a look at this blog and his fascinating answers to great questions:blaine.org/sevenimpossiblethings
Popular performer, Debi Richan, tells stories with humor, passion and understanding. An energetic and polished artist, Debi has been a regular performer at the renowned Timpanogos Storytelling Festival, Thanksgiving Point, Hans Christian Anderson Storytelling Festival, Weber Storytelling Festival as well as a frequent and enthusiastic performer in libraries, schools, bookstores, festivals, family parties, business meetings, museums, university conferences and gatherings of all kinds throughout the West. "I've been writing and telling stories all my life. It's as natural for me as blooming is to flowers!" Debi has been heard on radio and television, at BYU Women's Conference, the Federal Bureau of Land Management, the Western Museum Conference, Timpanogos Storytelling Conference and the Western Literacy Conference as well as numerous other performances. In addition, she teaches workshops in the art of storytelling and in the researching of the unique historical stories for which she has become so well known. A wife and mother of four daughters, Debi is well acquainted with the perils of parenthood and suburbia. She has visited every one of the fifty United States, Asia and Europe. This love of the "world view" permeates her telling style and she particularly enjoys sharing "whole earth" tales to bring people together through the stories. Past president of the Utah Storytelling Guild, Vice President of the Timpanogos Storytelling Festival, Debi has performed professionally for 18 years with an obvious love of the stories and enjoyment of the audience. "Nothing is quite as exciting as throwing out the line of a story and seeing your audience pick it up so the story can tightrope-walk back and forth between you. It's heart-to-heart communication growing right before your eyes!"
