GraphixCon: Middle Grade Graphic Novels

Kat Fajardo is a Honduran Colombian award-winning cartoonist and illustrator from the lively and magical place of Loisaida, New York City. Kat’s debut graphic novel, Miss Quinces, marked the first title published by Graphix to simultaneously release in English & Spanish editions, and received two starred reviews. They loves to create playful and colorful work about self-acceptance and Latine culture. When she isn't making comics, you might find her collecting small junk for scrapbooking, listening to spooky podcasts, or chasing after her sock-stealing pups, Mac and Roni. Kat lives in Austin, Texas.

Gale Galligan is the creator of the New York Times bestselling Baby-sitters Club graphic novel adaptations of Dawn and the Impossible Three, Kristy’s Big Day, Boy-Crazy Stacey, and Logan Likes Mary Anne! by Ann M. Martin. They are also the creator of Freestyle, an original graphic novel that they both wrote and illustrated. Gale was featured in The Claudia Kishi Club, a documentary now streaming on Netflix. When they aren’t making comics, Gale enjoys knitting, reading, and spending time with their family and adorable pet rabbits. They live in Pearl River, New York. 

Christina Diaz Gonzalez is the Edgar® award-winning and best-selling author of several novels including The Red Umbrella, A Thunderous Whisper, Moving Target, Concealed, Invisible: A Graphic Novel, and The Bluest Sky. Her books have received numerous awards and have also been designated as an American Library Association’s Best Fiction for Young Adults selection, a Notable Social Studies Trade Book for Young People, a Junior Library Guild Gold Selection, and as an International Reading Association’s Teachers’ Choice book. Christina currently lives in Miami, Florida with her husband, sons, and a dog that can open doors.  

Aron Nels Steinke is a cartoonist and former elementary school teacher in Portland, Oregon. He began self-publishing comics in 2006 with the help of a grant from the Xeric Foundation. In 2015 he and his wife, Ariel Cohn, won an Eisner Award and a 2016 Oregon Book Award for their collaboration on The Zoo Box (First Second). Mr. Wolf’s Class (Graphix) is his current book series following the adventures of a class of anthropomorphs and their teacher who just so happens to be a wolf. Mr. Wolf’s Class was a New York Times Editor’s Choice selection, received a starred review from Kirkus, and has won numerous awards including the Oregon Spirit Honor Award, the OTTER Award, and Kid’s Comics Choice Award, received a Harvey and two Oregon Book Award nominations. Book Five—SNOW DAY is out now. Visit him online at www.mrwolfsclass.com.

With a love for all things pink and magical, Shauna J. Grant is a cartoonist who creates cuteness! Shauna is on a mission to add diversity to the comics community by creating stories that feature Black girls as the heroines of their own adventures, and her work has appeared in Black Comix Returns, Noisemakers, and The Secret Loves of Geeks. She enjoys spending her downtime daydreaming, reading Korean comics, and playing with her own magical dog, Sugarpaws. Shauna casts cuteness into the world via her comics from her home in New York City, the place she was born and raised.