Mae Makes a Way

Olugbemisola Rhuday-Perkovich is the author of 8th Grade Superzero, It Doesn’t Take a Genius, the nonfiction books Above and Beyond: NASA’s Journey to Tomorrow and Someday Is Now: Clara Luper and the 1958 Oklahoma City Sit-Ins, and the upcoming Mae Makes a Way and Saving Earth: The Climate Crisis and the Fight for Our Future. She is the coauthor of the middle-grade novel Two Naomis, which was nominated for an NAACP Image Award, and its sequel, Naomis Too. Inspired by some of her favorite family stories and the city she loves, Operation Sisterhood is a celebration of the sweetness and spice of sisterhood. Olugbemisola is a member of the Brown Bookshelf and a former board member of We Need Diverse Books. She lives with her family in New York City, where she writes, makes things, and needs to get more sleep.

Andrea Pippins is a visual storyteller who creates images that empower people, especially women and girls, to nurture their creativity and themselves through artistic expression and wellness practices. She is the author-illustrator of five books, including Maya’s World, The Spark in You, Who Will You Be, and Becoming Me, and the illustrator of many more, including the bestselling Young, Gifted, and Black series with Jamia Wilson. Andrea’s illustrations include the Kwanzaa stamp for the United States Postal Service, and she has worked on projects for brands like HBO, MTV, Nick Jr., the Malala Fund, Instagram, Apple, and National Geographic. She has taught creative courses for Skillshare and presented talks and workshops for artists of all ages. She lives and creates in Sweden.