The Middle

JOSHUA DAVID STEIN is a James Beard Award–winning author, journalist, and editor. His previous books include Notes from a Young Black Chef and My America, both with Kwame Onwuachi; Russ & Daughters: 100 Years of Appetizing, with Niki Russ Federman and Josh Russ Tupper; Dad, What’s for Dinner? with David Nayfeld; and many others. He has also written many children’s books, including Make New Friends, which was named one of the best children’s books of the year for 2025 by The New York Times. His writing has appeared in Esquire, New York, The New York Times, Financial Times, and elsewhere. He lives in Brooklyn.

Christopher Silas Neal is an award-winning author and illustrator of picture books including the Over and Under series with author Kate Messner, which was praised for its “stunning retro-style illustrations” (New York Times) and Creep, Leap, Crunch by Jody Jensen Schaffer. Neal’s author debut titled Everyone was praised by Publishers Weekly as “simple, honest, lyrical”. His board book series (Animals Colors, Animal Shapes) received starred reviews from Publishers Weekly and Kirkus. Neal is a Mexican/European-American artist who lives with his wife and two boys in Brooklyn, NY.