Authors

JOSIE COX is a journalist who has worked for media outlets in Germany, Switzerland, the U.K., and the U.S., including Reuters, The Wall Street Journal, and The Independent, where she served as business editor. As a freelancer, she writes regularly for the BBC and has also written for The Guardian, The Washington Post, Forbes, Fortune, and other publications. Cox was a 2020/2021 Knight-Bagehot fellow at Columbia Journalism School. She has an MBA from Columbia Business School and is an associate instructor at Columbia University School of Professional Studies. She lives in New York City.

JERRY CRAFT is the New York Times bestselling author and illustrator of the graphic novels New Kid, Class Act, and School Trip.  New Kid is the only book in history to win the John Newbery Medal for the most outstanding contribution to children’s literature (2020); the Kirkus Prize for Young Readers’ Literature (2019), and the Coretta Scott King Author Award for the most outstanding work by an African American writer (2020). Jerry was born in Harlem and grew up in the Washington Heights section of New York City and now travels the world telling kids and their families about the importance of reading.

JENNIFER CROFT won a Guggenheim Fellowship for The Extinction of Irena Rey: A Novel (Bloomsbury Publishing), the William Saroyan International Prize for Writing for Homesick: A Memoir (Unnamed Press), and the International Booker Prize for her translation of Nobel laureate Olga Tokarczuk’s Flights (Riverhead Books). She is the translator of Federico Falco’s A Perfect Cemetery (Charco Press), Romina Paula’s August (Feminist Press), Pedro Mairal’s The Woman from Uruguay (Vintage Espanol), and Tokarczuk’s The Books of Jacob: A Novel (Riverhead Books). Croft also received the American Academy of Arts and Letters Award in Literature. She lives in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and Los Angeles.

SLOANE CROSLEY is the author of the books Cult Classic: A Novel (MCD) and The Clasp: A Novel (Picador), and three essay collections: Look Alive Out There: Essays (MCD) and New York Times bestsellers I Was Told There’d Be Cake (Riverhead Books) and How Did You Get This Number: Essays (Riverhead Books).

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VINSON CUNNINGHAM is a staff writer and theater critic at The New Yorker and a Pulitzer Prize finalist. He co-hosts the podcast Critics at Large and his writing has appeared in The New York Times Magazine, The New York Times Book Review, The Fader, Vulture, The Awl, and McSweeney’s. A former staffer on President Barack Obama’s first presidential campaign and in his White House, Cunningham has taught at Sarah Lawrence College, the Yale School of Art, and Columbia University's School of the Arts. He lives in New York City. Great Expectations: A Novel (Hogarth) is his first novel.

SAM DALEY-HARRIS founded the anti-poverty citizen’s advocacy organization RESULTS in 1980, co-founded the Microcredit Summit Campaign in 1995, and founded Civic Courage in 2012. The 2024 edition of his book Reclaiming Our Democracy: Every Citizen's Guide to Transformational Advocacy (Rivertowns Books) was named an editor’s pick by Publishers Weekly BookLife. Daley-Harris has been interviewed on NPR’s Here and Now and 1A, and on PBS’ The Laura Flanders Show. A Miami native, he received his undergraduate and master’s degrees from the University of Miami.

EDWIDGE DANTICAT is the author of numerous books, including We’re Alone: Essays (Graywolf Press); Everything Inside: Stories (Knopf), winner of the National Book Critics Circle Award in fiction; and The Art of Death: Writing the Final Story (Graywolf Press), a National Book Critics Circle Award finalist in criticism. She lives in New York and teaches at Columbia University.

BITO DAVID is an agricultural economist, educator, cultural competency trainer, Haitian Creole curriculum writer, writer, poet, and essayist. He is the multicultural communications and engagement specialist for the School District of Palm Beach County in Florida. Born in Haiti, he has been living in the United States since 1991. He holds a bachelor’s degree from the State University of Haiti, a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Florida Atlantic University, and a master’s degree in cultural foundations of education from Florida Atlantic University. David advocates for integrating Haitian culture into the multicultural education curriculum in the United States. He has published several books on Haiti's socioeconomic, social, and political situation; Haitian culture; the Haitian Creole language; and other subjects. His main areas of interest are the recognition of the contributions of Haiti and its people to the history of the world, and the promotion of the Haitian people's cultural, historical, and social identity.

HOWARD DAVIS arrived in Miami in 1980. Two years later, he became an amateur DJ on community radio WDNA and organized “alternative” dance parties until 1984, when he founded Artifacts Artist Group at Fire & Ice, a weekly showcase of emerging artists. Davis opened his Artifacts Art Salon on Michigan Avenue in South Beach in 1986. That year, Andy Warhol’s Interview magazine featured him in an in-depth article profiling artists associated with the group. In subsequent years and decades Howard and several artists involved from the early days have continued to collaborate on installations for nightclub, private, and corporate events. In 2010 the University of Miami created an Artifacts Artist Group Special Collection to preserve artworks, photographs, flyers, and other media related to the group.

ARMEN DAVOUDIAN has an MFA from Johns Hopkins University and is currently a Ph.D. candidate in English at Stanford University. His poems and translations from the Persian appear in Poetry magazine, The Hopkins Review, The Yale Review, and elsewhere. His chapbook, Swan Song, won the Frost Place Competition. Armen grew up in Isfahan, Iran, and lives in California.

ARMANDO DE ARMAS Escritor cubano, autor en los géneros de periodismo investigativo, ensayo, narraciones y novelas. Entre sus libros destacan La tabla, una abarcadora novela sobre la sociedad isleña, y Los naipes en el espejo, un ensayo sobre la historia de los partidos políticos estadounidenses que augura un profundo cambio de época en el mundo occidental. En 2022 la publicación InfoLibros lo reconoce entre los 15 escritores cubanos de más interés de todos los tiempos y entre los cinco del presente. Presenta este año en la Feria Avellaneda al atardecer: historia del amor oculto (Éxodus): en palabras de Ángel Velázquez Callejas: En el año 1860, Gertrudis Gómez de Avellaneda, escritora cubano-española, enfrenta la agitación política y amorosa en la jurisdicción de Jagua. Ha regresado a Cuba con su esposo el coronel Domingo Verdugo, designado gobernador de la villa de Cienfuegos, donde ella escribe la que considera será su mejor novela. Perseguida por los independentistas, sufre la pérdida del manuscrito. Siglos después, su espíritu dicta la misma novela a un escritor y sus dos amantes mediante la Tabla Ouija, fusionando lo místico con lo artístico. La obra, ambientada en varias ciudades de la isla y el extranjero, teje romance, violencia y misterio. Explora la masonería, el ocultismo y las relaciones entre los vivos y los muertos, culminando en un sacrificio por amor y un vaticinio para la Cuba presente. El resultado es una obra que trasciende el tiempo, entrelazando realidad, espiritualidad e historia.

LIANA DE LA ROSA is a USA Today bestselling author who writes diverse historical romance novels. Her Latine Victorian romance series, The Luna Sisters, has received praise from The New York Times Book Review, The Washington Post, Entertainment Weekly, Kirkus, The Boston Globe, Oprah Daily, and more. De la Rosa is a graduate of the University of Arizona. When she’s not writing, she can be found at the bottom of a research rabbit hole or listening to true crime podcasts while she wrangles her spirited brood of children with her patient husband in Arizona.

JASON DE LEÓN is a professor of anthropology and Chicana/o studies and director of the Cotsen Institute of Archaeology at the University of California, Los Angeles. He is also the executive director of the Undocumented Migration Project, a 501(c)(3) research, arts, and education collective that seeks to raise awareness about migration issues globally while also helping families of missing migrants reunite with their loved ones. De León is a 2017 MacArthur Foundation Fellow and the author of the award-winning book The Land of Open Graves: Living and Dying on the Migrant Trail (University of California Press).

FRANCESCA "CESI" DE QUESADA COVEY is the chief innovation and economic development officer for Miami-Dade County and a recognized business development leader with experience in the federal government and private sectors. She began her career in finance and later served in the White House’s Office of Public Engagement. De Quesada Covey joined Facebook (Meta) in 2013 to help grow and scale products internationally, then left in 2021 to join a Miami-based venture capital firm and serve as Mayor Daniella Levine Cava’s technology advisor. In 2023, she joined Levine Cava’s administration and successfully secured a Tech Hub designation from the Department of Commerce in her first year. She now serves as the regional innovation officer for the quad-county initiative led by Miami-Dade County. The ClimateReady Tech Hub works with public, private, academic, and philanthropic partners to commercialize and deploy climate technology. De Quesada Covey received her bachelor’s degree from Columbia University and her master’s degree from Sciences-Po in Paris. She is the daughter of Cuban immigrants, and along with her husband and two daughters she proudly calls Miami-Dade home.

JIM DEFEDE was born in Brooklyn, New York, and landed his first job in journalism in 1986 as the night cops reporter in Spokane, Washington. In 1991, he moved to South Florida to work for Miami New Times. Between 2002 and 2005, DeFede was a metro columnist for the Miami Herald, before he was unceremoniously fired. His first book, The Day the World Came to Town: 9/11 in Gander, Newfoundland (William Morrow) was published in 2002 and recognized with a 2003 Christopher Award. He is currently an investigative reporter for CBS News Miami.

FLORENCIA DEL CAMPO (Buenos Aires, 1982) vive en Madrid desde el año 2013. Publicó las novelas La huésped (Baltasara editora y Base editorial, 2016), Madre mía (Caballo de Troya, 2017) y La versión extranjera (Pretextos, 2019), que fue ganadora del Premio Internacional de Novela Ciudad de Barbastro. En poesía publicó los libros Mis hijas ajenas, ganador del Premio La Bolsa de Pipas de Editorial Sloper, Las casas se caen en verano (Graviola, 2022) y El hombre del padre (Isla Elefante, 2024). Llega este año a la Feria con Que tenga una casa (Candaya), una obra híbrida entre la autoficción y el ensayo cuya narradora hace un recorrido de por todas las casas que habitó, desde esa inaugural e inolvidable de la infancia, a la última, hecha polvo, pasando por muchas, la mayoría ajenas. ¿Qué es una casa? ¿Qué es tener un sitio adonde volver? Este movimiento de "mudanzas" es también un movimiento migratorio. Pero sobre todo, es una pregunta por la pertenencia, por la extranjeridad, y por la familia: la casa indiana en Soria de ese bisabuelo que supo ir a Argentina, hacer la plata, y regresar, ida y vuelta, movimiento fundante. Luego, la familia que siguió: el padre, la madre, la tía, y los relatos en torno a la propiedad. ¿La familia es un lugar propio o impropio? No hay respuestas, pero hay una certeza: casa-cuerpo son dos estructuras en síntoma que dicen algo sobre la vida, sobre la ruina. Participa, además, del XI Seminario de Literatura Infantil y Lectura.

REV. JUAN DEL HIERRO is the senior minister at Unity on the Bay, one of Florida's most respected progressive spiritual communities, leading efforts in issues such as the unhoused, child poverty, civic engagement, and LGBTQ+ equality. A dedicated advocate for social justice, Del Hierro has served on the boards of SAVE, Faith in the City, and other organizations. He currently serves as the vice chair on the board of directors for Unity World Headquarters, the organization that leads the Unity movement globally. He has been honored with Congressional Recognition, SAVE's Champion of Equality Award, the Pink Flamingo Award for Local Hero, and most recently by No More Tears, an organization that supports survivors of human trafficking and domestic abuse. Del Hierro's writings have been featured in the Huffington Post and various Unity booklets and publications. Through his ministry, he promotes the message that we are each called to be a blessing to others, and that together we can create heaven on Earth.

SERGIO DEL MOLINO (Madrid, 1979) es autor de ensayos narrativos destacados sobre la despoblación y la identidad nacional, como La España vacía (2016; Alfaguara, 2022), premiado por el Gremio de Libreros y el Premio Cálamo, y Contra la España vacía (Alfaguara, 2021). Ganó el premio Ojo Crítico y Tigre Juan con La hora violeta (2013; Alfaguara, 2023) y el Premio Espasa por Lugares fuera de sitio (2018). Además, ha escrito novelas como Lo que a nadie le importa (Random House, 2014) y La mirada de los peces (Random House, 2017). Es columnista en El País, colabora en Onda Cero Radio y sus obras se han traducido a más de quince idiomas y publicado en numerosos países. Llega a la Feria con Los alemanes, obra ganadora del último Premio Alfaguara. Con una intriga que crece página a página, la novela trata uno de los episodios más vergonzosos y menos pulgados de la historia de España: cómo los nazis refugiados en un retiro dorado activaron el neonazismo en Alemania. Con sutileza alumbra el infierno que puede llegar a ser, en ocasiones, la familia, y deja en el aire dos preguntas incómodas: ¿cuándo caducan las culpas de los padres? ¿Llega hasta los hijos la obligación de redimirlas?

SUSAN DENNARD is The New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of the Luminaries trilogy, the Witchlands series (now in development for TV from the Jim Henson Company), and the Something Strange and Deadly series – in addition to various other fiction published online. Before becoming an author, she got to travel the world with her M.Sc. in marine biology. She also runs Misfits and Daydreamers, the popular newsletter for writers. To learn more about her, sign up for her fan newsletter, her writing advice newsletter, or follow her on Instagram @stdennard.

MARIA DERCHI RUSSO has been a pillar of the Miami tech community for close to a decade. Serving as executive director of Refresh Miami, the city's oldest and largest tech community, since 2015, and VP of Platform at Florida Funders since 2021, she has a deep commitment to supporting entrepreneurs and growing the South Florida tech ecosystem.

ELIZABETH DIAS is a national religion correspondent for The New York Times and has covered American religion and politics for more than a decade, with a focus on the surging power of conservative Christianity that drives the Trump movement. She is a Livingston Award finalist and a graduate of Wheaton College and Princeton Theological Seminary.

LUCKY DIAZ is a bilingual songwriter, children’s television personality, and author. He is also a multi-Latin Grammy Award winner,  Grammy-nominated, and six-time Emmy-nominated musician. His work has been praised by NPR, Billboard, People, and The New York Times. He is a recipient of a Parents' Choice Gold Award and NAPPA Award. In 2020, his album Buenos Diaz was named an official selection of notable works for children by the American Library Association. Diaz's debut picture book, Paletero Man, has been celebrated with starred reviews from Kirkus, School Library Journal, Publishers Weekly, and ALA Booklist. He currently lives in a house on a hill in Los Angeles with his wife, Alisha; daughter, Indiana; and their dog, Django. Learn more at luckydiazmusic.com.

RUTH DICKEY is the executive director of the National Book Foundation and has spent 30 years working at the intersection of community building, writing, and art. She was a 2017 fellow with the National Arts Strategies Chief Executive Program and served as a judge in fiction for the 2019 National Book Awards.

AURORA DOMINGUEZ is a high school and university educator currently teaching journalism, newspaper, and creative writing at Boca Raton High School. She also teaches mass communications and journalism classes online at the University of Florida and Florida Atlantic University, and storytelling and pop culture. Dominguez has been an editor and writer for publications such as the Miami Herald, Where Magazine, and J-14. In 2015, she went from the newsroom to the classroom and still freelances for several publications, covering books, literature, travel, and dining. She won Teacher of the Year for 2022 at Boca Raton High School, was chosen as one of 50 teachers in the United States to be honored by Walt Disney World during its 50th Anniversary Teacher Celebration, and completed her summer studies at Oxford in England on a full scholarship. She graduated that summer with a certificate in English literature with a concentration on Shakespeare and politics, and the works of Jane Austen. Dominguez lives with her husband, Sebastian, and  Luna the cat in Hollywood, Florida.

SIMON DOONAN is the author of many books, including Drag: The Complete Story (Laurence King Publishing). A long-standing member of the fashion community, Doonan was awarded the prestigious CFDA award for his work as the creative director for Barneys New York. Beautiful People, a BBC TV comedy series based on his autobiography, aired worldwide. Doonan is a regular guest at The Moth, the well-known storytelling series, and a season regular on the Emmy-nominated NBC competition series Making It, hosted by Amy Poehler and Nick Offerman. Simon lives in the U.S. with his partner, the ceramicist and designer Jonathan Adler, and their rescue mutt, Foxylady.

LUZ MARÍA DORIA Conferencista y autora de La mujer de mis sueños (Aguilar, 2016) es una de las más influyentes ejecutivas de la arrera hispana en Estados Unidos. Periodista y productora con 30 años de experiencia, actualmente se desempeña como vicepresidenta y productora ejecutiva del programa diario matutino Despierta América de la cadena Univision. Nacida en Cartagena, Colombia, Luz María inició su arrera como reportera en Editorial Televisa, en las revistas Cosmopolitan y TvyNovelas USA, llegando a ser directora de Cristina, la revista, de Cristina Saralegui con quien además colaboró en su programa televisivo y radial. Fue directora de Entretenimiento de la cadena TeleFutura (de Univision), donde supervisaba dos programas diarios: Escándalo TV y La tijera. Además de sus obligaciones con Despierta América, Luz María publica una columna en los periódicos La Opinión de Los Ángeles y Diario la Prensa de Nueva York. En 2009 fue nombrada una de las 25 mujeres más poderosas por la revista People en español y en 2018 obtuvo un premio Emmy. Este año participa en la Feria conversando con el periodista y escritor Jorge Ramos.

Writer, translator, and college professor TERESA DOVALPAGE is a Cuban transplant firmly rooted in New Mexico. She is the author of three short story collections, four plays, and 12 novels, including the Havana Mystery series. She lives with her husband, one dog, and too many barn cats.

NICOLAS DOYARD is a professional in cultural and international cooperation, with more than 25 years of impactful experience across continents. Starting in television documentary production, he quickly pivoted to the French cultural network abroad, first as a consultant at Namibian Broadcasting Corporation in Windhoek, Namibia, and then as an audiovisual attaché for Southern Africa based in Johannesburg, South Africa. Upon returning to France in 2012, he coordinated the French leg of the South African Season under the auspices of the South African Ministry of Culture. He then joined the Institut Français, where he served as a performing arts project manager for several cross-cultural seasons, including the Year of France-Korea, the Singapore Festival in France, and the France-Croatia Festival. In 2016, Doyard moved abroad once more to lead the Franco-Guinean Cultural Center in Conakry. Three years later, back in Paris, he coordinated the Digital Lab Africa program, an incubation initiative for digital creation (XR/VR, video games, animation, digital art) in sub-Saharan Africa, implemented through the South African incubator Tshimologong. In 2021, Doyard joined the International Affairs department of the French Ministry of Culture as officer for Africa and performing arts, where he dedicated three years to advancing the Ministry's transformational agenda with African nations. Since September 2024, he has taken on the role of cultural and education attache/director of Villa Albertine in Miami.