Writers Conference Presenters
Get to know our presenters!
The 2026 Writers Conference is packed with creativity, inspiration, and expertise! Our diverse lineup of presenters includes novelists, children’s authors, playwrights, comic creators, poets—and even musicians. You’ll hear directly from those who know publishing and get practical advice on promoting yourself and your work.
From the craft of writing to poetry, from publishing strategies to writing for children, our sessions cover it all. These presenters aren’t just experts—they’re passionate creators eager to share their knowledge and help you grow as a writer.
Megan Bannen
Megan Bannen is a USA Today bestselling author of award-winning speculative fiction, including The Undertaking of Hart and Mercy. Her work has been selected for the RUSA Reading List, the Indies Introduce list, and the Kids’ Indie Next List, along with numerous best-of-the-year compilations. As a former public librarian, she has spent most of her professional career behind a reference desk, but she has also sold luggage, written grants, collected a few graduate degrees from various Kansas universities, and taught English at home and abroad. She lives in the Kansas City area with her family and more pets than is reasonable.
Vanessa Riley
Vanessa Riley is an acclaimed author known for captivating novels such as Island Queen, a Good Morning America Buzz Pick, and Queen of Exiles, an ABC View Lit Pick. She was honored as the 2023 Georgia Literary Fiction Author of the Year for Sister Mother Warrior. Her craft highlights hidden narratives of Black women and women of color, emphasizing strong sisterhoods, diverse communities, and power across historical fiction, romance, and mystery genres. Her works have received praise from esteemed publications like the Washington Post, Entertainment Weekly, NPR, Publisher Weekly, and the New York Times.
Nina Simon
Nina Simon writes crime fiction about strong women. She is the New York Times bestselling author of My Sister is Going to Kill Me (2026) and Mother-Daughter Murder Night (2023). This big-hearted whodunnit was a Reese’s Book Club pick, an Anthony Award winner, and a “best of 2023” selection for Amazon, Barnes & Noble, CrimeReads, and LibraryJournal.
Dawn Quigley
Dawn Quigley, Ph.D. and citizen of the Turtle Mountain Band of Ojibwe, ND, is an assistant professor at a Midwest university Education Department. She taught English and reading for 18+ years in the K-12 schools along with being an Indian Education program co-director. In addition to her debut coming-of-age Young Adult novel, Apple in the Middle (NDSU Press), “Joey Reads the Sky” in Ancestor Approved: Intertribal Stories for Kids, the chapter book series Jo Jo Makoons: The Used to Be Best Friend (book #1); Jo Jo Makoons: Fancy Pants (#2), Red Bird Danced (forthcoming novel-in-verse), and Native American Heroes (Scholastic Books). Dawn has over 30 published articles, essays and poems. She lives in Minnesota with her family.
Chris La Tray
Chris La Tray is a Métis storyteller, a descendent of the Pembina Band of the mighty Red River of the North and an enrolled member of the Little Shell Tribe of Chippewa Indians. His third book, Becoming Little Shell: A Landless Indian’s Journey Home, was published by Milkweed Editions on August 20, 2024. His first book, One-Sentence Journal: Short Poems and Essays from the World at Large won the 2018 Montana Book Award and a 2019 High Plains Book Award. His book of haiku and haibun poetry, Descended from a Travel-worn Satchel, was published in 2021 by Foothills Publishing. Chris was the 2025 William Kittredge Distinguished Visiting Writer at the University of Montana and writes the weekly newsletter “An Irritable Métis.” He is the Montana Poet Laureate for 2023–2025 and lives near Frenchtown, Montana.
José Faus
José Faus is a writer, performer, visual artist, mentor, and independent teacher. A native of Bucaramanga, Colombia, he received degrees in studio art and creative writing/journalism from the University of Missouri at Kansas City. He is a founder of the Latino Writers Collective. His writing appears in numerous anthologies. His chapbook This Town Like That was released by Spartan Press. His second book of poetry The Life and Times of Jose Calderon was published by West 39 Press. His children’s book Possum Trot was released by La Resistencia Press. He sits on the Board of Governors of the UMKC Alumni Assn, the Arts Engagement Foundation of Kansas City, and the Latino Repertory Theater.
Shonda Buchanan
Award-winning author and educator, Shonda Buchanan has freelanced for the Los Angeles Times, the LA Weekly, AWP’s The Writer’s Chronicle, Indian Country Today, Westways Magazine, Sisters of AARP and The International Review of African American Art. Shonda is also published in Tab Journal, Inlandia Institute’s The Black Experience Anthology, the Mississippi Review, Urban Voices: 51 Poems from 51 American Poets, Black Renaissance/Renaissance Noire, Art Meets Literature: An Undying Love Affair, Phati’tude Literary Magazine, Red Ink, Strange Cargo: An Emerging Voices Anthology, Step into a World: A Global Anthology of New Black Literature, Arise! Magazine, Def Jam Poetry’s Bum Rush the Page, Geography of Rage: Remembering the Los Angeles Riots of 1992 and Rivendell. Shonda has served as a judge for multiple writing and grants contests including the Poetry Foundation, the City of Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs, CavanKerry Press, Library of Virginia’s Poetry Book Awards, North Carolina Arts Council Poetry Fellowship, the George Floyd Youth Justice Poetry Contest, the Amanda Gorman Youth Poetry Contest, the Virginia Commission for the Arts Fiction Contest, the Metrorail Public Art Project Poetry Contest and NAACP ACT So Poetry Contest.
Jordan Stempleman
Jordan Stempleman’s most recent poetry collection, “Spilt,” was awarded the 2025 Wishing Jewel Prize for poetic innovation from Green Linden Press. He has also published nine previous poetry collections, including “Cover Songs” (the Blue Turn), “Wallop” and “No, Not Today” (Magic Helicopter Press). Stempleman is the editor of Windfall Room and faculty advisor for the Kansas City Art Institute's literary arts journal Sprung Formal. From 2011 to 2025, he curated A Common Sense Reading Series in Kansas City, Missouri, and from 2007 to 2025, he served as co-editor of The Continental Review, one of the longest-running online literary magazines devoted to video poetics. In 2013, The Huffington Post recognized Stempleman as one of "The Top 200 Advocates of American Poetry." He is an associate professor in the Liberal Arts Department and Creative Writing Progra.m. at the Kansas City Art Institute.
Author website: https://www.jordanstempleman.com/
More Presenters
Giselle Anatol is a professor of English at the University of Kansas, specializing in Caribbean and African American literature, speculative fiction, and multicultural works for young readers. As an academic, she has edited three collections of essays on popular literature—two on the Harry Potter series and one on the Twilight series—and is the author of The Things That Fly in the Night, an exploration of a skin-shedding, bloodsucking creature from Trinidadian folklore, and contemporary incarnations of Black female vampires in adult fiction, children’s stories, and calypso lyrics.
Anatol has served as the president of the Association of Caribbean Women Writers & Scholars, the director of the Gunn Center for the Study of Science Fiction at KU, and she is currently the director of the Hall Center for the Humanities in Lawrence, KS.
She published her first creative work—a picture-book illustrated by Coretta Scott King honoree Raissa Figueroa—called Small-Girl Toni and the Quest for Gold in 2023, which was inspired by the work of Nobel-laureate Toni Morrison. The Kirkus starred review described it as “Glowing and overflowing with the legacy of the author who inspired it.” Anatol’s second author-inspired picture-book, Small-Girl Zara and the Shower of Stories (also illustrated by Figueroa), came out in January 2026. Kirkus called this one “A dynamically imagined, girl power-infused re-creation of an acclaimed author’s childhood.” Anatol has also contributed a story to the middle-grade horror anthology The Haunted States of America (Henry Holt, 2024). Website: https://giselleanatol.com/
Dr. Leia Barrett is a former non-profit leader turned children's book author. She was inspired to create children's books while serving as Director of Education for the Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra, where she pioneered the award-winning Symphony Storytime Series. Leia's most recent book, The Odd Dog, has received numerous accolades, including being named a 2025 Kirkus Indie Book of the Year.
Haley Casey graduated from The University of Kansas with a BA in creative writing and attended the Denver Publishing Institute in 2015. She began her full-time career at Ogden Publications, where she was an editor for four years. There she worked with a variety of authors across multiple magazines, wrote over a dozen articles, edited audio for podcasts, and even styled cover photos—anything to add some creativity to her days. In 2020, she interned at Metamorphosis Literary Agency and Creative Media Agency, Inc. before stepping into her role as an associate agent at CMA. She’s actively building her list, and—using her industry expertise and editorial eye—she’s ready to continue bringing new stories into the world! Website: https://cmalit.com/haley-casey/
Lori Briley Fairchild is the creative mind behind thrilling young adult dystopian novels and delightful children's mysteries. Lori has spent 20 years as a freelance writer/editor and mom before diving into her own storytelling adventures. A veteran of too many in-person events to count, she likes selling her books at these events because she loves interacting with readers and other authors. When Lori isn’t crafting tales of intrigue and adventure, she’s likely reading a good book, pondering why her husband insists on playing his music at maximum volume, or fulfilling her role as a professional ear scratcher for her two beloved dogs. In her captivating mystery series, Buddy and Panda, two ordinary dogs with a knack for sniffing out trouble, team up with their human, 10-year-old Eva, to solve perplexing mysteries from missing hockey sticks to puzzling locker room notes. Lori’s young adult dystopian series, The Palumbra Chronicles, transports readers to a world under the oppressive rule of the World Government. When Maeve Jackson unearths a mysterious time capsule, she embarks on a revolutionary journey that challenges everything she knows about herself and her society. With the help of friends and a burning desire for freedom, Maeve must navigate the treacherous path to rebellion and self-discovery. Lori Briley Fairchild’s books are perfect for fans of high-stakes adventures, canine detectives, and teenage heroes fighting for a better world.
Beth Gulley is a poet whose most recent books include In the Margins (Meadowlark Press) Picking Fights in Book Club (Bottlecap Editions), and Frog Joy (Anamcara). She has won Chapbook of the Year award twice from the Kansas Author’s Club. Beth has a PhD from the University of Kansas. Currently, she teaches English at Johnson County Community College, serves on the Riverfront Reading Committee and the Writers Place board. She resides in Spring Hill, Kansas which gives her easy access to Hillsdale Lake where she enjoys trail running and open water swimming.
When Lisa Harkrader was in the third grade, she wanted to be a writer, an artist, and a spy. Today, she’s a writer and illustrator who has published 45 books for children and has received the William Allen White Children’s Book Award and four Kansas Notable Book awards. Her books have been on children’s choice award lists in eight states and named New York Public Library and Bank Street College Best Books of the Year. And she still wants to be a spy. Website: https://www.ldharkrader.com/
Bee Hawthorne (she/they) writes short stories and novellas across all genres, but has a soft spot for mysteries. Their short stories have been published in Quotidian Bagatelle and other places. Their other interests include watching terrible tv, crafting the perfect bad joke, and bothering their cats Copy and Paste.
Lindsay Kennedy is an award-winning, nationally produced and published playwright, and nonfiction writer. She teaches creative writing, playwriting, and theatre at the college level. This year, her short play Shelter was read at the Lanford Wilson New American Play Festival and her play Rattler was produced by Heller Theatre Company, and she has become a Confluence Playwriting Fellow with the St. Louis Shakespeare Festival and a Studio Resident Artist at Charlotte Street in KC. Her works have been published in journals like Tahoma Literary Review, CutBank Literary Journal, Reunion: The Dallas Review, and OxMag, and in collections like Stage It, Stream It: Plays for Virtual Theatre, Drama in the Time of Covid: 50 Plays of Hope, Love and Loss, The 50-Word Stories of 2021: Microfiction for Lovers of Quick Reads, and Their Own Devices: A Collection of Kansas City Playwrights.
Sue Lowell Gallion writes for children because she is passionate about children, reading, and writing, and any combination of the three. Sue writes fiction and nonfiction for kids of a variety of ages, including picture books, board books, and early readers.
Sue's Our World nonfiction board book series with Phaidon Press was selected for the Oprah's Favorites list for 2024 and was featured on "Good Morning America." These globe-shaped books are illustrated by Lisk Feng. The series includes Our World, A First Book of Geography; Our Seasons, The World in Winter, Spring, Summer, and Autumn; Our Underwater World, A First Dive into Oceans, Lakes, and Rivers; and Our Galaxy: A First Adventure in Space. The series has received recognition from School Library Journal, the Washington Post, the Financial Times, and others. The newest book in the Our World series is Our Prehistoric Planet: Dinosaurs and Other Creatures of the Past.
Sue's other titles include the Pug Meets Pig picture book series illustrated by Joyce Wan and published by Beach Lane Books/Simon & Schuster. Pug Meets Pig won the Missouri Library Association Building Block Award in 2018.
Sue volunteers with Lead to Read KC as a reading mentor. She's a Kansas City native and grew up surrounded by the sounds of printing presses and the smell of ink in her family's commercial printing business. She is a journalism graduate of Southern Methodist University in Dallas.
Website: https://suegallion.com/
Dwight Miller is the esteemed CEO of the Readers and Writers Network, a literacy-based non-profit organization dedicated to growing young readers in Kansas and Missouri. Born and raised near 18th and Vine in downtown Kansas City, Miller experienced firsthand the transformative power of literacy. As the self-proclaimed “library kid,” he spent his after-school hours safe, utilizing the many resources available at the downtown public library to finish homework while waiting for his mom to get off work. Dwight attended O'Hara High School in Kansas City and upon graduation from Wichita State University, he began his career in youth development with the YMCA of the USA of Des Moines, Iowa. Under his leadership, Readers and Writers Network has expanded its reach, hosting over 10 literacy-based special events for kids in KC-area neighborhoods through collaborations with both the Kansas City and Johnson County libraries. Together, they've engaged more than 500 kids and families with their unique spin on special events. Miller resides in Merriam, Kansas with his wife, Kelsey, their daughter, Grace, and their dog, Reiger, who runs the house.
M.A. Monnin - Agatha-nominated author M. A. Monnin writes the Intrepid Traveler Mysteries. An avocational archaeologist and Air Force veteran, she is the current President of the Guppy Chapter of Sisters in Crime.
Ali Petterson (she/her) has been writing since she could hold a pencil, telling outlandish stories that eventually grew into a passion for writing fantasy, historical fiction, and science fiction. She is exceedingly proud of her little family, most of whom are covered in fur, and the work she does with KanMoWriCo.
Joanie Saltzman (ze/hir/hirs/hirself) has lived in Kansas City for 24 years and is passionate about building community here. Ze has an Associate degree in General Education and a BA in English Writing and Rhetoric. Ze led the Kansas City region of National Novel Writing Month for six years, gaining experience in leading a writing group before KanMoWriCo launched as an independent organization. Saltzman has a background in social work and currently works as a receptionist. In hir spare time, ze is working to get hir current manuscript ready for querying. Ze writes queer urban fantasy set mostly here in Kansas City, but sometimes in Faerie.
Christina Rich
Cindy Rosebrook
Amanda Sellet
Portia Stewart
Parker Hum
Marnette Falley
Val Fassnight