Lan Samantha Chang

Lan Samantha Chang is the author of a story collection, Hunger, and two novels, All Is Forgotten, Nothing Is Lost and Inheritance. She has taught fiction writing at Stanford, Harvard, and the MFA Program for Writing at Warren Wilson College. Chang is the director of the prestigious Iowa Writers’ Workshop.

Zoe Ferraris

Zoe Ferraris, an award-winning novelist, has an MFA from Columbia University. Her books, Finding Nouf and City of Veils , seamlessly blend the genres of mystery and literary fiction. Her work combines her own personal experience and her literary talent to deliver gripping, fast-paced mysteries with a rare, intimate look into the closed society of women in the Middle East.

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Gillian Gill

Gillian Gill’s biographical subjects are quirky, controversial women (Agatha Christie, Mary Baker Eddy, Florence Nightingale, Queen Victoria, Colette) who blaze their own paths to achievement. She writes about real women faced with tough choices, not icons frozen in time. Gill brings erudition and narrative momentum to history, with documentary zeal and stylistic sparkle.

Shilpi Somaya Gowda

A summer spent as a volunteer in an Indian orphanage led Shilpi Somaya Gowda to write her first novel, Secret Daughter. Born and raised in Toronto to parents who emigrated from Mumbai, Shilpi weaves together both American and Indian cultures in a gripping exploration of family and motherhood. She currently lives in California with her husband and children.

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Haley Tanner

Haley Tanner’s breakout novel, Vaclav & Lena, is a magical story about the strength and endurance of love. Her poignant tale of two Russian immigrant children who meet in an ESL class in Brooklyn will steal your heart as you follow the story of these unforgettable protagonists, the endearing budding magician, Vaclav, and his “lovely assistant,” Lena.

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Miriam Toews

Miriam Toews’ recently released novel, Irma Voth, explores the inner life of a young woman living in an isolated Mennonite community. It is a similar theme to her award-winning novel A Complicated Kindness. Miriam’s other works are The Flying Troutmans, a novel that affirms the bonds of family; and Swing Low: A Life, a moving memoir about her manic-depressive father.

Isabel Wilkerson

The Warmth of Other Suns, written by Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Isabel Wilkerson, is an epic narrative focusing on the lives of three African Americans who represent the stories of millions who migrated from the South from 1915 to 1970. A major part of American history, this great migration has been called the most underrated story of the 20th century.

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