APRIL 5, 2025
1pm - 5pm
611 Jackson St. Richmond, TX 77406

Hometown: Richmond, TX

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Sarah Beth Baca is a mixed media artist, illustrator, and entrepreneur who lives and works in the greater Houston metropolitan area. Her art is directly related to the social and spiritual concerns of injustice, and effectively communicates on issues related to diversity, equality, renewal, unity and empowerment. She is a committed advocate of community-based art.

Hometown: Sugar Land, TX

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Life has taken me from studying Fine Art and Graphic Design at Washington State University; to being a designer, illustrator and art director in Alexandria, VA; to being an illustrator and educator in Lancaster, PA – with a wonderful stop at Syracuse University for grad school. I currently live in Sugar Land, Texas and write children’s books and continue to create humorous illustrations while keeping an eye out for snakes and alligators. When I am not in my studio you can find me teaching at the University of Houston in their Digital Media Program. 

For twenty years my editorial cartoons appeared in Lancaster Newspaper's Sunday News, Lancaster, PA. 

For 20 years I worked with an amazing group of students and faculty as an Associate Professor at Pennsylvania College of Art & Design in Lancaster, PA. 

Hometown: Beasley, TX

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Lauren Piland is an award-winning children's book author with her first published title, Blooming Rose Blasts Off! As a local mom and former teacher, Lauren's mission is to provide social-emotional learning (SEL) support tools to students, educators and parents with her SEL based book series, academic materials and hosting The Blooming Books Podcast. Book 2 in the series will be releasing soon, titled Blooming Rose Finds Her Jam! When not reading her story and meeting new friends in classrooms across our area at author visits, you can find her at home on their little farm with daughter Avery Rose, son Owens, and a whole host of animal characters! 

​Jordan Gray, a Houston native, is the author of The Happy Marauder, the first installment in The Infinite Night series. Dedicated to writing for the past two years, Jordan specializes in space opera, crafting thrilling stories set in the vast expanse of the cosmos. While bringing The Happy Marauder to life, Jordan also completed the series' second installment, Fermi Station, which is currently in editing. With a new cover design underway, readers can soon look forward to the next exciting chapter in this epic adventure.

Alexandra Burnett is a romantic suspense author who is all about murder, intrigue, and of course, steamy sex. Alexandra is a resident of the Richmond area and lives with her husband, daughter, two cats, and corgi, and when she's not writing, she's volunteering at her daughter's school, going to martial arts class, and bingeing on Asian dramas. This local indie author currently has her first series out with the first two books available at multiple retailers. The Burkes is a connecting standalone series starting with The Harvester and continuing with The Siren's Storm.  If you love danger, mystery, plot twists, and happily-ever-afters, then she is your author to look for.

Hometown: Sugar Land, TX

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Kalyani Adusumilli currently lives in Sugar Land, Texas, with her husband and two children. She received her JD from the University of Texas and her MPH from the University of Michigan. She enjoys travel, photography, and writing about mindful living on her website, The Happy Wildflower, in her spare time. She's published a collection of essays and poems from her website, The Happy Wildflower: Reflections on Life, Happiness, and Living Mindfully and Volume 2, The Happy Wildflower: Embracing the Journey. She is currently working on her first novel.

Raul Herrera and his Navy Swift Boat crew were decorated by Vietnam’s Prime Minister Nguyen Cao Ky and Chief of State Nguyen Van Thieu for the capture of Skunk Alpha, a 120-ft North Vietnamese resupply trawler.  His memoir, Capturing Skunk Alpha, received a Silver Medal in a recent Military Writers Society of America Book Competition. His story has been featured on two KHOU-TV FIRST SUNDAY episodes as well as in a more recent show on Debrorah Duncan’s Greatday Houston. A book trailer is available on YouTube.

Born in 1955, Steve Long is a Baby Boomer. A grandson of Sicilian immigrants, he grew up in a

lively and devout Catholic extended family in Buffalo, New York. Now retired after a 32-year

career as a history teacher in which he combined his love of teaching with a flair for theater and

storytelling, he has been a lifelong learner with a fervent desire to inspire others toward being

the same. In Compliments of Pet Milk: A Boomer's Odyssey Across the Millennium Divide, his first book, he reflects on a life lived straddling two eras—one grounded in the simplicity of the 20th century, the other dominated by rapid technological and societal shifts. With sharp wit and poignant insight, the memoir delves into love, family, culture, and the seismic changes that

reshaped the American experience.

He’s also a drummer in classic rock, blues, and country bands, has traveled extensively

throughout the U.S. and Europe, has skydived and water-skied-once, and finally ridden a horse.

His hobbies include scale model building.

Sara Hayes Dietz lives with her husband and two daughters in a century-old farmhouse in Texas. She started writing stories at six years old, and although she'd like to think she's improved since then, the jury's still out. When she's not writing, you can usually find her pushing her preschooler on the swings or reminding her toddler that no, she's not big enough to pick up a cow.

Hometown: Houston, TX

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Danielle Coulanges, born in Haiti and a longtime New Yorker before relocating to Houston, Texas, is a multi-talented writer known for her vibrant presence in various fields. With a background as a former model and fashion designer, the quintessential diva loves to write.  She penned several published articles and short stories over the years. She made her mark in the literary world with her memoir, Cads, Princes & Best Friends: A Tale of Lust, Love & Redemption. Her engaging blog, "One Aging Diva," and the entertaining "D’Auntie Podcast" on YouTube showcase her insights on life, faith, and relationships.

Gemini Wahhaj is the author of the novel The Children of This Madness (7.13 Books, 2023) and the short-story collection Katy Family (Jackleg Press, April 2025). Her fiction is in Granta, Third Coast, River Styx, and other magazines. She has a PhD in creative writing from the University of Houston, where she received the James A. Michener award for fiction and the Cambor/Inprint fellowship. She is Associate Professor of English at Lone Star College in Houston.