Stars and Sparks on Stage Tapa dura - 2012

Sharon M. Draper is a three-time New York Times bestselling author for Out of My Mind, Blended, and Out of My Heart. She's also won Coretta Scott King Awards for Copper Sun and Forged by Fire and multiple honors. She's also the recipient of the Margaret A. Edwards Award honoring her significant and lasting contribution to writing for teens. Sharon taught high school English for twenty-five years and was named National Teacher of the Year. She now lives in Florida. Visit her at SharonDraper.com.

Jesse Joshua Watson connects with people--where hammocking in Brazil, exploring Hong Kong, playing soccer in Haiti, or dodging taxis in Russia. He loves both the differences and similarities that are so colorfully displayed across our diverse world and reflects this passion in his illustrations, which have been featured in magazines, art publications, CD covers, children's books, and on The Oprah Winfrey Show. His work appears in the New York Times bestselling Hank Zipzer series, the Clubhouse Mysteries (Ziggy and the Black Dinosaurs) series, Hope for Haiti, and more. He won the 2005 grand prize and was a 2006 finalist at the international SCBWI New York Showcase. Jesse lives with his wife and sons in Washington where he teaches art to kids, plays music occasionally and soccer religiously, and surfs the chilly northwest waters as often as he can. Visit him online at JesseWatson.com.