Mel Boring

After Mel's lively book talks, many kids call him Mel UN-Boring. Three of his books are CATERPILLARS, BUGS AND BUTTERFLIES, BIRDS, NESTS AND EGGS and RABBITS, SQUIRRELS AND CHIPMUNKS. Mel has written about Native Americans, fascinating constructions like the Statue of Liberty, and clowns. He just finished GUINEA PIG SCIENTISTS, a book about scientists who experimented on themselves. Mel has written for children in K-8; and his years of classroom teaching all ages from kindergarten to college put him at ease with any age. He likes to eat lunch with the children, even play on the playground with them. Mel feels he lives at whatever place he goes to talk about writing. He's a workhorse, willing to do as many programs a day as his hosts feel are needed at their individual site at no extra charge. He prefers working with small groups so he can talk with children and answer their questions, teaching them how to write their own books. Yet he's also comfortable with larger assemblies, where he does more to entertain, wearing his Cat-in-the-Hat suit, or showing posters of his books' pictures. He loves autographing books. Fees: $750 a day or part-day, plus travel and lodging expenses.

Dori Butler

Dori grew up in southern Minnesota. She was an only child until she was almost 9 years old, so she spent a lot of time alone. She wrote stories (mostly about kids with big families) to entertain herself and never quit!

Dori has never held a "real" job, unless you count the three years she worked in the library during high school. She started out writing for magazines and has published stories in Cricket, Spider, Highlights for Children, Children's Digest, Child Life and various Sunday School publications. From there she got hired as a ghostwriter and wrote books for the Sweet Valley Twins series.

Her first book was The Great Tooth Fairy Rip-Off (Fairview Press, 1997). That was followed by 4 state ABC books, a nonfiction book, Whodunit: How the Police Solve Crimes, a short chapter book, Just in Time, Vinny, and three middle grade novels: Sliding Into Home, Trading Places with Tank Talbott and the forthcoming, Do You Know the Monkey Man.

Dori walks 4 miles every morning and enjoys reading, hiking, biking, digital photography and board games (she plays a mean game of Scrabble!). She lives in Coralville with her husband, two sons and assorted pets.

Jill Esbaum

Jill Esbaum lives on an Eastern Iowa farm with her husband, two sons, and daughter. She loves sharing her time and limited talents with kids, which is why she worked as a substitute teacher’s aide, spent years playing piano (badly) for Sunday schoolers, is a 4-H leader, and coaches a girls’ softball team.

Jill tries to include humor in all of her work and especially enjoys creating funny poems. One of them, "A New View," was included in a picture book anthology. Another, "The Horn I Scorn," is being used on an educational testing website. More than forty of Jill’s stories, articles, and poems have been published in children’s magazines. She is the author of two forthcoming picture books and has many (many) other literary irons in the fire.

Picture books:
Stink Soup - Farrar, Straus & Giroux, 2004
Ste-e-e-e-eamboat A-Comin’! - Farrar, Straus & Giroux, 2005
Poetry anthology:
I Invited a Dragon to Dinner (and Other Poems to Make You Laugh Out Loud) - Philomel, 2002
Children’s magazines:
Babybug, Boys’ Quest, Cicada, Cricket, Ladybug, The Goldfinch, Guideposts for Kids, Highlights for Children, Hopscotch, Humpty Dumpty’s, Jack & Jill, Pockets, Spider, Teen, Turtle.

Kimn Swenson Gollnick

When Kimn was eleven, her family voted to give away their television--so she became an avid reader, writer, and cartoonist! Kimn later wrote comedy, performing as a professional ventriloquist in the greater Seattle area at schools, churches, retreats, and fairs for over twelve years. Since 1993, Kimn has earned over 300 publication credits and 16 writing awards including Writer of the Year from American Christian Writers (Seattle 1997). Her work has appeared in Kidz Ch@t, Quiet Hour, The Writer, and five book anthologies including the Chicken Soup series. Her story "Best Friends" was a top-ten finalist in Pockets' annual fiction competition (2001).

Kimn is in her fourth year teaching writing and website classes in the local homeschool assistance program, and presents workshops at writers' conferences and schools. Her background includes work as a graphic artist, copy editor, human resources director, benefits specialist, and freelance news reporter. Kimn wrote GETTING YOUR FINANCIAL HOUSE IN ORDER with David and Debbie Bragonier (Broadman & Holman), released October 2003. She is currently working on a middle-reader series and sketches for a picture book.

As for her name? Credit her creative mother. Kimn and her husband Russ live with their two boys, elderly dog, and mischievous cat in Marion, Iowa. Note: Kimn serves as webmaster/designer for SCBWI-Iowa.

Carol Gorman

Carol Gorman has sold many books for readers from first grade to adult. Her books for young readers include DORK IN DISGUISE, which won the Sequoyah Children's Book Award in Oklahoma, the Mark Twain Award in Missouri, the Washington State Sasquatch Reading Award, and the Junior Book Award in South Carolina. She has also written DORK ON THE RUN, the LIZARD FLANAGAN books, and JENNIFER-THE-JERK IS MISSING.

Connie Heckert
(Regional Advisor, SCBWI-Iowa)

Connie is the author of two picture books, two books for teens and seven for adults. Her children's books include Dribbles (Clarion) and Miss Rochelle and the Lost Bell. "The Swedish Connections" was her M.A. essay at the University of Iowa. To Keera With Love, one of two co-authored nonfictions (Sheed and Ward), has been reprinted four times. She has written more than 400 newspaper features and magazine articles ("B is for Bookworm," "Summer's Best Reading for Children"). A poem, "Rainy Day Walk," is forthcoming in Highlights. Connie teaches college, and particularly enjoys "Current Preschool Books" and "Writing Children's Books". She has taught Writing Picture Books at the University of Iowa's Summer Writing Festival and serves on the BOD of the Moline Schools/David R. Collins Children's Literature Festival. Through Heckert Literary Productions, Inc., she has researched, written, edited and occasionally done layout for five corporate pictorial histories, most recently The Kahl Legacy (Scott Community College Foundation, 2000). She lives with her husband, two daughters; and two of the cats in Dribbles: Bing Crosby and Jack Benny. She insists she needs more rainy day walks.

Susan Ludwig

Susan Ludwig is the author of 24 Ready-to-Go Book Reports (2002, Scholastic). A former elementary grade teacher, she currently works as a curriculum and education writer, and editor. She has worked as an editor for a national magazine and is a columnist for Today's Parent, a South Florida monthly newspaper.

Susan teaches adult nonfiction and essay writing workshops, and later this year will work as an instructor with the Institute for Children's Literature. She especially enjoys teaching and honing the craft of writing with both children and adults.

A native New Yorker, Susan lives in Iowa City with her husband and four children. She is currently pursuing her MA degree in Curriculum and Instruction. Her children's book Bentley, The Dog with a Personality is under consideration at a major publisher, and she is currently working on a young adult historical fiction book.

Sharelle Byars Moranville

Sharelle Byars Moranville's first book for children--Over the River (Henry Holt, 2002)--was named by Booklist in the year's top ten historical novels for youth. Her chapter book, The Purple Ribbon, also from Holt, was described in Booklist as "a delightful tale that illuminates the importance of family" and in Publisher's Weekly as "a solidly cozy caper." Two more books, under contract with Holt, are forthcoming.

Moranville is also a featured writer for the children's reading website Storydog.com. And in addition to writing fiction for children, she authors nonfiction for adults, and has contributed several articles and chapters to trade publications on the art and business of writing.

Moranville has a doctorate in English literature and is an adjunct professor at a community college. She also teaches creative writing for The Institute of Children's Literature. She conducts writing workshops for adults and children, and enjoys talking about the books and writing to professional groups. She has been invited to serve on the Golden Kite awards committee for 2003.

Beth Stevens

Beth is a children's author whose crafts, activities, articles and stories have been published in national magazines like Family Fun, Highlights for Children and Spider. She also writes hands-on nonfiction books for kids and teachers, plus a weekly column in the Waterloo/Cedar Falls Courier called "Kids at Play".

This former teacher enjoys sharing all aspects of her writing career with students. Beth engages her audience with interesting props and hands-on craft demonstrations from her books. She encourages student participation during her visits. Her aim is to bring the love of reading, writing and crafting to all ages. She challenges even reluctant readers to tackle those skills with enthusiasm and a can-do attitude.

Her hi-lo series on historical toys (Perfection Learning Corporation) includes the following titles: Marvelous Marbles, Billions of Balls, Colorful Kites, Bicycles, Tops (and Other Spinning Toys), Wheels, Games Galore and Toy Fads. Her latest series is slated for Fall 2003 publication. It covers the physical science topic of "how things are made". After reading these books, children will see toothbrushes, plastic bags, facial tissue, milk cartons, mirrors, t-shirts, paper clips and bronze statues in a whole new light! Contact Beth for a brochure. Then schedule your visit soon!

Ronica Stromberg

Ronica Stromberg is the author of The Glass Inheritance, a mystery about the Great Depression, World War II, and the glassware produced during that era. The book is used in upper elementary and junior high classrooms as an entertaining way to introduce children to history. The publisher, Royal Fireworks Press, specializes in "fiction for the classroom" and books for and about gifted and talented students. Ronica has also had stories published in Chicken Soup for the Teen Soul on Love and Friendship and eight other anthologies. Her short stories and articles have appeared in children's magazines such as Focus on the Family's Clubhouse and Clubhouse Jr., Encounter, Insight, The Conqueror, and Today's Christian Teen.

Ronica has also worked as a corporate editor, newspaper reporter and copy editor, and marketing assistant. She is qualified to speak and teach about mystery, humor, inspirational, and journalistic writing, as well as grammar and marketing. Ronica has written for pay as far back as eighth grade and has kept diaries from the eighth grade on. She tries to pass on this love of writing and journaling to children.

Kathryn Zimmerman

Kathryn Zimmerman has only recently (2003) begun to be published--in professional journals and newspapers! Her children's stories, however, are still in search of a publisher.

Enjoying the child's discovery of the world, Kathryn's writing abilities developed through the children's theatre program at the University of Hawaii (1980-82). Writing, performing, and directing plays (for, about, or with children) skillfully broadened Kathryn's creative abilities. Since then, she became a voracious reader of children's literature.

In 2002, she joined SCBWI and began the testy life of submitting her writings. Her current children's stories in search of a publisher include: The Story of the Lion Princess Anad (1998), E-Eloc and Godzilliapopo (1998), and Artists of the World (2002). Her articles recently published in professional journals and newspapers can be viewed at her Web site (see below).