| Meet Tonya Bolden, the award-winning author of more than 20 books for young people, including Maritcha: A Nineteenth-Century American Girl, biographies of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and George Washington Carver, and How to Build a Museum — the story behind the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture. Her most recent book, Facing Frederick, is an engaging look at the many contributions of Frederick Douglass — including his work as a publisher, a diplomat to Haiti, a bank president, and a prolific writer. A passionate researcher, Bolden transforms facts into compelling stories that inspire and challenge her readers to learn more about our history and the historymakers.   Rita Williams-Garcia is the bestselling author of novels for young adults and middle grade readers — including Clayton Byrd Has Gone Underground and her trilogy about the Gaither sisters(One Crazy Summer, PS Be Eleven, and Gone Crazy in Alabama). Many of her books are rooted in our recent American history and all her stories brim with the authentic voices of young people. Her novels have received numerous awards, including the Coretta Scott King Award, National Book Award Finalist, Newbery Honor Book, and Scott O’Dell Prize for Historical Fiction. In this interview, you'll learn about the origins of One Crazy Summer, why Williams-Garcia always does deep research for her books, and what she does to push through writer's block (it might surprise you!). At the Emerald City Comic-Con in Seattle, Gene meets up with Ngozi Ukazu, creator of the popular web comic, Check Please! — the quirky story of a pie-baking college hockey player. Ngozi has been putting pictures and words together since elementary school. She was the comics editor in high school and kept on drawing in college. In this informal interview, Gene and Ngozi bond over their shared love of animated TV shows (Justice League, The Simpsons) and sitcoms from the 90s. Learn more about Ngozi and her work > | 
