Deborah Wiles is the author of several highly acclaimed books, including the beloved Love, Ruby Lavender and two National Book Award finalists–Each Little Bird That Sings and Revolution. Her first picture book, Freedom Summer, received the Ezra Jack Keats New Writer Award. She is also an NAACP Book Award finalist, E.B. White Award winner, Golden Kite Award winner, Jane Addams Peace Award Finalist, and recipient of a PEN Phyllis Reynolds Naylor Working Writer Fellowship. Her most recent novel is for young adults, Kent State. Her newest picture book, Simple Thanks, was published in 2024. She lives in Atlanta, Georgia. You can visit her on the web at deborahwiles.com, write with her at Storybelly.com, and follow her on social media platforms at @deborahwilesbooks.