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Christian McKay Heidicker is looking to adopt a new cat. His first cat, Lucifer Morningstar, scares the demons out of his apartment, but his second cat, Rorschach, keeps dragging them back in. Christian is the author of the Newbery Honor-winning Scary Stories for Young Foxes, its non-Newbery-winning companion The City, and the Thieves of Weirdwood trilogy, which is pretty good if you’re into that sort of thing. He would name the cat Video Games, Jr..
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Julia Lyon is an award-winning former newspaper reporter who now writes hidden history for kids. Her debut nonfiction picture book, A Dinosaur Named Ruth, published in November 2021. Illustrated by Alexandra Bye and published by Margaret K. McElderry Books/Simon & Schuster, the book is based on the true story of Ruth Mason who found dinosaur bones in her own backyard.
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Kaitlyn Mahoney (they/she) is the owner of Under the Umbrella Bookstore. They discovered their queer identity primarily through books after making the decision to read more diversely in their mid-20s. Because the publishing industry does not prioritize the stories of queer folks or other marginalized identities, finding these stories was—and continues to be—more difficult than it should be. In January 2021, after years of waiting for someone else to do it, they decided to open a queer-specific bookstore where queer folks of all ages could gather and celebrate their identities in a safe, sober, and accessible space. After a successful crowdfunding campaign, they opened Under the Umbrella Bookstore in November 2021.
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Bhavika Malik is a senior at Herriman High School. She has been published in Missing Perspectives, Wear Your Voice, Salt Lake Tribune, and more.
Read Bhavika’s “Letter to Utah” Essay Here

Theodora Soter is a writer, bookseller, aTd English Student at the University of Utah. Theadora's greatest passion lies in storytelling where she plans to make a career for herself. When Theadora is not writing she can usually be found reading in a coffee shop or playing with her puppy, Larry.

Brian King is the Utah State Representative serving District 23. Brian was aised in a household of ranchers and lawyers, where he learned to navigate nuanced discussions and developed a commitment to justice. As a legal trailblazer, Brian has fought an ongoing bat le to get mental health coverage for families. At news conference announcing his candidacy for Governor, Brian included book banning in Utah as a key issue.

Erika George, J.D., is a professor of law at the S.J. Quinney College of Law and director of the Tanner Humanities Center at the University of Utah.
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