2017 Retreat Faculty Retreat Faculty!!! Ada Zhang Editorial Assistant, Sterling Children’s Books. Ada Zhang likes picture books, middle grade, and YA. Her interests in children’s

2017 Retreat Faculty    

 Ada Zhang Editorial Assistant, Ster l ing Chi ldren ’s Books . Ada Zhang likes picture books, middle grade, and YA. Her interests in children’s literature are far-ranging, but she particularly enjoys stories that are clever, with characters that develop in surprising ways. She is the editor of forthcoming picture books Cap’n Rex & His Clever Crew, Dough Knights and Dragons, and others. Lynn Lovegreen Lynn Lovegreen grew up in Alaska, and still lives there. She taught for twenty years before retiring to make more time for writing. She enjoys her friends and family, reading, and volunteering at her local library. Her young adult/new adult historical romances are set in the Alaska Gold Rush, a great time for drama, romance, and independent characters. See her website at www.lynnlovegreen.com. You can also find her on Facebook, Goodreads, and Pinterest.

David Onofrychuk Dave Onofrychuk grew up in Edmonton, on the windswept prairies of Alberta. In 2005, he arrived in Alaska to attend the University of Alaska Anchorage's MFA in Creative Writing program. Currently, he teaches at Alaska Pacific University, as Assistant Professor of Creative Writing and Composition. His short fiction has appeared in Fifth Wednesday Journal and Stoneboat Journal, and was nominated for a 2012 Pushcart Prize. He lives in Anchorage with his wife and son. Tricia Brown Tricia Brown is an editor, book developer, and author with nearly thirty books to her name, among them nine children’s picture books. Four of those books for kids have been selected as Alaska Battle of the Books choices for early elementary readers. Tricia holds a BA in journalism and an MFA in creative writing. Now based in Anchorage, she is a popular presenter in schools and libraries around the state and in the Lower 48. Tricia is a member of SCBWI, 49 Writers, and the Alaska Center for the Book. Visit her website at www.triciabrownbooks.com.

Dan Walker Dan Walker is a homesteader’s son who grew up to become a teacher and a writer. He has worked as a chef, innkeeper, merchant seaman, fisherman, and carpenter. Drawn from these varied experiences are blogs, essays, professional articles, and fiction published in magazines and literary journals including Journal of Geography, Alaska Magazine, and We Alaskans. Dan has more than thirty years in education and was named Teacher of the Year for Alaska in 1999. His debut novel, Secondhand Summer, is autobiographical fiction set in 1965. Jena Benton Jena Benton is an elementary school teacher, writer, illustrator, and creator of the Simply 7 Interview Series, where you can find great interviews with amazing authors and illustrators.