Amy Gajda, Tulane Law School’s Class of 1937 Professor of Law, is a journalist turned lawyer
recognized internationally for her expertise in privacy and media law.

Viking published Gajda’s Seek and Hide: The Tangled History of the Right to Privacy in 2022 to
significant critical acclaim. The New York Times called it “wry and fascinating” and named it a top non-fiction book of the season; the courts of the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit chose it as the Circuit’s inaugural “One Court. One Book.” summer reading.

Courtney Bryan, a native of New Orleans, Louisiana, is “a pianist and composer of panoramic interests” (New York Times). She is a 2023 MacArthur Fellow, and currently serves as composer-in-residence with Opera Philadelphia.

This season sees two world premieres: Dreaming (Freedom Sounds), performed by the International Contemporary Ensemble at New York’s Kaufman Music Center, and a new orchestral piece for Jacksonville Symphony.

Kevin Belton, a self-trained chef began cooking under the watchful eye of his mother and grandmother in the uptown New Orleans home. In addition to the almost 7,000 lessons he has led, Belton has also offered classes and cooking demonstrations throughout the U.S. and Canada. He has been a featured chef and guest on numerous food programs including Emeril Live; Ready Set Cook; Life, Love and Lunch; Food Fighters; and Taste of America. In 1999, he was co-host and chef on the BBC series Big Kevin, Little Kevin, which also featured British celebrity chef Kevin Woodford.

Gayle holds a Master’s + 30 from the University of Southwestern Louisiana (currently ULL) and has worked in elementary education for 25 years, primarily designing and implementing enrichment curricula for gifted children. Her debut picture book, When I Was an Alligator, was illustrated by Drew Beech and published by UL Press in 2020. In 2022 When I Was an Alligator represented Louisiana at the Library of Congress National Book Festival. Her second book in a series, When I Was a Pelican, was released by UL Press in August of 2023.

Brittany J. Thurman writes award-winning books for kids. She is the author of Fly, (Golden Kite Award for Picture Book Text) and Fearless: Boulevard of Dreams. Her upcoming works include Forever and Always, illustrated by Shamar Knight Justice (2024), Fearless: The Takeover (2024), The First Library: The True Story of the First Library by and For Black America, illustrated by Cozbi Cabrera (2025) and Come Catch a Dream, illustrated by Islenia Mil (2025).

Although I was born and raised in New Orleans, I’ve called several other places home—Houston, Texas; Mission Viejo, California; and for two decades, Lake Forest, Illinois, just north of Chicago. In 2013, my husband and I returned to Louisiana and settled in the serene surroundings of Bayou Lacombe on the north shore of Lake Pontchartrain.

Revan Teresa Jackson, known affectionately as “the baby whisperer” and youngest of four, realized at a very young age that babies are the one thing she could always count on to inspire joy in her soul. After years of unsuccessfully begging her parents for a baby brother or sister, at the ripe age of 11, she tested her entrepreneurial skills and started a babysitting company in her neighborhood with the support of her mother. This eventually lead to her career of working with children over 23 years.

Author Adam Dennis has worked as an attorney, touring musician, sous-chef, and radio promoter. He has written for multiple online publications satirizing the world of parenting or over-analyzing the goings-on of superheroes. Gary and the Tooth Fairy is his first children's book.

Keila V. Dawson is a former educator who writes fiction and nonfiction picture books. A two-time Ohioana finalist, her books have been featured on the New York Public Library, Chicago Public Library, John F. Kennedy Library, Bank Street, and Kirkus Best Books lists, selected as a National Council of Teachers of English and National Society of the Social Studies Notable, and nominated for various awards, including the 2021 Jane Addams Children’s Book Award, the 2023 Charlotte Award, and the 2023-2024 Louisiana and Illinois Bluestem State Readers’ Choice awards.

Alice Wilbert Couvillon began her affiliation with Tulane at Tulane Day Camp in the 1950's. She later graduated from Newcomb College with a BA in history and a Master's in Teaching from Tulane in 1972. She taught for 33 years, primarily in St. Tammany Parish where she was voted Teacher of her school, parish, and district. in 1997. She met Elizabeth Moore, another Newcomb graduate, and they began writing children's books, eventually publishing seven books and one graphic novel They won St. Tammany President's Literary Arts Award in 2010.