Driven by a profound passion for sharing Ethiopian culture through food, Dr. Biruk founded Addis NOLA to bring the vibrant flavors of her homeland to New Orleans. Under her visionary leadership, the restaurant seamlessly blends tradition with innovation, creating a unique culinary experience that celebrates Ethiopian heritage with a modern twist.
Michael Cerveris is a Tony Award-winning actor and musician known for his dynamic career spanning Broadway, television, and music. Raised in West Virginia by a music professor and a dance teacher, he pursued both acting and music from an early age. His Broadway debut as Tommy in The Who’s Tommy led to collaborations with Pete Townshend, Bob Mould, and other influential musicians.
Kim Scott is the author of Radical Respect and Radical Candor. Kim was a CEO coach at Dropbox, Qualtrics, Twitter, and other tech companies. She was a member of the faculty at Apple University and before that led AdSense, YouTube, and DoubleClick teams at Google.
Danielle Arceneaux is a public relations veteran that lives in Brooklyn, NY with her border terrier, Birdie, and an ungovernable cat. When not writing, she enjoys traveling around the world to fly fish. Her first Glory Broussard mystery, Glory Be, was the winner of the Edgar / Lillian Jackson Braun Award. For more information, visit www.daniellearceneaux.com
CHRIS THOMAS KING was discovered in Louisiana in 1979 as a teenaged blues prodigy by a folklorist from the Smithsonian Institute and introduced to the world by folk label Arhoolie Records as an authentic folk-blues successor to Huddie “Lead Belly” Ledbetter, Muddy Waters, Robert Johnson, and Jelly Roll Morton. As an actor King portrayed delta guitar legend Tommy Johnson, who sold his soul in the Oscar-winning movie O Brother, Where Art Thou? King has earned numerous awards, including an Album of the Year Grammy and an Album of the Year Country Music Association (CMA) Award.
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. She generally lives with her nose in a book or talking about books she’s read. When she’s not writing, reading to groups of children, hosting gatherings for her family and friends, or playing with her grandchildren, you might find her riding her tricycle!
A native of New Iberia, Louisiana, author and artist Paul Schexnayder is the recipient of numerous honors for both his civic involvement and his artwork. He was named Citizen of the Year by the New Iberia Daily Iberian, and he received the award for Best Animation Film at the Iberia Film Festival two years in a row. He is frequently featured as a festival poster artist, and his work has been placed in galleries and shows throughout Louisiana. His work can be found in the collections of former Louisiana governors as well as in the homes of esteemed collectors throughout the country.
Marie Rathe is a family nurse practitioner, writer, and grandmother. She is also a volunteer for Operation Smile and has done over 40 international surgical missions to help with the repair of cleft lips and palates in children around the world. Her favorite pastime is reading books to her grandson, Oliver. She loves to write books with themes that contain life lessons for children laced with love and encouragement.
Alexandra Navarre Davis is a Louisiana native, born in Lafayette and now residing in New Orleans with her family. She holds two degrees from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, as well as a Juris Doctor from Loyola University New Orleans College of Law. A proud alumna of the Academy of the Sacred Heart in Grand Coteau, Louisiana, Alexandra has built a career blending law, education, and literature. She practices employment law and serves as an adjunct professor at Tulane University Law School.
Rachel M. Marsh grew up in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. She earned her Bachelor of Arts from Tulane University, where she studied English and Psychology and minored in Spanish. After graduating, she moved to Boston where she earned her Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing for Children from Simmons University. She is now back in the Crescent City, where she eats the world’s best food and stays busy with her almost-hundred-year-old house. She works for the New Orleans Public Library, and her writing is represented by Larissa Melo Pienkowski at Jill Grinberg Literary Management.
