About the Author \;\n
Jamilah Thompkins-Bigelow\, \;M.S.Ed\, is a Philadelphia-based\
, award-winning children&rsquo\;s book author. A former English teacher\,
she educated children and teens in traditional and alternative learning se
ttings for more than 15 years. As an inaugural fellow with the \;Musli
m Anti-Racism Collaborative (MuslimARC)\, she also developed foundational
curricular frameworks for youth and adult anti-racist \;programming&nb
sp\;and this work continues to influence her writing. Her picture books an
d middle grade fiction\, which feature young Black and Muslim protagonists
\, have been recognized as the best in children&rsquo\;s literature by&nbs
p\;Time Magazine\, NCTE\, and NPR\, and she is a \;2021 Irma Black Awa
rd Honor author. \;
A former teacher and forever educator at hear
t\, she is probably most proud that her picture book \;Your Name Is a
Song was named a NEA Read Across America book and that it is included in t
he standardized curriculums of major school districts throughout the Unite
d States. In addition to producing children&rsquo\;s literature\, she inve
sts her time in the mentorship of aspiring children&rsquo\;s book authors
through multiple programs including We Need Diverse Books and the Muslim S
torytellers Fellowship of the Highlights Foundation where she is also a pr
ogram committee member. She is a two-time winner of the Muslim \;Books
tagram \;picture book \;award \;and she has earned the prestig
ious Walter\, Irma Black\, and Golden Kite award honors for her work.
\;
Please visit ht
tps://zorafestival.org/ for more ZORA! Festival programming oppo
rtunities. \;