Patrice Gopo is the child of Jamaican immigrants and was born and raised in Anchorage, Alaska. She is an award-winning essayist and the author of multiple books, including the picture books Ripening Time , All the Places We Call Home , and Beyond Alaska's Window , inspired by her Alaskan childhood. As a child, she loved twirling a globe, dreaming about cities and states, countries and continents. As an adult, she loves words and enjoys pondering how places shape the people we become. Patrice lives with her family in North Carolina, where she enjoys walks just after dawn and thinks a perfect day ends with ice cream. You can visit her online at PatriceGopo.com or follow her on Instagram @PatriceGopo. Monica Mikai is the illustrator of several picture books, including My Name Is a Story by Ashanti and Build a House by Rhiannon Giddens.

She has a BAs in both art and elementary education from Rider University and an MFA in painting from the New York Studio School. She lives in Decatur, Georgia, with her husband and two sons. You can visit her online at MonicaMikai.com or follow her on Instagram @MonicaMikai.