Saundra Mitchell

Saundra Mitchell (she/they) is an award-winning and critically-acclaimed author of twelve novels and two non-fiction history books, and an editor of four anthologies—all for young people. She primarily writes for tweens and teens, and has spent the last fifteen years of her career fighting for the reading rights of young people, especially those from marginalized groups and backgrounds. As a disabled, openly queer author, she has fought for equity in professional reviews for books featuring LGBTQIA+ characters of all ages, and continues to fight for equal inclusion in classes, school libraries and public libraries. Banned in at least twelve states, Mitchell is a vocal activist against censorship at the local, and national, level. They also write under the names Jessa Holbrook, Alex Mallory, and Rory Harrison

Mitchell also teaches creative writing and screenwriting to students of all ages, and enjoys reading, studying history, playing ttrpgs and video games, and spending time with her wife and daughters. After a lifetime in the midwest, she now resides in Maryland.