Jo Tiongson-Perez is a Filipina-American writer investigating how stories, language, and media shape worldviews and identities. She has a Master of the Arts degree in Integrated Marketing Communications from the University of Asia and the Pacific, certificates in Creative Writing and Leading Digital Transformation from Wharton, and completed a course in Neuroscience at the University of Pennsylvania. At the world-renowned Barnes Foundation and Penn Museum, she led award-winning multimedia campaigns making art, anthropology, and archaeology accessible to all. Jo served as a Board Trustee at the Independence Charter School, a K-8 public school centering global citizenship, bilingual education, and STEAM academics. She lives in Philadelphia with her husband, daughter, and rescue poodle.
Denise Orosa is an award-winning arts educator, writer and artist who has been working with and writing for children and families for over 20 years. She believes in the important role storytelling plays in preserving and passing on human truth, culture, and identity. She values the powerful tradition and practice of oral storytelling and shared inquiry for young minds.