Media professor Karl Beckstrand is the bestselling and award-winning author/illustrator of 25 multicultural/multilingual books and more than 60 ebook titles. His survival thriller, To Swallow the Earth, won a 2016 International Book Award, and his multicultural kids’ books have been lauded by Publisher’s Weekly, Kirkus, The Horn Book, and School Library Journal. Raised in Silicon Valley, he has lived abroad and worked with people from all continents (except Antarctica). His work reflects cultural diversity—not only in protagonists, but in collaborators (his illustrators hail from Latin America, Europe, and Asia). Beckstrand has a B.A. in journalism from BYU, an M.A. in international relations from APUS, and a broadcast/film certificate from Film A. Academy. He teaches media at a state college and, since 2004, has run Premio Publishing. Beckstrand has presented to Taiwan’s Global Leadership for Youth, city and state governments, festivals, and schools. His Y.A. stories, ebook mysteries, nonfiction, Spanish/bilingual, wordless, career, and STEM books feature ethnically diverse characters—and usually end with a twist. His work has appeared via: Amazon, Apple/iBooks, Baker & Taylor, Barnes & Noble, Costco, Deseret Book, Follett, Ingram, Papercrafts Magazine, Target.com, The U.S. Congressional Record, Walmart.com, FB, Twitter, and https://PremioBooks.com
https://karlbeckstrandblog.wordpress.com/
AVAILABLE FOR INTERVIEW, SPEAKING, & CONSULTATION: info@KarlBeckstrand.com
Speaker topics:
"Getting Your Book to the World - Traditional vs. Digital publishing"
"Entrepreneurship: Bless Lives, Make Money with Your Gifts"
"Artistic Education - How the Humanities Enrich Us"
"Writing Scripts for Shows, Film, Ads & the Web"
"Writing for Media: News Stories & Press Releases that Get Attention"
"How Diversity Enriches Everyone"
"Making Habit Work for You - Replace the Bad with Milestones"

Ashley Nuccitelli Sanborn is an award-winning artist who also happens to have designed a parade float. She has a B.A. in illustration from Brigham Young University, and her work has appeared on the cover of Leading Edge magazine and BYU's admissions and student services websites. Sanborn has illustrated three children's books: If Cancer Was A Fish - I'd Throw It Back (by Tiffany Berg-Coughran), Polar Bear Bowler: A Story Without Words, and The Dancing Flamingos of Lake Chimichanga by Karl Beckstrand.