Writers' League of Texas

Varsha Bajaj is the award-winning author of picture books and middle grade novels. Her latest picture book, This is Our Baby, Born Today, illustrated by Eliza Wheeler, was published by Nancy Paulsen books in August 2016 and was a Bank Street of Education Best Book of 2016.Her upcoming picture book, Homebuilders, illustrated by Simona Mulazzani, will be published in February 2019 and her second middle grade novel, Count me In, will be published in August 2019. Both books will be published By Nancy Paulsen books, Penguin Random house. Varsha’s middle grade novel, Abby Spencer goes to Bollywood, (Albert Whitman & Company, 2014) was on the Spirit of Texas middle grade reading list, was shortlisted for the Cybils and won the SCBWI Crystal Kite award. Her picture book, How Many Kisses Do You Want Tonight? illustrated by Ivan Bates, was on the Texas 2x2 list in 2005. Born in India, Varsha came to America in Fall 1986 to pursue graduate studies in  Psychology. After earning her master’s degree, she worked at the St. Louis University Medical Center as a licensed professional counselor (LPC). Varsha lives in Houston with her husband, two children and dog, Scamper. 

 

Mimi Swartz is a long-time executive editor at Texas Monthly, and a two-time National Magazine Award winner and a four time finalist. The coauthor of the national bestseller Power Failure, with Sherron Watkins, about the failures at Enron, her work has appeared in Vanity Fair, The New Yorker, Esquire, Slate, and her op-ed pieces appear regularly in the New York Times.

 

Bryan Washington has written for The New Yorker, The New York Times, the New York Times Magazine, BuzzFeed, Vulture, The Paris Review, Tin House, One Story, Bon Appétit, MUNCHIES, American Short Fiction, GQ, FADER, The Awl, and Catapult. His debut story collection Lot is forthcoming from Riverhead in March 2019. He lives in Houston.

 

Jessica Wilbanks is the author of When I Spoke in Tongues, a memoir about faith and its loss. She has received a Pushcart Prize as well as creative nonfiction awards from Ninth Letter, Sycamore Review, Redivider, and Ruminate magazine. Her essays have received Notable Mentions in Best American Essays and Best American Nonrequired Reading, and she was recently selected as a finalist for the national PEN award in Journalism. For more information, visit http://jessicawilbanks.com.