Avital Stolar is a recent graduate of The University of Texas at Austin where she received her BA in Theatre and Dance. She studied playwriting with Suzan Zeder and Kirk Lynn.  She began writing for young audiences in high school when her school's homophobic atmosphere inspired her play "Sticks & Stones".

BARRY KORNHAUSER recently joined the staff of Millersville University (www.Millersville.edu) to spearhead the school’s newly formed family arts collaborative.  Prior to this new endeavor, he served 32 years as the Playwright-In-Residence, TYA Director, and sundry other positions at the National Historic Landmark Fulton Theatre in Lancaster, Pennsylvania.  Barry is a recipient of the American Alliance for Theatre & Education (AATE) Charlotte Chorpenning Cup, honoring “a body of distinguished work by a nationally known writer of outstanding plays for children.”