Ari Tison (she/her/hers)

Ari Tison is a Bribri (Indigenous Costa Rican) American and African descended poet and storyteller. Her poems and short works have been published in Yellow Medicine Review, The Under Review, Rock & Sling and POETRY's first ever edition for children. She was the winner of the 2018 Vaunda Micheaux Nelson award for a BIPOC writer with Lerner Publishing. She currently the mentor coordinator for Minnesota Prison Writing Workshop where she gets to support incacerated voices and bridge them to the literary world. "Saints of the Household" is her debut novel.

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Awards: 2018 Vaunda Micheaux Nelson Award

Communities: African American, Hispanic or Latinx, Indigenous or Native American, Mixed Race

CATS Friday Fiesta

Creative Arts Teen Summit is a special event for teens, which involves an opening panel followed by writing and illustrating workshops and book signing.

Student Union Gallagher Theater (Seats 337)  
Fri, Mar 3, 9:00 am - 1:30 pm
Children / Teens
Signing area: Sales & Signing Area - UA BookStore Lower Level (following presentation)  

Panelists: Claire McFall, Jonathan Case, Sunya Mara, Andrew Maraniss, Zahra Marwan, Magdalena Mora, Sonora Reyes, Ari Tison

Hot Off The Press!

Book launch party exclusively for Sponsors and Friends of the Festival!

Student Union South Ballroom (Seats 200, Wheelchair accessible)  
Sat, Mar 4, 8:30 am - 9:30 am

Panelists: Cara Black, Laura Cathcart Robbins, Alexis Daria, Sean Doolittle, J. A. Jance, Alex Prud'homme, Alan K. Rode, Will Schwalbe, Joanna Schwartz, Ari Tison

Claiming Voice: Indigenous Stories by Indigenous Authors

One exciting new trend are books featuring Indigenous characters created by Indigenous authors and illustrators. Three Indigenous authors who write different genres for different audiences will talk about this movement to provide Native stories by Native voices -- both why it matters and their views on the trends in the books being published.

Education Room 333 (Seats 44, Wheelchair accessible)  
Sat, Mar 4, 1:00 pm - 2:00 pm
Multigenre
Signing area: Signing Area - Children (following presentation)  

Panelists: Dawn Quigley, Ari Tison, Daniel Vandever
Moderator: LaCher Pacheco

Social Thrillers: Confronting Influence and Power

Social thrillers engage readers in high-octane action within the context of social justice issues. In these books, teens deal with power and influence and work to reveal and challenge injustice. Nick Brooks and Ari Tison uncover inequity in the treatment of teen boys of color within school context and Brittney Morris follows a group of teens working to save their community.

Teen & Author Stage (Seats 105)  
Sun, Mar 5, 11:30 am - 12:30 pm
Children / Teens
Signing area: Sales & Signing Area - Integrated Learning Center (following presentation)  

Panelists: Nick Brooks, Brittney Morris, Ari Tison
Moderator: Julie Andrews

Book:

Saints of the Household

Children / Teens
Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR)
January 2023
ISBN 9780374389499
304 pages