Kokila Books Team Archives - Penguin Books

Asiya Ahmed, Junior Designer

Gnesis Villar — Tue, 19 Oct 2021 16:24:59 +0000

Junior Designer Asiya Ahmed is a Black and South Asian Muslim creative, and currently lives in New York. A graduate with a degree in Advertising and Public Relations, she has a Certificate in Visualization and Design and worked as a graphic designer for four years before joining Kokila. She believes in transforming powerful narratives through literature and design, and is passionate about empowering children and young adults, especially those of color, with books that feel like love letters. Asiya also enjoys writing poetry. Follow her on Instagram: @paperbackruins

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Gnesis Villar, Editorial Assistant

Gnesis Villar — Mon, 27 Sep 2021 18:52:33 +0000

Editorial Assistant Gnesis Villar joined Kokila in June 2021. Previously, she wrote reviews for the children’s department at Publisher’s Weekly, in addition to interning at Macmillan, Laura Dail Literary Agency, and Dial Books for Young Readers. She is a native New Yorker raised on cartoons, unlimited Internet access, and R-rated horror movies. She graduated from Kenyon College with a double major in English and Gender Studies. She likes stories about teen girls of color tearing it all down, brown kids embarking on spooky adventures, and the space between the mundane and the fantastical. Follow her on Twitter: @v_gnesis.

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Sydnee Monday, Editor

jaaronson — Sat, 26 Jun 2021 05:22:16 +0000

Sydnee Monday joined Kokila in May of 2018. They’re drawn to themes of social-emotional learning, queerness, hidden histories, music and spirituality – with a special interest in poetry and illustrated books for young people of all ages. She grew up in Oklahoma and Texas and studied Film and English at Howard University.

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Joanna Cárdenas, Associate Publisher

jaaronson — Sat, 26 Jun 2021 05:20:26 +0000

Associate Publisher Joanna Cárdenas has edited critically acclaimed and award-winning books by Celia C. Pérez, Andrea Wang, David Bowles, Jessica Kim, R. Eric Thomas, and many more. Her favorite books across age categories, genres, and formats center joy, creativity, and imagination; explore our roles as global citizens and nature stewards; celebrate friendship, family, and community; and are often funny. Joanna manages Kokila’s growing Spanish-language picture book list, which includes Mi papi tiene una moto, Amor de pelo, El Proyecto 1619: Nacieron sobre el agua, and more. Joanna also co-founded the Rep Matters Mentor Program and was on the board of Latinx in Publishing. Prior to Kokila, Joanna was Editor at Viking Children’s Books, where she was a Publishers Weekly’s Star Watch honoree. Before that, she was a bookseller. For sporadic book updates, follow her on X @joannananamc.

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Zareen Jaffery, Executive Editor

jaaronson — Sat, 26 Jun 2021 05:17:34 +0000

Executive Editor Zareen Jaffery joined Kokila in January 2020, and will continue to publish books across age groups. She has acquired and edited a number of New York Times bestselling, award-winning, and critically acclaimed books over the course of her publishing career.

Most recently, she was an Executive Editor at Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers where she worked with authors including Jenny Han, Lupita Nyong’o, Mary H.K. Choi, Siobhan Vivian, Hena Khan, Lilliam Rivera, Hanna Alkaf, Jamilah Thompkins-Bigelow, and S.K. Ali. She is the founding editor of Salaam Reads, an imprint at Simon & Schuster which launched in 2016 about Muslim children and families. Prior to Simon & Schuster, Zareen worked on commercial teen fiction at HarperCollins Children’s Books and adult fiction and non-fiction at Hyperion books (Walt Disney/ABC). Zareen served for two years as a member of the Children’s Book Council (CBC) Diversity Committee and was appointed co-chair of the Diversity within ALSC (Association for Library Services to Children) Task Force from 2016-2017. She is a graduate of New York University, and currently lives in California.

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Jasmin Rubero, Senior Art Director

jaaronson — Sat, 26 Jun 2021 05:16:11 +0000

Senior Art Director Jasmin Rubero has designed books by critically-acclaimed and bestselling artists and authors, including the New York Times bestselling Ladybug Girl series by Jacky Davis and David Soman; Pura Belpré Award winner Portraits of Hispanic American Heroes by Juan Felipe Herrera, illustrated by Raul Colón; and Junot Díaz’s debut picture book Islandborn, illustrated by Leo Espinosa.

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Namrata Tripathi, President and Publisher

jaaronson — Sat, 26 Jun 2021 05:11:02 +0000

Namrata Tripathi is Founder and Publisher of Kokila. Previously, Namrata held editorial positions at HarperCollins, Disney-Hyperion, and Simon and Schuster. She is the editor of New York Times bestsellers Hair Love by Matthew A. Cherry and Vashti Harrison and Antiracist Baby by Ibram X. Kendi and Ashley Lukashevsky; the Newbery Honor-winning middle grade novel The Night Diary by Veera Hiranandani; and the National Book Award Finalists Where Things Come Back by John Corey Whaley, Patron Saints of Nothing by Randy Ribay, and The Legend of Auntie Po by Shing Yin Khor. Namrata grew up in Afghanistan, India, Canada, Pakistan, Germany, and Poland, and has happily called New York City home for the last twenty-five years.

Follow her on Twitter: @Tweetpathi.

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