Katie Mazeika is an award-winning author and illustrator who can’t imagine a better job than making books. She loves creating stories based on real people and events. Katie is passionate about highlighting disabled voices in her work. Katie strongly believes all children should see themselves in books. She hopes her work as a creator and advocate creates a space to openly discuss disability and neurodiversity. Katie does this through presentations, panels, and workshops for educators, kidlit creators, and young readers through Highlights, SCBWI, and NCTE.
Katie’s honors include Junior Library Guild Selection, Banks Street Books, Best Books 2023, CBC Best Trade Social Studies Book, Septima Clark Book Award, and Northern Lights Book Award. She is the author & illustrator of the nonfiction picture books Beulah Has a Hunch! (Simon & Schuster) and Annette Feels Free (Simon & Schuster). Her fiction debut, Maybe, Just Ask Me (Simon & Schuster) comes out in Spring 2025. Katie has illustrated three board books in the Chicken Soup for the Soul: Babies series (Charlesbridge). Her next book as an illustrator only , Is That the Bus? by Libby Koppanen will be out in Fall 2024 (Charlesbridge).
When she’s not drawing, writing or visiting schools and libraries, Katie enjoys gardening or reading other people’s books. Katie currently lives in Cleveland, Ohio. You can see more of Katie’s work at katiemazeika.com or follow her on Instagram @kdmazart
