Hazel Lee Santino was born in New York City and spent her first two years soaking up its chaotic energy and visuals; the second two were spent exploring the hills and towns of Tuscany. Preferring drawing over talking, she illustrated her thoughts before she could speak a full sentence. Moving to the Redwood Coast with her family in 1992, she attended Eureka City Schools and constructed art in earnest.

Hazel returned to NYC in 2007 to attend The New School, earning a BA in Literature from Eugene Lang and a BFA in Illustration from Parsons School of Design, where she now teaches. Her paintings and sculptures have been included in numerous exhibitions. Hazel’s work frequently incorporates references to natural objects from Humboldt’s beaches and forests and her family’s rambunctious garden and home near Sequoia Park Zoo. Commissioned work includes book illustration, fabric, wallpaper and set design for both Indie and Corporate brands, botanical drawings, album covers, film, and three-dimensional pieces. 

Collaborating with the committee from afar, she illustrated the themes for the 2013-2024 Humboldt County Children’s Author Festivals. She feels a deep connection to this place and this remarkable gathering of authors and illustrators and young readers. Her participation honors the hard work of the Festival’s Committee, and the towers of wonder-filled books she checked out and devoured from the Humboldt County Library in her youth.

Emily Gunderson grew up in Billings, Montana, where her dad, Todd, is an attorney and her mother, Ann, is a librarian and Computer Science teacher. Because of her job as the librarian, Ann has been able to attend our Author Festival, where she and Emily were introduced to books and authors from all over the country. 

Emily may be the youngest person ever to attend the Humboldt County Children’s Author Festival. She arrived for the first time when she was just six months old, and managed to attend the potluck, book sale, and multiple schools. Of course, her grandmother, Byrd Lochtie, was thrilled to have her visiting, even though her dad sent her with a note saying, ‘Do Not Spoil!’- to no avail.

Emily has attended the Author Festival periodically throughout her life with her mother and grandmother, attending all the fun events and meeting new authors, teachers, and readers. 

Emily participated in our Humboldt County Children’s Author Festival until she went off to Montana State University in Bozeman, Montana. Always an artist, Emily studied graphic design at Bozeman, earning several awards in her field. She is now the Lead Graphic Designer and Web Design Project Manager for Big Storm, a design company in Bozeman. She has used her expertise to create an official logo for the Humboldt County Children’s Author Festival. She values the Humboldt community and her continuing connection with the Festival. Emily now lives in Denver with her husband, Dylan, and her fluffy, feline, ankle-biting Momo.