LAURA OBUOBI received a Master of Arts in Early Childhood Education from Teachers College, Columbia University, and worked as a preschool teacher prior to becoming an author. She is also a graduate of the Writing for Children and Young Adult program, at Vermont College of Fine Arts (VCFA). Laura studied short story anthologies with setting as the organizing principle for her thesis and discussed how vivid settings bring depth to stories. In addition to her Master’s in Fine Arts degree from VCFA, Laura holds a certificate in Picture Book Writing. Her debut picture book, Black Gold, illustrated by London Ladd releases this year, from HarperCollins.