Authors Similar like Maryann Cocca-Leffler

Kari Lavelle

Kari Lavelle is the author of WE MOVE THE WORLD (HarperCollins 2021), BUTT OR FACE (Sourcebooks, 2023) and AN ODE TO GRAPEFRUIT: HOW JAMES EARL JONES FOUND HIS VOICE (Knopf 2024). She has always had a love for words: as a kid reading books, as a speech pathologist helping children communicate, and now as a writer creating stories. She grew up in the Midwest but now lives in Austin, Texas with her husband, their two children, and doggo, Dobby. Learn more about Kari and her books at karilavelle.com.

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Radiya Hafiza

Radiya Hafiza studied English Language and Literature at King’s College London and worked in publishing for a few years. She is behind the fantastic blog The Good Assistant. Radiya grew up reading classic Western fairy tales that never had any brown girls in them - Rumaysa is her debut novel, bringing such stories to children who need to see themselves represented.

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Frank Murphy

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.

See also: Frank Murphy and Frank Murphy, among others.

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Jessica Reid Sliwerski

Jessica Reid Sliwerski is a literacy specialist, reading enthusiast, and former elementary school teacher. This picture book was inspired by her own breast cancer treatment and recovery. She lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with her husband and daughter.

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Audrey Vernick

Audrey Vernick is the author of books for young readers.

Forthcoming titles:

The Family Tree, written with Liz Garton Scanlon, illustrated by Fiona Lee

When I Redraw the World, illustrated by Heather Fox

Homesick, written with Liz Garton Scanlon, illustrated by Daniel Miyares

www.audreyvernick.com

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Cheryl Klein

Cheryl E. Klein is the author of CRYBABY, a memoir about desperately wanting a baby and getting cancer instead (forthcoming from Brown Paper Press in 2022). She is also the author of two works of fiction: THE COMMUTERS (City Works Press) and LILAC MINES (Manic D Press). She writes and edits for MUTHA Magazine (muthamagazine.com) and blogs about the intersection of life, art, and carbohydrates at breadandbread.blogspot.com.

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Katherine Pryor

Katherine Pryor is an award-winning children’s book author and good food advocate. She grew up in California and Arizona before moving to Seattle to study food and farming. Her books are widely used in school garden curriculum, nutrition education, and anti-hunger initiatives. In addition to writing, Katherine has worked to create better food choices at institutions, large corporations & food banks.

She made her picture book debut with Sylvia’s Spinach, which is widely used to support nutrition education and school garden curriculum. Her second picture book, Zora's Zucchini, won the 2016 Growing Good Kids Book Award. Her third picture book, Bea's Bees, was called "a necessary addition to elementary library shelves as an important contributi

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Sandra Boynton

Sandra Keith Boynton is an American humorist, songwriter, director, music producer, children's author, and illustrator. Boynton has written and illustrated over eighty-five books for children and seven general audience books, as well as over four thousand greeting cards, and seven music albums. She has also designed calendars, wallpaper, bedding, stationery, paper goods, clothing, jewelry, and plush toys for various companies.

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Lynne Cox

Lynne Cox is an American long-distance open-water swimmer and writer.

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Lisa Yee

Lisa Yee has written over 20 novels. Her most recent book, Maizy Chen's Last Chance, is about a fifth-generation Chinese American girl, and is a National Book Award Finalist, Newbery Honor, and the Asian Pacific American Children's Literature Award winner.

Lisa's debut novel, Millicent Min, Girl Genius, won the prestigious Sid Fleischman Humor Award. Other books include Stanford Wong Flunks Big-Time, Absolutely Maybe, and a series about a 4th grader, Bobby vs. Girls (Accidentally) and Bobby the Brave (Sometimes), illustrated by Dan Santat.

Lisa is also the author of several American Girl books and the DC Super Hero Girls series. A Thurber House Children’s Writer-in-Residence, Lisa's books have been named a NPR Best Summer Read, Sports Illust

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Christopher Denise

Christopher Denise spent much of his childhood in Shannon, Ireland, exploring castles and dreaming of great adventures. He is the illustrator of many critically acclaimed books for young readers, including Anika Denise’s Bunny in the Middle, Alison McGhee’s Firefly Hollow, and Rosemary Wells’s Following Grandfather, as well as several in Brian Jacques’s award-winning Redwall series. His books have appeared on the Indie Next List and the New York Times bestseller list. Knight Owl (march 2022) marks his author-illustrator debut. Christopher’s current adventures include exploring coastal Rhode Island, where he lives with his family.

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Randy Cecil

Randy Cecil has illustrated many books for children, including LOOKING FOR A MOOSE by Phyllis Root, And HERE'S TO YOU! by David Elliott, He is also the author-illustrator of GATOR and DUCK. Randy Cecil lives in Houston.

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Julie Buxbaum

Julie Buxbaum is the New York Times best selling author of Tell Me Three Things, her young adult debut, What to Say Next, Hope and Other Punchlines, and Admission (pubs 5/5/20). She’s also the author of two critically acclaimed novels for adults: The Opposite of Love and After You. Her work has been translated into twenty-five languages. Julie’s writing has appeared in various publications, including The New York Times. She is a former lawyer and graduate of Harvard Law School and lives in Los Angeles with her husband, two children, and more books than is reasonable. Visit Julie online at www.juliebuxbaum.com and follow @juliebux on Twitter.

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Katherine Applegate

#1 New York Times bestselling author Katherine Applegate has written many books for young readers, including THE ONE AND ONLY IVAN, winner of the 2013 Newbery Medal.

Katherine’s picture books include THE BUFFALO STORM, illustrated by Jan Ormerod (Clarion Books); THE REMARKABLE TRUE STORY OF IVAN, THE SHOPPING MALL GORILLA, illustrated by G. Brian Karas (Clarion Books); SOMETIMES YOU FLY, illustrated by Jennifer Black Reinhardt (Clarion Books); and ODDER: AN OTTER’S STORY, illustrated by Charles Santoso (Feiwel & Friends).

She’s written or co-written three early chapter series for young readers: ROSCOE RILEY RULES, a seven-book series illustrated by Brian Biggs (HarperCollins); DOGGO AND PUPPER, a three-book series illustrated by Charlie Alde

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Jeff Mack

Born in Syracuse, New York, Jeff Mack has written and illustrated a long list of picture books, chapter books, and early readers, including Clueless McGee, Good News Bad News, Frog and Fly, the Hippo and Rabbit series, and Hush Little Polar Bear.

He has also illustrated many books for other authors, including James Howe's Bunnicula and Friends series and Eve Bunting's Hurry! Hurry!, one of School Library Journal’s Best Books of 2007.

At home in Easthampton, Massachusetts, he continues to write, illustrate, and visit schools and libraries to talk about his work. Visit him at www.jeffmack.com.

Bio taken from Jeff's website: http://www.jeffmack.com/short_biograp....
More biographical information can be found at http://www.jeffmack.com/biography.ht

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Audrey Vernick

Audrey Vernick is the author of books for young readers.

Forthcoming titles:

The Family Tree, written with Liz Garton Scanlon, illustrated by Fiona Lee

When I Redraw the World, illustrated by Heather Fox

Homesick, written with Liz Garton Scanlon, illustrated by Daniel Miyares

www.audreyvernick.com

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Stacy McAnulty

Stacy McAnulty is a children’s book author, who used to be a mechanical engineer, who’s also qualified to be a paleontologist (NOT REALLY), a correspondent for The Daily Show (why not), and a Green Bay Packer coach (totally!). She is the 2017 Ezra Jack Keats New Writer Honor Recipient for Excellent Ed, illustrated by Julia Sarcone-Roach. Her other picture books include Earth! My First 4.54 Billion Years, illustrated by David Litchfield; Brave and Beautiful, both illustrated by Joanne Lew-Vriethoff; Mr. Fuzzbuster Knows He’s the Favorite, illustrated by Edward Hemingway; and 101 Reasons Why I’m Not Taking a Bath, illustrated by Joy Ang. She’s also authored the chapter book series Goldie Blox, based on the award-winning toys, and The Dino Fil

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Erin Frankel

Erin Frankel is a children’s book author. She loves telling stories of empathy and wonder. Her picture books include A Plate of Hope: The Inspiring Story of Chef José Andrés and World Central Kitchen, which is an Orbis Pictus Award Recommended Title and a Texas Blue Bonnet Award Nominee, as well as Remembering Barkley, and the Weird! series. Forthcoming titles include Mary Oliver, Holding on to Wonder (2025) and Piece by Piece: How Stephen Sondheim Made Musical Puzzles Come Alive (2026). Erin lives with her family in Pittsburgh, where she writes, teaches, and hopes. She is represented by Lindsay Auld at Writers House. You can also connect with her on Instagram @erinfrankelwrites

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Sharee Miller

Sharee Miller has a BFA in communication design from Pratt Institute. She lives in Brooklyn, where she enjoys spending time with her two cats and illustrating fun stories.

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Megan Wagner Lloyd

Megan Wagner Lloyd is the writer of the kids' graphic novels ALLERGIC and SQUISHED, co-created with illustrator Michelle Mee Nutter, and the SUPER PANCAKE series, co-created with illustrator Abhi Alwar. She's also the author of HAVEN: A SMALL CAT'S BIG ADVENTURE, and several picture books. She lives with her family in the Washington DC area.

Sign up for her newsletter: meganwagnerlloyd.com
Find her on Instagram: @meganwagnerlloyd

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Christina Soontornvat

Christina Soontornvat grew up behind the counter of her parents’ Thai restaurant in a small Texas town with her nose stuck in a book. She is very proud of both her Thai and her Texan roots, and makes regular trips to both Weatherford and Bangkok to see her beloved family members (and eat lots and lots of Thai food!). Christina is the author of the fantasy middle grade series, The Changelings, and the early chapter book series, Diary of an Ice Princess. Her forthcoming books include the middle grade fantasy, A Wish in the Dark, and All Thirteen, a nonfiction account of the Thai Cave Rescue.

In addition to being an author, Christina holds a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering and a master’s degree in Science Education. She spent a decade working i

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Tom Sullivan

Tom Sullivan is an author, illustrator, and graphic designer based in Boston, Massachusetts. He studied at the New England Institute of Art where he earned a Bachelor's degree in Graphic Design.

After spending the first ten years of his career as a freelance Art Director and Designer, Tom switched gears to pursue his love of storytelling. He is the author and illustrator of the Balzer + Bray/HarperCollins picture books I Used To Be A Fish, BLUE vs. YELLOW, Out There and the graphic novel series Unsolved Case Files.

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Emma Steinkellner

Emma Steinkellner is an illustrator, cartoonist, and writer based in Los Angeles, CA.

She is the author and illustrator of the middle grade graphic novel The Okay Witch (Aladdin, Fall 2019). The Okay Witch tells the story of 13-year-old Moth Hush, who learns that magic is to be expected when you're a Hush in an adventure that spans centuries, generations, and even worlds as Moth unravels the complicated legacy of witches at the heart of her town, her family, and herself.

She is a graduate of Stanford University's department of Feminist, Gender, and Sexuality Studies, where she created, wrote, and illustrated her thesis It Gets Weird, a science fiction sex ed graphic novel for adolescent readers and where she proclaimed herself "one of Stanfo

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Victoria Piontek

Victoria Piontek is the author of The Spirit of Cattail County, a Bank Street College Best Book of the Year and a Sequoyah Children’s Masterlist selection. As a kid, she was lucky to have a menagerie of pets, including a goat that liked to follow her to the school bus each morning. When she's not writing, you can find her hiking with her gigantic fluffy dog.

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Mike Thayer

Mike Thayer is a proud father of three, lucky husband of one, passionate author, budding podcaster, lifelong gamer, viral blogger, degreed engineer, decent impressionist, inept hunter, erstwhile jock, and nerd.

He has cast a ring on the slopes of Mt. Doom, eaten a feast at the Green Dragon Inn, cemented Excalibur in a sandstone block, tasted butter beer at Diagon Alley, built a secret door to his storage room, and written a few fantasy books. What else is left, really?

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Meggie Ramm

Meggie Ramm is a cartoonist and comic teacher with an MFA in comics who runs an education comic podcast called Pop! Whiz! Bang!

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Kari Lavelle

Kari Lavelle is the author of WE MOVE THE WORLD (HarperCollins 2021), BUTT OR FACE (Sourcebooks, 2023) and AN ODE TO GRAPEFRUIT: HOW JAMES EARL JONES FOUND HIS VOICE (Knopf 2024). She has always had a love for words: as a kid reading books, as a speech pathologist helping children communicate, and now as a writer creating stories. She grew up in the Midwest but now lives in Austin, Texas with her husband, their two children, and doggo, Dobby. Learn more about Kari and her books at karilavelle.com.

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Radiya Hafiza

Radiya Hafiza studied English Language and Literature at King’s College London and worked in publishing for a few years. She is behind the fantastic blog The Good Assistant. Radiya grew up reading classic Western fairy tales that never had any brown girls in them - Rumaysa is her debut novel, bringing such stories to children who need to see themselves represented.

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Meg Eden Kuyatt

Meg Eden Kuyatt is a 2020 Pitch Wars mentee, and teaches creative writing at Anne Arundel Community College. She is the author of the 2021 Towson Prize for Literature winning poetry collection “Drowning in the Floating World” (Press 53, 2020) and children’s novels, most recently “Good Different” (Scholastic, 2023). Find her online at www.megedenbooks.com or on Twitter at @ConfusedNarwhal and Instagram at @meden_author.

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X. Fang

Hello! I’m X. Fang. I am a visual artist and maker of books for young readers. I was born in Taiwan, raised in Atlanta, Georgia, bounced around Brooklyn and Philly before settling down in Midcoast Maine with my husband, son, and dog.

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Lindsay Moore

Lindsay^^Moore.

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Diane De Anda

Diane De Anda, PhD, UCLA professor emerita, has edited four books on ethnically diverse populations and published numerous scholarly articles. She has also published shoirt stories, essays, satires, poetry, and a collection of flash fiction. She has published children's poetry, eight children's books, which have won multiple awards, and has six children's books scheduled for publication. Her bicultural background, as a third-generation Latina, is often evident in her work.

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Emma Bland Smith

Emma Bland Smith is the award-winning author of twelve book for children. Her debut picture book was Journey: Based on the True Story of OR7, the Most Famous Wolf in the West. Many of Emma’s books include animals—wolves, dogs, pigs, even alligators! Emma is a librarian and author and lives in San Francisco with her husband, two kids, dog, and cat—but no wolf, pig, or alligator. Visit her online at emmabsmith.com and on Twitter at @emmablandsmith.

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Mike Thayer

Mike Thayer is a proud father of three, lucky husband of one, passionate author, budding podcaster, lifelong gamer, viral blogger, degreed engineer, decent impressionist, inept hunter, erstwhile jock, and nerd.

He has cast a ring on the slopes of Mt. Doom, eaten a feast at the Green Dragon Inn, cemented Excalibur in a sandstone block, tasted butter beer at Diagon Alley, built a secret door to his storage room, and written a few fantasy books. What else is left, really?

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Victoria Piontek

Victoria Piontek is the author of The Spirit of Cattail County, a Bank Street College Best Book of the Year and a Sequoyah Children’s Masterlist selection. As a kid, she was lucky to have a menagerie of pets, including a goat that liked to follow her to the school bus each morning. When she's not writing, you can find her hiking with her gigantic fluffy dog.

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Tom Sullivan

Tom Sullivan is an author, illustrator, and graphic designer based in Boston, Massachusetts. He studied at the New England Institute of Art where he earned a Bachelor's degree in Graphic Design.

After spending the first ten years of his career as a freelance Art Director and Designer, Tom switched gears to pursue his love of storytelling. He is the author and illustrator of the Balzer + Bray/HarperCollins picture books I Used To Be A Fish, BLUE vs. YELLOW, Out There and the graphic novel series Unsolved Case Files.

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Pat Thomas

There is more than one Pat Thomas in the Goodreads catalog. This entry focuses on Pat^Thomas, children's author.

Pat is a trained psychotherapist, naturopath and journalist. After working as a journalist and broadcaster in the USA, she now works in the field of child development and writes for various publications including 'Practical Parenting'.

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Tonya Bolden

Author and publisher Tonya Wilyce Bolden was born on March 1, 1959, in New York City to Georgia Bolden, a homemaker, and Willie Bolden, a garment center shipping manager. Bolden grew up in Harlem in a musical family and loved to read; she attended Public M.E.S. 146, an elementary school in Manhattan, and then graduated from the Chapin School, a private secondary school, in Manhattan in 1976. Bolden attended Princeton University in New Jersey, and, in 1981, obtained her B.A. degree in Slavic languages and literature with a Russian focus. Bolden was also a University Scholar and received the Nicholas Bachko, Jr. Scholarship Prize.

Upon graduating from Princeton University, Bolden began working as a salesperson for Charles Alan, Incorporated, a

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Jennifer O'Connell

Jennifer O’Connell’s picture books include The Eye of the Whale – A Rescue Story, winner of the Green Earth Book Award, and the New York Times bestseller Ten Timid Ghosts, which has sold more than a million copies. When she learned about Lawrence Anthony’s profound connection with a wild elephant, Jennifer was inspired to tell their remarkable story in her most recent title, Elephants Remember. The dogs she has known throughout her life have made her keenly aware that other animals think, feel, and communicate. Jennifer lives with her husband and their mischievous dog in Bethesda, Maryland. She loves to paint and present programs and workshops about the magic of creating picture books. Visit her at JenniferOConnellArt.com and on Instagram @

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Lynne Cox

Lynne Cox is an American long-distance open-water swimmer and writer.

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Chris Priestley

His father was in the army and so he moved around a lot as a child and lived in Wales. He was an avid reader of American comics as a child, and when he was eight or nine, and living in Gibraltar, he won a prize in a newspaper story-writing competition. He decided then “that my ambition was to write and illustrate my own book”.
He spent his teens in Newcastle-upon-Tyne, before moving to Manchester, London and then Norfolk. He now lives in Cambridge with his wife and son where he writes, draws, paints, dreams and doodles (not necessarily in that order). Chris worked as an illustrator and cartoonist for twenty years, working mainly for magazines & newspapers (these include The Times, The Guardian, The Independent, The Economist and the Wall Str

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Meggie Ramm

Meggie Ramm is a cartoonist and comic teacher with an MFA in comics who runs an education comic podcast called Pop! Whiz! Bang!

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KT Johnston

KT Johnston writes historical narrative nonfiction about ordinary animals from the dusty past who had an extraordinary impact on a person’s life, and in the process, left a mark on humanity itself.

Bank Street calls KT’s debut RAILWAY JACK: The True Story of an Amazing Baboon one of the “Best Children’s Books of the Year,” and her second book JUBILEE: The First Therapy Horse and an Olympic Dream was selected by the Jr. Library Guild as a Gold Standard in children’s literature.

KT earned a degree in biology and conducted wildlife studies before settling into a more stationary corporate career as an analyst. KT hopes to inspire children to be curious about our world one true story at a time.

▶ Downloadable Reading Guides ◀

Bonus: KT’s Pinterest m

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Lisa Bunker

Lisa Bunker has written stories all her life. Before setting up shop as a full-time author she had a 30-year career in non-commercial broadcasting, most recently as Program Director of the community radio station in Portland, Maine. Besides Maine she has made homes in New Mexico, the LA area, Seattle, the Florida panhandle, and New Hampshire. She now lives in Sacramento, CA with her wife Dawn, an expert on anxiety in children and an author in her own right. Between them they have three grown children. From 2018 to 2022 Lisa represented the town of Exeter in the New Hampshire House of Representatives. Her other active interests include chess, birding, choral singing, and playing the bass.

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Shaunna & John Stith

Shaunna and John Stith are passionate about protecting the planet. Originally from the East Coast, they now live on Santa Barbara Channel in Southern California where they are continually inspired by the hard work of young eco-activists. They've learned it feels a whole lot better to stand up and act than to site and watch. When the two are not busy writing stories or exploring the outdoors, Shaunna practices law and John works as a writer for nonprofits and advocacy organizations. Black Beach is their first picture book together.

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Erik Talkin

Erik thought of himself as exclusively a YA and MG author – urban fantasy, sci-fi, punk rock, and now he finds himself the author of a sensitive picture book on hungry kids. Funny old world. In a previous life, his short film, The Gallery, starring Helena Bonham Carter was selected for the London Film Festival. He has won an International Television Association Award for writing and directing educational drama and his theatrical work has been produced on the London Fringe. He holds an MFA in Writing for Children and Young Adults from Vermont College of Fine Arts.

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Maryann Cocca-Leffler

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