Vania is a courageous female creative who challenges the status quo who believes in the power of play. She is passionate about making art and connecting with people. Her work is bold, bright and fun. Vania is a creativity specialist who facilitates engaging workshops where she helps people express ideas in fresh ways, to be more present and jumpstart their creativity. She is a self taught artist, has survived the death of a parent and lived in 3 different countries. Color is her love language. 

Vania was born and raised in Baja California, México. She now lives and works in Portland, Oregon, USA.

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Sharna is the Artistic Director at Site Gallery, Sheffield and is on the board of Sheffield Doc/Fest, Upswing Aerial Arts and New Writing North. She is an experienced curator and creative producer who has spent over a decade working closely with children to develop socially-engaging digital initiatives within arts, culture and entertainment with organisations. She has worked closely with the Tate, BAFTA, The Design Museum, The Royal Collection Trust, Museum of Childhood, V&A, Science Museum, Penguin amongst others. An advocate for diverse representation across children’s media, she is a member of BAFTA’s Children’s and Learning and New Talent committees and the Children’s Media Conference advisory board. Her debut novel, High Rise Mystery (Knights Of, £6.99), is the first Black British children’s detective series for 9-12s, which releases in April 2019. Breaking the mould to be one of he only YA novels to redress the absence of black central characters in children’s books and literature, High-Rise Mystery, engages new readers and makes strides towards a more inclusive literature for young readers, while breathing fresh life and relevance into this classic genre. 

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