AUTHORS
The protagonists of the festival — authors and illustrators from all over the world — will gather in Padua during the four days of the festival, a unique opportunity to ask them questions and discover interesting facts. Here is a (STILL PARTIAL!) list of the authors who have confirmed their presence at Autori in città 2025.
Updating…
Nadia Al Omari
Nadia Al Omari, born in Merate in 1980, is a primary school teacher by profession and a picture book author by passion.
She lives with her husband — an image-maker — their two daughters, and a cat.
She loves stories and all the things that hold them: books, libraries, hidden notes, voices, eyes, bodies, the world.
She has published several picture books with Kite, some of which have been translated into French, German, Chinese, and Spanish.
Monica Barengo
Born in Turin in 1990, she spent her childhood immersed in nature, where her passion for drawing was born. Today she lives at the foot of Monte Rosa and works with publishers in Italy, France, and Taiwan. Her illustrations appear weekly in the column “Anticorpi” in F Magazine by Cairo Editore. She leads creative workshops for children, courses for illustrators, and provides online consulting for aspiring professionals in the illustration field. Among her major achievements is the prestigious “The New York Times/New York Public Library Best Illustrated Children’s Books Award 2022”, won for the picture book “Lo scrittore” (written by Davide Calì).
Davide Calì
Writer, comics author and illustrator for children. His books are published in Italy by Kite, Orecchio Acerbo, Nomos, Biancoenero and Clichy, and abroad in more than thirty countries, especially in France and the United States. Over time, he has received many international awards and recognitions for his career.
This year, he was awarded the Andersen Prize as Best Writer. The jury highlighted “a body of work with broad scope and international perspective… able to approach childhood with depth and without moralizing,” emphasizing the quality of a writing style that is intense, ironic and aware—perfectly in tune with the narrative potential of picture books.
Lucia Carlini
Lucia Carlini, born in Rome, is an author and illustrator. She was awarded a scholarship at the Istituto Europeo di Design in Rome, where she earned a degree in Illustration and Animation.
After specializing in printmaking techniques, she published her first book, The Importance of Things, with Kite Edizioni in October 2022, followed by Snakes Don’t Make Noise, also published by the same house.
In addition to writing and illustrating her own stories, she collaborates as an illustrator with established Italian publishers such as Gallucci, Terre di Mezzo, and others.
Mercè Galí
She grew up in Barcelona, in the bookshop owned by her parents. After studying Drawing, Illustration and Printmaking, she specialized in children’s and YA illustration, collaborating with various publishers and magazines. She also works in cultural communication and leads illustration workshops and seminars. Her style stands out for its spontaneous linework, creative use of ink blots, collage, photography, and a constant search for synthesis that enables expressive power—always with a touch of humour.
This style is present in the three books she has published so far with Kite: Il piccolo indiano, Quando ho perso la testa, and Dieci teste e nove cappelli.
Guridi
Illustrator and designer, he has published books in Italy and abroad—in the United States, France, Germany, Lebanon, and many other countries. For several years, he has focused especially on children’s books, for which he has received numerous international awards and recognitions.
Sébastien Mourrain
Illustrator and teacher, he publishes in Italy, the United States, the UK, Germany, Japan, Taiwan, and France. His work has been selected several times by the Bologna Children’s Book Fair, Original Art – Society of Illustrators (New York), and Ilustrarte (Portugal).
Michela Nodari
Michela Nodari is an author from Genoa. After earning a degree in Contemporary History, she began working in schools as an educator.
For many years, she has been involved in activities supporting children and young people with disabilities and neurodivergent conditions.
She lives in Liguria, in a small pink house nestled between the mountains and the sea.
There, she writes her stories under the watchful eye of a dog, four cats, three black sheep, and an unspecified number of chickens.
Arianna Papini
Nata e residente a Firenze, ha studiato arte e architettura, specializzandosi nel design del libro-gioco. Ha diretto per 25 anni la casa editrice Fatatrac come responsabile editoriale e artistico. Ha insegnato presso la Facoltà di Architettura di Firenze e l’Isia di Urbino e collabora con la Scuola Internazionale d’Illustrazione di Sàrmede.
Arte terapeuta specializzata, conduce gruppi terapeutici e formativi nel suo studio a Firenze e in varie istituzioni italiane.
Scrittrice, pittrice e illustratrice, ha pubblicato centosessantacinque libri, vincendo premi come il Premio Andersen e il Silent Book Contest. Le sue opere sono state tradotte in diversi paesi. Partecipa regolarmente a mostre in Italia e all’estero.
Giovanna Ranaldi
After working as a restorer, she became a full-time illustrator. Her books and illustrations have been published in Italy, France, Spain, the UK, USA, Brazil, Mexico, and Venezuela. Her work has been selected and awarded at Sarmede (Italy), CJ Picture Award (Seoul, Korea), 3×3 Contest (New York), and Ilustrarte (Lisbon, Portugal).
Richolly Rosazza
Richolly Rosazza was born in Ancash, Peru, in 1981. In 2005, he graduated as an art teacher from the Academy of Fine Arts in Huaraz, the capital of the Peruvian Andes.
His artistic work has always explored the world of childhood, particularly the creative ability of children to turn everything into play. Since 2007, he has lived in Lecco, Italy, where he works as a painter and illustrator. In 2012, he was named Illustrator of the Year for the Città del Sole calendar. In 2013, his illustrations were selected for the Illustrators Exhibition at the Bologna Children’s Book Fair, and in 2022 he won the Emanuele Luzzati Prize for the illustrations of the picture book “Tutte storie”.
Amin Hassanzadeh Sharif
Illustrator and visual artist born in Tehran in 1979, he now lives between Irvine and Los Angeles. After graduating in Graphic Design in Iran and completing two Master’s degrees in Illustration (in Tehran and at the Academy of Fine Arts in Bologna), he has worked in editorial illustration since 2010, mostly for children’s publishing. His books have been translated in many countries (Asia, Europe, North America) and selected for awards and international fairs. Notable titles include L’albero azzurro (published in Italy, France, Germany, Denmark, Korea) and The Phoenix of Persia (Tiny Owl, UK), which blends storytelling, visual art and music in a multicultural experience.
He now works as a freelance illustrator and graphic designer for publishers around the world, alongside artistic research and teaching.
Antonello Silverini
A leading figure in contemporary Italian illustration, his career has developed through high-profile collaborations across national and international press, cinema, and publishing. As a top illustrator for “La Lettura” (Corriere della Sera), he has also worked with Il Sole 24 Ore, la Repubblica, The Boston Globe, The Economist, and The Washington Post. In publishing, he has created covers for novels by Philip K. Dick (Fanucci) and Ian McEwan (Einaudi). In 2012, he designed the official image for the Rome International Film Festival. In 2016, he received the MAM – Maestro d’Arte e Mestiere award, and in 2017, Professor Carmelo Occhipinti (Tor Vergata University) dedicated a monograph to his work. He has exhibited in prestigious institutions and private galleries including Venice Design Art Gallery (2007), Rosso20sette Contemporary Art (Rome, 2014), Villa Reale in Monza (2016), Palazzo del Monte di Pietà in Forlì (2019), and Cubo in Parma (2024). He teaches illustration at the Academy of Fine Arts in Rome.
Matilde Tacchini
Matilde Tacchini is an art director, illustrator, and children’s author. After graduating in Art Direction at NABA, she worked for 15 years on successful advertising campaigns. She then opened her own creative studio in Piacenza, where she now focuses on graphic design and children’s literature—her true passion.
Luca Tortolini
Luca Tortolini is the author of numerous books translated into many languages. He won the 2021 Andersen Prize for Best Picture Book with François Truffaut. Il bambino che amava il cinema (Kite Edizioni), and the 2024 Andersen Prize as Best Writer. In addition to writing, he promotes reading and also teaches creative writing. With Un desiderio al giorno (Mondadori), he was a finalist for the Premio Strega Ragazze e Ragazzi. He loves cats, gardens, and books.