Laurel Goodluck writes picture books with modern Native themes that reflect Native children’s cultural experiences and everyday life, showing Native children that they have a perspective that is unique and powerful.

Charlesbridge will release Laurel’s debut picture book, Forever Cousins (Fall 2022), illustrated by Jonathan Nelson. The Heartdrum imprint of HarperCollins will release Rock Your Mocs, illustrated by Madelyn Goodnight, in Fall 2023. Too Much, illustrated by Full Circle Literary client Bridget George, is slated for Spring 2024 from Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers.

Raised in the San Francisco Bay Area, Laurel comes from an intertribal background of Mandan and Hidatsa from the prairies of North Dakota and Tsimshian from a rainforest in Alaska. Laurel received both a BA in Psychology and an MA in Community Counseling and Family Studies from the University of New Mexico. She began writing by crafting curriculum for community advocacy involving Native teen leadership and later for children newly diagnosed with mental health challenges.

Laurel lives in Albuquerque, New Mexico with her Navajo husband, where they raised two children also bent on storytelling in journalism and acting. Laurel was a recipient of a 2019 mentorship with We Need Diverse Books (WNDB) Picture book Mentorship paired with award-winner author Traci Sorell. She is an active regional chapter member of New Mexico SCBWI and volunteer Equity and Inclusion Lead.

Follow Laurel on Instagram and Twitter @lauriegoodluck