Meet the speakers
Bob Eckstein
Bob Eckstein is a New York Times best-selling author, award-winning illustrator, whose work has appeared in MAD, McSweeney’s, National Lampoon, The New Yorker, The New York Times, Playboy, Reader’s Digest, SPY, and publications worldwide. His work has been exhibited in the Cartoon Art Museum of San Francisco, Smithsonian Institute, The Cartoon Museum of London, Sordoni Art Gallery at Wilkes University. Eckstein has spoken in over a 200 TV and radio shows and at The Mount, Mark Twain Museum, Milford Readers & Writers Festival, Stroud Mansion, NYPL, Miami Book Fair, MOCCA Arts Festival, NCS, Norman Rockwell Museum, Millbrook Literary Festival, The Norman Rockwell Museum, and The Grolier Club. He is Contributing Editor at Writer’s Digest, was the editor of the series The Ultimate Cartoon Book by the World’s Greatest Cartoonists, and taught writing and cartooning at New York University, Pratt Institute, School of Visual Arts, Yonsei University in South Korea, and many other learning institutions.
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Ilana Long
Before her debut novel, Pickleballers, Ilana authored the children’s book Ziggy’s Big Idea, and many essays in the popular Chicken Soup for the Soul series. Additionally, Ilana wrote a monthly, twin-parenting column for Multiple Madness and a lighthearted, monthly column for The Tico Times, Costa Rica’s national English language newspaper (2015-2017).
Ilana supported her writing compulsion with a teaching career, mostly in Bellevue, Washington, where her twin children and her pickleball addiction were born. Besides being an adventure and travel lover, her career spanned countries - teaching in the US, Mexico, and Costa Rica. Currently, she lives outside Seattle with her husband and brilliant website technician, Steve. (In lieu of payment, Ilana is making this concession.)
Aside from writing, Ilana’s creative passions include singing, acting, songwriting, performing in musical theater, and watercolor painting. On the rare days when there is no pickleball, she hikes, lake swims, and kayaks.
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Karim Shamsi-Basha
Karim Shamsi-Basha immigrated from Damascus-Syria to the United States in 1984 at the age of 18. He attended the University of Tennessee and acquired a degree in Mechanical Engineering. After that, he pursued what he loved – Photojournalism and writing. His photographic work has taken him to over 50 countries including China, Turkey, Chile, Mexico, France and Italy. Karim’s work has appeared in National Geographic Traveler, Sports Illustrated, Coastal Living, People, Time, Southern Living, NJ.com, The Alabama News Center, al.com, Aramco World magazine, The New York Times, and The Washington Post and many others. Karim’s children’s book, The Cat Man of Aleppo, won the 2021 Caldecott Honor, the Middle East Book Award and five starred reviews from Publisher’s Weekly among others. Currently, Karim works as a Food & Culture Columnist / Photographer with nj.com and The Star Ledger in New Jersey. Karim is a single father to three precious human beings: Zade, Dury, and Demi. He lives by the motto, Carpe diem, seizing every moment of this beautiful life.
