Susannah Israel is an art critic and renowned sculptor with a lifelong love of science fiction. Her art works are allegorical narratives filled with fantastical people and animals, held in public museums, parks and libraries as well as private collections around the world. Five years ago, she began writing about an unknown galaxy, bringing together her love of storytelling and her passion for science fiction in the series, A Small and Distant Galaxy. Israel lives and works in her studio in Oakland, California.