Kokila Books

Penguin: Because Reading Matters

Asiya Ahmed, Junior Designer 

Junior Designer Asiya Ahmed is a Black and South Asian Muslim creative, and currently lives in New York. A graduate with a degree in Advertising and Public Relations, she has a Certificate in Visualization and Design and worked as a graphic designer for four years before joining Kokila. She believes in transforming powerful narratives through literature and…

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Gnesis Villar, Editorial Assistant

Editorial Assistant Gnesis Villar joined Kokila in June 2021. Previously, she wrote reviews for the children’s department at Publisher’s Weekly, in addition to interning at Macmillan, Laura Dail Literary Agency, and Dial Books for Young Readers. She is a native New Yorker raised on cartoons, unlimited Internet access, and R-rated horror movies. She graduated from…

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Sydnee Monday, Associate Editor

Assistant Editor Sydnee Monday was born on a Monday in Tulsa, Oklahoma. She wants to read about what it feels like to live in your skin, disillusionment with crumbling facades, and how we move towards utopia.

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Joanna Cárdenas, Executive Editor

Senior Editor Joanna Cárdenas has worked on such critically-acclaimed and award-winning books as The First Rule of Punk by Celia C. Pérez and Stand Up Yumi Chung by Jessica Kim.

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Zareen Jaffery, Executive Editor

Executive Editor Zareen Jaffery joined Kokila in January 2020, and will continue to publish books across age groups. She has acquired and edited a number of New York Times bestselling, award-winning, and critically acclaimed books over the course of her publishing career.

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Jasmin Rubero, Art Director

Art Director Jasmin Rubero has designed books by critically-acclaimed and bestselling artists and authors, including the New York Times bestselling Ladybug Girl series by Jacky Davis and David Soman; Pura Belpré Award winner Portraits of Hispanic American Heroes by Juan Felipe Herrera, illustrated by Raul Colón; and Junot Díaz’s debut picture book Islandborn, illustrated by Leo Espinosa.

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Namrata Tripathi, Senior Vice President and Publisher

Namrata Tripathi is Vice President & Publisher of Kokila, an imprint of Penguin Young Readers dedicated to centering stories from the margins.

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Kokila

Kokila (pronounced KO-ki-la) brings together an inclusive community of authors and illustrators, publishing professionals, and readers to examine and celebrate stories that reflect the richness of our world.

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