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Who are We?

Chesapeake Press was born in 2020 in the middle of an election year and the pandemic. We saw the need for materials that introduce basic civics principles to elementary school students. We believe it’s never too early to practice citizenship.

Our Mission:

Saving American democracy: one kid at a time.

Behind the Scenes:

Marie Daley - Managing Editor

Marie Daley began her career shelving books in her local library. As a child, she used to “bind” her own writing as books. Her interest in civics began early, with parents who took her with them to vote. In college, at the University of California, she sat on the steps of the student union, listening to the live broadcast of the Watergate Hearings. Marie founded Chesapeake Press after spending a decade in Washington, D.C. and discovering few, if any, books about American government in the gift shops of Capitol Hill.

Kelly Samojlik -

Our Writers:

Kitty Felde - author of The Fina Mendoza Mysteries series

Kitty Felde, the author of The Fina Mendoza Mysteries books is an award-winning public radio journalist. She spent nearly a decade covering Capitol Hill for Southern California Public Radio (LAist) and was named Radio Journalist of the Year three times by the LA Press Club and the Society of Professional Journalists. She is also executive producer of the Fina Mendoza Mysteries podcast and the Book Club for Kids podcast, winner of the DC Mayor’s Award for Excellence in the Humanities and the California Library Association’s Technology Award and named one of the top kidcasts in the world by The Times of London. Kitty has spoken at the American Library Association Conference, the National Council for the Social Studies convention, and has delivered a TEDx Talk.

Flordeliza Linda Cadiz Marks, Ed.D - Teacher’s Guides to the Fina Mendoza novels

Linda Marks is past president of the Hawaii Association of School Librarians. In her twelve years as school librarian at Kalihi Uka Elementary School on Oahu, she served as curriculum coordinator and strategic planning coordinator. As school librarian at Maury Elementary School in Washington, DC, her library programs included collaborative/partner teaching at several grade levels, library book clubs, Literacy Night, Pajama Story Time, Multicultural Night, and “book shopping.” Her motto is: “kindle student desire while empowering abilities.”

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