SCBWI Podcasts: Recent Episodes
SCBWI
The Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators conversations with publishing pros, and award-winning and bestselling writers and illustrators who inform and inspire about the ins and outs of the children's book industry. Find out about the craft and creative process behind young adult novels, picture books, middle-grade fiction, graphic novels, and nonfiction.
In this week's episode we are joined by Claudia Rueda.
Claudia Rueda is a Colombian author and a New York Times Best Seller illustrator of over thirty picture books. Rueda's books have been published in the United States, Mexico, and Spain and have been translated into seventeen different languages. She’s a 2016 Hans Christian Andersen and Astrid Lindgren Awards nominee. Claudia went to Law and Art school and worked as a political cartoonist in Colombia. She then studied Children’s Book Illustration at UC Berkeley and holds an MFA in Creative Writing from Lesley University in Cambridge, MA. Claudia lives in New York City and teaches a course on picture books at the School of Visual Arts.
Buy her latest book here: bookshop.org/a/19191/9781536236583
Check out her website here: claudiarueda.com
Follow her on IG here: @claudiarueda
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In this week's episode we are joined by Torrey Maldonado.
Torrey Maldonado was born and raised in Brooklyn, growing up in the Red Hook housing projects. He has been a teacher for New York City public schools for nearly 25 years and his fast-paced, compelling stories are inspired by his and his students’ experiences. His popular novels for young readers include What Lane?, which garnered many starred reviews and was cited by Oprah and the New York Times for being an essential book to discuss racism and allyship; Tight, which won the Christopher Award, was an ALA Notable Book, and an NPR and Washington Post Best Book of the Year; and his very first novel, Secret Saturdays which has been in print for over ten years. Connect on Instagram @torreymaldonado
Buy Torrey's latest book here: bookshop.org/a/19191/9780593624968
Check out all of Torrey's books here: bookshop.org/beta-search?keywords=Torrey+Maldonado
Visit his website here: torreymaldonado.com
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In this week's episode we are joined by Jason Reynolds.
Jason Reynolds is a #1 New York Times bestselling author of many award-winning books, including Look Both Ways: A Tale Told in Ten Blocks, All American Boys (with Brendan Kiely), Long Way Down, Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You (with Ibram X. Kendi), Stuntboy, in the Meantime (illustrated by Raúl the Third), and Ain’t Burned All the Bright (with artwork by Jason Griffin). The recipient of a Newbery Honor, a Printz Honor, an NAACP Image Award, and multiple Coretta Scott King honors, Reynolds is also the 2020-2022 National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature. He has appeared on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, The Daily Show with Trevor Noah, Late Night with Seth Meyers, CBS Sunday Morning, Good Morning America, and various media outlets. He is on faculty at Lesley University, for the Writing for Young People MFA Program and lives in Washington, DC.
Buy Jason's latest book here: bookshop.org/a/19191/9798347102372
Check out Jason's website here: www.jasonwritesbooks.com
Check out Heirloom Literary here: www.heirloomliterary.com
www.instagram.com/jasonreynolds83/
www.instagram.com/heirloom_literary/
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In this week's episode we are joined by Selina Alko.
Selina Alko is an award-winning author and illustrator known for blending lyrical storytelling with vibrant mixed-media art. Raised in Vancouver by a Turkish Jewish father and Jewish mother, she grew up immersed in culture, creativity, and diverse perspectives that continue to shape her work. Selina has a degree in art history from University of British Columbia and a BFA in illustration from the School of Visual Arts. She has created more than twenty-five acclaimed children's books, with features in The New York Times, NPR, People, and Time Out New York Kids. A two-time National Jewish Book Award winner, her titles have also been honored as Junior Library Guild Gold selections and Bank Street Best Books of the Year. She is the recipient of the Mills Tannenbaum Award for Excellence in Children’s Literacy.
Buy her latest book here: https://bookshop.org/a/19191/9780316570633
Check out the rest of her work here: https://www.selinaalko.com/
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In this week's episode of the SCBWI Podcast we are joined by Kate DiCamillo!
In her own words, here is her bio: "I was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, raised in Clermont, Florida, and currently live in Minneapolis, Minnesota. I write for both children and adults and I like to think of myself as a storyteller.
Here are a few more facts about me: I am short. And loud. I hate to cook and love to eat. I am single and childless, but I have lots of friends and I am an aunt to three lovely children (Luke, Roxanne, and Max) and one lovable dog (Franklin).
I think of myself as an enormously lucky person: I get to tell stories for a living."
Buy her books here: https://bookshop.org/beta-search?keywords=Kate+DiCamillo
Check out her website here: www.katedicamillo.com
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In this week's episode we are joined by Shannon Messenger. Shannon Messenger graduated from the USC School of Cinematic Arts where she learned—among other things—that she liked watching movies much better than making them. She’s studied art, screenwriting, and television production, but realized her real passion was writing for kids and teens. She’s the internationally, New York Times, and USA Today bestselling author of the award-winning middle grade series, Keeper of the Lost Cities, as well as the Sky Fall young adult series. Her books have been featured on multiple state reading lists, published in numerous countries, and translated into many languages. She lives in Southern California with her family and an embarrassing number of cats. Find her online at shannonmessenger.com and on Instagram, X, and Facebook at @sw_messenger.
Buy her latest book here: https://bookshop.org/a/19191/9781534463400
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In this week's episode, we welcome back Dan Gutman! New York Times best-selling and award-winning author Dan Gutman has written more than 190 books for readers from kindergarten through middle school. Dan’s My Weird School series includes 100+ titles, and has sold more than 35 million copies globally over the past 20 years. Dan also is the author of the best-selling Genius Files series, the Baseball Card Adventure series, and many more.
Dan’s books have been named Junior Library Guild Selections and Bank Street College’s Best Children’s Books of the Year, and have been awarded numerous state book awards, including: The California Young Reader Medal, the Massachusetts Children’s Book Award, and the Iowa Children’s Choice Award, among others. When he’s not writing books, Dan loves to ride his bike, play pickleball, throw Frisbees, and explore New York City where he lives with his wife Nina. To find out more, follow Dan on Facebook, X, and Instagram. You can follow him on IG @dangutmanbooks
Purchase his latest book here: https://bookshop.org/a/19191/9780823453856
Check out his website here: https://dangutman.com/
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Rachel Renée Russell is the author of the #1 New York Times Best Selling book series, Dork Diaries which has spent 331 weeks on the New York Times Bestsellers list for Children’s Series. She’s an attorney who prefers writing Tween books to legal briefs mainly because books are a lot more fun, and pajama pants and bunny slippers aren’t allowed in federal court.
Rachel first introduced us to Nikki Maxwell in 2009 and has written 17 books in the Dork Diaries series which have sold more than 55 million copies worldwide. For a peek at some of the books that have been translated into 52 languages in 57 countries, check out the Dorks Around the World section of this website.
Nikki Russell is an artist. She is also the illustrator of the Dork Diaries series, which have sold over 50 million copies and translated over 32 languages.
Buy their latest book here: https://bookshop.org/a/19191/9781665988384
Follow them here: Tiktok and IG @dorkdiaries
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In this week's episode we are joined by Avery Fischer Udagawa
Avery Fischer Udagawa grew up in Kansas and studied English and Asian Studies at St. Olaf College in Minnesota. She holds an MA in Advanced Japanese Studies from The University of Sheffield. She has studied at Nanzan University, Nagoya, on a Fulbright Fellowship, and at the Inter-University Center for Japanese Language Studies, Yokohama. She writes, translates, and works in international education near Bangkok, where she lives with her bicultural family. She volunteers as Global Translator Coordinator in the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators.
Buy Avery's most recently translated book here:
The Village Beyond the Mist
https://bookshop.org/a/19191/9781632063922
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In this week's episode we are joined by SCBWI Golden Kite Winner Ann Bausum.
ANN BAUSUM has written nine National Geographic books for young readers during the past 12 years. Her publication list features six works of social justice history, two presidential history reference books, and a photobiography. She has won numerous awards, including a Sibert Honor Award from the American Library Association and three other national awards for literature.
Purchase her latest book here: https://bookshop.org/a/19191/9781250816573
Check out her website here: www.annbausum.com
Follow her on socials here: @abausauthor
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In this episode, we are joined by author/illustrator Suzanne Kaufman.
SUZANNE KAUFMAN is an author, illustrator, and animator. Over the years she's done everything from animating special effects for Universal Television and the Discovery Channel to animating award-winning video games for children. She's the illustrator of a number of children's books, including Samanthasaurus Rex by B. B. Mandell, Naughty Claudine's Christmas by Patrick Jennings, 100 Bugs! by Kate Narita, and her own book, Confiscated! Learn more about Suzanne online at suzannekaufman.com
Purchase her latest book here: https://bookshop.org/a/19191/9780316311663
Check our her website here: suzannekaufman.com
Follow her on IG here: @suzannekaufman
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In this week's episode of the SCBWI Podcast, we are joined by Nova Ren Suma!
Nova Ren Suma is the author of the #1 New York Times bestselling The Walls Around Us and A Room Away from the Wolves, which were both finalists for the Edgar Award. She also wrote Imaginary Girls and 17 & Gone and co-edited the story & craft anthology Foreshadow: Stories to Celebrate the Magic of Reading and Writing YA. She has an MFA in fiction from Columbia University and has taught creative writing at the University of Pennsylvania and Vermont College of Fine Arts. Originally from the Hudson Valley, she spent most of her adult life in New York City, and now lives in Philadelphia. Her new novel Wake the Wild Creatures is out now from Little, Brown.
Check out her website: novaren.com
Buy her latest book here: https://bookshop.org/a/19191/9781616206727
Follow her on IG here: www.instagram.com/novaren
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In this week's episode of the SCBWI Podcast we are joined by Kate Messner.
New York Times bestselling author Kate Messner is passionately curious and writes books that encourage kids to wonder, too. Kate's titles include both fiction and nonfiction; she writes award-winning picture books, easy readers, chapter book series, and novels for young readers. Her books are frequently nominated for state book award lists and have been honored with the E.B. White Read Aloud Award, Golden Kite and Crystal Kite Awards, Riverby Award for Natural History Writing, and Nerdy Book Club Awards. Kate's science themed books have also been selected as finalists for the AAAS/Subaru SB&F Prize and named to the NSTA/CBC list of Outstanding Science Trade Books for Students K-12. Kate is a frequent speaker at conferences for writers and educators and visits schools all over the world to talk with students about books, writing, and the power of curiosity.
Purchase her latest book here: https://bookshop.org/p/books/the-trouble-with-heroes-kate-messner/21573976?ean=9781547616398&next=t
Follow her on IG here: www.instagram.com/katemessner
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In this weeks episode we are joined by Barbara McClintock!
Barbara McClintock is an American illustrator and author of over 40 books for children. Her books have received numerous awards and citations, including five New York Times Best Illustrated Picture Book Awards, four ALA Notable Book Citations, a Boston Globe/Horn Book Honor Award, a China Times Best Illustrated Books Award, and a British Fantasy Award. One of her books is a best-selling title in Japan.
Her artwork has been exhibited and is in the collections of libraries, museums and galleries around the world.
She has lectured about her work nationally and internationally, and is currently teaching classes on creating children’s books at Wesleyan University. She has served on the board of directors of the Eric Carle Museum, and chaired the Original Art Show at the Society of Illustrators.
Barbara is self-educated as an illustrator, learning by studying and copying artwork from books checked out of public libraries.
Originally from New Jersey and North Dakota, she now resides in northeastern CT with her partner, the illustrator David Johnson, and their three overly-helpful cats.
Buy her latest book here: https://bookshop.org/a/19191/9781534418509
Follow her here: https://www.instagram.com/barbaramcclintockart/
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This week we are joined by author Kyle Lukoff and illustrator Levi Hastings!
From Newbery Honor and Stonewall Book Award–winning author Kyle Lukoff and celebrated picture book illustrator Levi Hastings comes an “approachable, engaging” (Publishers Weekly, starred review) picture book about how people found community in a time when they had to keep their true selves secret.
“Are you a friend of Dorothy?”
In a time when the LGBTQ+ community was forced to hide in the shadows, a woman named Dorothy helped her people find each other in the dark and celebrate themselves in the light.
But who was Dorothy? Was she from the neighborhood, someone’s wife, mother, or sister? Was she that clever writer, who threw parties where there were no rules about who you could and couldn’t dance with? Or was she a girl from Kansas, who dreamed of leaving her black-and-white, small-town life and finding a vibrant, colorful world that loved her?
Dorothy might have been all these things—because Dorothy, as known by the post-WWII queer community, wasn’t real. Still, she helped a community find connection and care amidst adversity.
Buy the book here: https://bookshop.org/a/19191/9781665931663
Follow Kyle Here: www.instagram.com/kylelukoffwrites
Follow Levi Here: https://www.instagram.com/levihastingsart/
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In this episode of the SCBWI Podcast we are joined by Donna Barba Higuera!
Donna grew up in Central California surrounded by agricultural and oil fields. As a child, rather than dealing with the regular dust devils, she preferred spending recess squirreled away in the janitor’s closet with a good book. Her favorite hobbies were calling dial-a-story over and over again, and sneaking into a restricted cemetery to weave her own spooky tales using the crumbling headstones as inspiration.
Donna's Middle Grade and Picture Books are about kids who find themselves in odd or scary situations. From language to cultural differences in being biracial life can become…complicated. So like Donna, characters tackle more than just the bizarre things that happen to them in their lives.
Donna likes to write about all things funny, but also sad, and creepy, and magical. If you like those things, she hopes you will read her books!
Donna lives in Washington State with her family, two dogs and a frog.
Buy here latest novel:https://bookshop.org/a/19191/9781646144129
And check out the rest of her books here: https://bookshop.org/contributors/donna-barba-higuera
Visit Donna's website here: https://www.dbhiguera.com/
Follow her on IG: https://www.instagram.com/donnabarbahiguera/
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In this episode of the SCBWI Podcast we are joined by Maria van Lieshout!
Maria is a Dutch-American illustrator and graphic novelist.
She was born and raised near Amsterdam, and studied Visual Communications at George Washington University in DC. Maria has illustrated and written 15 picture books for kids. Her graphic novel Song of a Blackbird is inspired by historic events, including those that affected her own family, during the Nazi occupation of Amsterdam. Maria lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with her husband and their son.
Buy here latest novel: https://bookshop.org/a/19191/9781250869814
And check out the rest of her books here: https://bookshop.org/contributors/maria-van-lieshout
Visit Maria's website here: https://www.vanlieshoutstudio.com/
Follow her on IG: https://www.instagram.com/vanlieshoutstudio/
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In this episode of the podcast we are joined by Maggie Tokuda-Hall!
Maggie Tokuda-Hall has an MFA in creative writing from USF, and BA in art from Scripps College. She’s the author of numerous award winning, best-selling children’s and young adult books including Love in the Library, The Mermaid the Witch and The Sea duology, Squad, and The Worst Ronin. She has been called “... one of the most unflinching voices in contemporary genre literature.”
Maggie is a founding member and national leader of Authors Against Book Bans. She is the co-host of the Failure to Adapt podcast. She lives in Oakland, California with her husband, children, and objectively perfect dog.
Buy Maggie's books here: https://bookshop.org/shop/MaggieTokudaHall
Check out her website here:
https://www.prettyokmaggie.com/
Follow her on IG here: https://www.instagram.com/maggietokudahall/
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In this episode we are joined by Erin Entrada Kelly!
Erin Entrada Kelly has received numerous awards and recognition for her work, including the 2025 Newbery Medal for The First State of Being, 2018 Newbery Medal for Hello, Universe, a 2021 Newbery Honor for We Dream of Space, the 2023 NAIBA Book of the Year Award for Those Kids From Fawn Creek, and 2017 APALA Award for The Land of Forgotten Girls, among many other honors. She is also a National Book Award Finalist and author/illustrator of Marisol Rainey and Felix Powell, stand-alone stories for younger readers. Her books are New York Times bestsellers.
Before becoming a children's author, Erin worked as a journalist and magazine editor in her home state of Louisiana. She received numerous awards from the Louisiana Press Association and the Associated Press for community service journalism, feature writing, and editing. She has published more than thirty short stories and has been nominated for the Pushcart Prize and the Philippines Free Press Award for Short Fiction.
Erin has a bachelor's degree in women's studies and liberal arts from McNeese State University and an MFA in fiction from Rosemont College. She lives in Delaware and teaches in the MFAC program at Hamline University.
Buy Erin's books here: https://bookshop.org/contributors/erin-entrada-kelly
This episode of the podcast is sponsored by Listen In: conversation & cultivation, a writing program from award-winning authors Elana K. Arnold and Nina LaCour @elanakarnold @nina_lacour
Learn more at ninalacour.com
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In this episode we are joined by Neal Shusterman!
Neal Shusterman is the New York Times bestselling author of more than fifty award-winning books for children, teens, and adults, including Challenger Deep, which won the National Book Award, Courage to Dream, a Sydney Taylor Honor Book, Scythe, a Michael L. Printz Honor Book, the Unwind Dystology, which won more than thirty domestic and international awards, and the highly acclaimed novels, Dry, and Roxy which he co-wrote with his son, Jarrod For his body of work, Neal won the 2024 Margaret A. Edwards Award, and the ALAN Lifetime Achievement Award. His novel, Unwind, has become part of the literary canon in many school districts across the country-and has won more than thirty domestic and international awards. Many of his novels are in development as TV series and movies.
Shusterman has also received awards from organizations such as the International Reading Association, and the American Library Association, and has garnered a myriad of state and local awards across the country. His talents range from film directing, to writing music and stage plays, and has even tried his hand at creating games.
Shusterman has earned a reputation as a storyteller and dynamic speaker. As a speaker, he is in constant demand at schools and conferences. Degrees in both psychology and drama give him a unique approach to writing, and his novels always deal with topics that appeal to adults as well as teens, weaving true-to-life characters into sensitive and riveting issues, and binding it all together with a unique and entertaining sense of humor. Neal lives in Jacksonville, Florida, but spends much of his time traveling the world speaking, exploring, and signing books for readers. . Visit Neal at www.storyman.com, facebook.com/NealShusterman, and on Instagram, TikTok, and Twitter @nealshusterman
Purchase his latest book, All Better Now here: https://bookshop.org/a/19191/9781534432758
This episode of the podcast is sponsored by Listen In: conversation & cultivation, a writing program from award-winning authors Elana K. Arnold and Nina LaCour
Learn more at ninalacour.com
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In this episode we are joined by Paul O. Zelinsky!
Paul O. Zelinsky grew up in Wilmette, Illinois, the son of a mathematics professor father and a medical illustrator mother. He drew compulsively from an early age, but did not know until college that this would be his career. As a Sophomore in Yale College he enrolled in a course on the history and practice of the picture book, co-taught by an English professor and Maurice Sendak. This experience inspired Paul to point himself in the direction of children's books. His first book appeared in 1978, since which time he has become recognized as one of the most inventive and critically successful artists in the field.
He now lives with his wife in Brooklyn, New York. They have two grown daughters.
Among many other awards and prizes, he received the 1998 Caldecott Medal for his illustrated retelling of Rapunzel, as well as Caldecott Honors for three of his books: Hansel and Gretel (1985), Rumpelstiltskin (1987), and Swamp Angel (1995). In 2018, Paul was given the Carle Honor Award for Illustration.
Check out his books here: https://www.paulozelinsky.com/
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In this episode we are joined by Oliver Latsch!
Translator and agent Oliver Latsch grew up bilingual in German and English in East Africa and Germany. He trained to be a scientist and had just completed his PhD in Biology in the U.K. when he was asked to help get some best-selling German children’s books published in English. This led to a career as a literary agent and translator. Since then, he has accumulated 17 published book translations both from German to English and vice versa. His translation of Cornelia Funke's The Thief Lord from German into English was shortlisted for the 2003 Mildred L. Batchelder Award for an outstanding translated book and his most recent translations include The Magicians Map by Mikki Lish and Kelly Ngai (into German) , The Silver Tracks (Mirrorworld 4) by Cornelia Funke, Robin Hood and Erik the Red by Tilman Röhrig, and Save Our Freedom: A Wake-Up Call in Digital Times by Bijan Moini (into English).Check out his site here: https://latschlit.wordpress.com/
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In this episode of the SCBWI Podcast, we are joined by Erin Lee!
Erin Lee is an elementary school teacher and artist living in Long Sault, Ontario. She graduated from the University of Ottawa with an Honors degree in Fine Arts, Visual Arts. Erin has published three award-winning children’s books: Benjamin and the Backyard Beast, Out of Season, and Maggie the Magnificent.
Erin has written short stories and novels since she was a child. As a young student, she idolized authors such as Robert Munsch, Dr. Suess, and Roald Dahl. Having adventures of her own that she wanted to share, Erin began to write stories herself. Erin's love of literature is what inspired her to become a teacher, so that she could share her passion for reading and always be surrounded by books. Erin currently teaches Kindergarten and though, at times, she feels like Ms. Frizzle with her wild avant-garde lessons, she adores her students and often draws upon memorable classroom moments in her stories. It is also through childhood stories that she addresses important topics, such as bullying, inclusion, and anxiety within the classroom setting. She believes that no matter how subtle or minuscule these issues may manifest within the classroom, ensuring that they do not go unheard is crucial for the growth of a child.
https://www.erinleeauthor.com/
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In this episode of the SCBWI Podcast, we are joined by artist John Parra!
John Parra is an award-winning artist, illustrator, author, and educator, best known for his, Latino themed, children’s picture books. His work on, Frida Kahlo and Her Animalitos, was named a New York Times Best Illustrated Children’s Book of the Year. His MTA artcard poster, Birdhouse Subways, was displayed throughout NYC subways and his art was seen on six U.S. Forever Postage Stamps titled: Delicioso. He regularly speaks as a visiting artist at schools and literary conferences across the country, advocating art and reading education and was also invited by the Metropolitan Museum of Art in NY to present a special event about his career and illustrations. His book, Growing an Artist: The Story of a Landscaper and His Son, is his debut as both author and illustrator and has received numerous starred reviews and recognitions. John currently lives with his wife, Maria, in Queens, New York.
You can check his books out here: https://johnparraart.com/books/
Follow him on IG here: https://www.instagram.com/johnparraart/?hl=en
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In this episode of the SCBWI Podcast, we are joined by Michael Dante DiMartino!
Michael Dante DiMartino is an American animator, producer, writer, and director. He is best known, together with Bryan Konietzko, as the co-creator of the animated TV series Avatar: The Last Airbender and The Legend of Korra, both on Nickelodeon.
He has also written for podcasts and has authored novels.
You can purchase his latest, Both Here And Gone on his website: https://www.michaeldantedimartino.com/product-page/both-here-and-then
Follow him on IG here: https://www.instagram.com/mike_dante_d/
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In this episode of the SCBWI Podcast, we are joined by Desmond Hall!
Desmond Hall was born in Jamaica, West Indies, and moved to Jamaica, Queens. He has worked as a high school biology and English teacher in East New York, Brooklyn; counseled teenage ex-cons after their release from Rikers Island; and served as Spike Lee’s creative director at Spike DDB. Desmond has served on the board of the Partnership for Drug-Free Kids and the Advertising Council and judged the One Show, the American Advertising Awards, and the NYC Downtown Short Film Festival. He’s also been named one of Variety magazine’s Top 50 Creatives to Watch. Desmond is the author of the gritty YA novel Your Corner Dark which confronts the harsh realities of gang life in Jamaica and how far a teen is willing to go for family. He lives outside of Boston with his wife and two daughters.
Purchase his book here: https://bookshop.org/p/books/better-must-come/18934206?ean=9781534460744
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In this episode of the SCBWI Podcast, we are joined by Margaret Finnegan!
Margaret Finnegan is the author of the Junior Library Guild Selections Sunny Parker Is Here to Stay, New Kids and Underdogs, We Could Be Heroes, and Susie B. Won’t Back Down. Her work has appeared in FamilyFun, the Los Angeles Times, Salon, and other publications. She lives in South Pasadena, California, where she enjoys spending time with her family, walking her dog, and baking really good chocolate cakes. Visit her online at MargaretFinnegan.com.
Purchase her book here: https://bookshop.org/p/books/sunny-parker-is-here-to-stay-margaret-finnegan/20163181?ean=9781665930086
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In this episode of the SCBWI Podcast, we are joined by Dan Gutman!
New York Times best-selling and award-winning author Dan Gutman has written more than 190 books for readers from kindergarten through middle school. Dan’s My Weird School series includes 100+ titles, and has sold more than 35 million copies globally over the past 20 years. Dan also is the author of the best-selling Genius Files series, the Baseball Card Adventure series, and many more.
Dan’s books have been named Junior Library Guild Selections and Bank Street College’s Best Children’s Books of the Year, and have been awarded numerous state book awards, including: The California Young Reader Medal, the Massachusetts Children’s Book Award, and the Iowa Children’s Choice Award, among others. When he’s not writing books, Dan loves to ride his bike, play pickleball, throw Frisbees, and explore New York City where he lives with his wife Nina. To find out more, follow Dan on Facebook, X, and Instagram.
Buy his books here:
https://bookshop.org/contributors/dan-gutman-3f460210-405d-476a-b005-507ccb560d15
https://bookshop.org/p/books/my-weirdtastic-school-4-miss-nichol-is-in-a-pickle-dan-gutman/20097761?ean=9780063207066
https://dangutman.com/
https://dangutman.com/books/
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In this episode of the SCBWI Podcast, we are joined by Dr. Sabic-El-Rayess !
Dr. Sabic-El-Rayess first became a teacher as a young teen during the Bosnian Genocide. In a letter written by President Joe Biden himself, he wrote: “I am inspired by the bravery and strength you have shown in the face of heartbreaking tragedy and persecution.” Reflecting on Dr. Amra Sabic-El-Rayess’ award-winning memoir The Cat I Never Named (Bloomsbury, 2020), the President described her as “the very idea of America” itself. As a Bosniak (Bosnian Muslim) woman and survivor of the Bosnian Genocide, who immigrated to America, Dr. Sabic-El-Rayess has transformed from being an object of hate-fueled violence to a renowned scholar, author, activist, and storyteller who is an exemplar of resilience in the face of hate and extremism. Today, Dr. Sabic-El-Rayess is a professor and researcher at Teachers College, Columbia University. She has taught, researched, and published on a range of issues in education, including Educational Displacement, hate prevention, and storytelling. Dr. Sabic-El-Rayess engages regularly with diverse audiences around the world.
Buy her books here:
https://bookshop.org/p/books/three-summers-laura-l-sullivan/18643174?ean=9780374390815
https://www.sabicelrayess.org/
https://www.sabicelrayess.org/books
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In this episode of the SCBWI Podcast, we are joined by Phil Bildner!
Phil Bildner is the New York Times bestselling author of numerous books for young people including the NCTE Charlotte Huck Award Honor-winning middle grade novel, A High Five for Glenn Burke, the Margaret Wise Brown Prize-winning picture book, Marvelous Cornelius, and the Texas Bluebonnet Award-winning picture book Shoeless Joe & Black Betsy. Phil is also the author of A Whole New Ballgame, Rookie of the Year, Tournament of Champions, and Most Valuable Players in the critically acclaimed middle grade Rip & Red series. His other picture books include Martina & Chrissie, Twenty-One Elephants, and The Soccer Fence. His latest is the biography, Glenn Burke, Game Changer.
Phil grew up on Long Island, studied political science at Johns Hopkins University, and then attended law school at New York University School of Law. After passing the bar in New York and New Jersey and working for a short time as an associate at a large Manhattan law firm, Phil went back to school and earned a master’s degree in early childhood and elementary education at Long Island University.
For eleven years, Phil taught in the New York City Public Schools. He taught fifth and sixth grade in the Tremont section of the Bronx in the 1990s and middle school Language Arts and American History in Manhattan in the 2000s.
After leaving the classroom to write full time, Phil began chaperoning student-volunteer trips to New Orleans to help in the post-Hurricane Katrina recovery effort. He founded The NOLA Tree, a non-profit youth service organization and served as the co-Executive Director for several years.
In 2017, Phil founded The Author Village, an author booking business and speakers bureau. He now represents over eighty book creators for young people, educators, and librarians.
Phil also serves on the Board of Directors of Baldwin for the Arts, the non-profit organization founded by Jacqueline Woodson and whose mission is to create a safe and nurturing space for Artists of The Global Majority.
These days, Phil lives in Newburgh, New York with his husband in a two-hundred-year-old farmhouse. Most of the time, you’ll find him out in the yard playing with his dog named Kat, hanging with his cats named Primrose and Rue, or working on the back porch (aka, his office) overlooking the Hudson River.
Buy his latest book here: https://bookshop.org/p/books/glenn-burke-game-changer-the-man-who-invented-the-high-five-phil-bildner/19745586?ean=9780374391225
Phil's Website
https://philbildner.com/
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In this episode of the SCBWI Podcast, we are joined by Tracy van Straaten!
TRACY VAN STRAATEN, Founder and President
Founded in 2019, TvS Media Group LLC is an award-winning boutique public relations and consulting firm specializing in book publishing, entertainment, and brand management, with particular expertise in children's and young adult media. Founder and President Tracy van Straaten has more than 30 years of publicity, communications, and marketing experience, and she has created hundreds of campaigns for bestselling, award-winning, and debut authors, as well as beloved characters, celebrities, and brands.
Over the course of her career, she has directed media campaigns and strategy for more than 200 New York Times bestsellers, including Suzanne Collins’s bestselling The Hunger Games series; He’s Just Not That Into You by Greg Behrendt and Liz Tuccillo; Olivia by Ian Falconer; and the re-launch of the Eloise series by Kay Thompson and Hilary Knight, for which van Straaten received a Literary Marketplace (LMP) Award for publicity campaign. Her longstanding media and industry relationships and vast network of national contacts across all media platforms have resulted in an impressive track record of high-profile placements. In 2023, TvS Media Group was awarded a Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) Chicago Skyline Award of Excellence and a Publicity Club of Chicago Golden Trumpet Award for the media campaign for the 30th Anniversary of Goosebumps by R.L. Stine.
Tracy van Straaten has held publicity and marketing positions at Little, Brown and Company, HarperCollins, William Morrow, Simon & Schuster, and, from 2006-2019, Vice President of Communications, Publicity, and Educational Marketing for the Scholastic Trade publishing division. She served on the board of the Children’s Book Council, holds a B.A. in English and Art History from Hamilton College, and earned a master's degree in Children’s Literature from Simmons University in Boston. In 2017, she received the Simmons University Alumni Achievement Award for Excellence in Children’s Literature. She currently serves on the board of The Carol Shields Prize for Fiction.
Check out their services here: https://www.tvsmediagroup.com/services
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In this episode of the SCBWI Podcast, we are joined by F.T. Lukens!
Debbie Ridpath Ohi is a children’s book author and illustrator who has helped create over 20 books for young people. She loves her job. She is the author and illustrator of I WANT TO READ ALL THE BOOKS, WHERE ARE MY BOOKS?, and SAM & EVA (Simon & Schuster). Her illustrations have appeared in books by Judy Blume, Michael Ian Black, Linda Sue Park, and others. You can find Debbie on Bluesky, SubStack, Instagram, her Bookstagram, Facebook, YouTube, X,
https://debbieohi.com/
PreOrder Debbie's Book Here:
https://bookshop.org/p/books/i-want-to-read-all-the-books-debbie-ridpath-ohi/21108507?ean=9781481416306
and check out the rest of Debbie's books here:
https://bookshop.org/contributors/debbie-ridpath-ohi-f05414b5-6e3d-4c1b-b0e0-74bae07489b5
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In this episode of the SCBWI Podcast, we are joined by F.T. Lukens!
F.T. Lukens is a New York Times bestselling author of YA speculative fiction including the novels Spell Bound, So This Is Ever After (2023 ALA Rainbow Booklist; 2022 Goodreads Choice Awards nominee), In Deeper Waters (2022 ALA Rainbow Booklist; Junior Library Guild Selection), and the forthcoming Otherworldly as well as other science-fiction and fantasy works. F.T. resides in North Carolina with their spouse, three kids, three dogs, and three cats.
Buy Otherworldy here:
https://bookshop.org/p/books/otherworldly-f-t-lukens/20163013?ean=9781665916257
and check out the rest of F.T.'s books here:
https://bookshop.org/contributors/f-t-lukens
Follow them on IG here:
@ftlukens
F.T.'s website:
https://www.ft-lukens.com/
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In this episode of the SCBWI Podcast, we are joined by renowned illustrator/cartoonist/graphic novelist Cece Bell!
Cece Bell has written and illustrated many books for children, among them the beloved Sock Monkey books, the Geisel Award-winning Rabbit and Robot: The Sleepover, and the Newbery Honor-winning graphic novel El Deafo. She and her husband, author Tom Angleberger, have also collaborated on the picture book Crankee Doodle and the Inspector Flytrap chapter book series. She lives in Virginia with her family.
Check out Animal Albums here:
https://animalalbums.com/
Purchase it here:
https://bookshop.org/a/19191/9781536226249
and check out the rest of her books here:
https://bookshop.org/contributors/cece-bell-74593ea1-f31a-48fa-9d96-63a49686525b
Follow her on IG here:
@cecebellbooks
Cece's website
cecebell.wordpress.com
Twitter @CeceBellBooks.
A transcript of this episode is available here or if you are a member under Member Resources: https://scbwiprdstorage.blob.core.windows.net/scbwiprdfiles/attachments/Cece_Bell_Transcript_Final.pdf
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In this episode of the SCBWI Podcast, we are joined by John Schu aka Mr. Schu!
John Schu has made a career out of advocating for the people and things he cares about most: kids, books, and the people that connect them. He was named a Library Journal Mover and Shaker for his dynamic interactions with students and his passionate adoption of new technologies as a means of connecting authors, illustrators, books, and readers. He is the children’s librarian for Bookelicious, a part-time lecturer at Rutgers University, and shares his love of reading with countless educators and students around the world. He served as the Ambassador of School Libraries for Scholastic Book Fairs for almost 6 years.
He is the author of This Is a School (Candlewick Press, 2022) illustrated by Veronica Miller Jamison, This Is a Story (Candlewick Press, 2023) illustrated by Caldecott Honor artist Lauren Castillo, Louder Than Hunger (Candlewick, 2024) and The Gift of Story: Exploring the Affective Side of the Reading Life (Stenhouse, 2022). He is a contributor to The Creativity Project (Little, Brown, 2018), edited by Colby Sharp. John Schu lives in Naperville, Illinois.
Buy Louder Than Hunger Here: https://bookshop.org/a/19191/9781536229097
and check out the rest of John's books here:
https://www.johnschu.com/
Follow him on IG here:
https://www.instagram.com/mrschureads/
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In this episode of the SCBWI Podcast, we are joined by Cátia Chien!
Cátia Chien is a children's book illustrator from Sao Paulo, Brazil. She is currently working in New York City. She graduated from the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, California in 2004. She has produced work for several publishing companies, including Random House, Penguin Books and Candlewick Press.
Buy The Bear and the Moon here:
https://bookshop.org/p/books/the-bear-and-the-moon-matthew-burgess/14350474?ean=9781452171913
and her other books here:
https://bookshop.org/contributors/catia-chien-00827b04-86e9-47f1-82d2-fbf0ddba864e
and check out the rest of her art here:
https://www.catiachien.com/
SCBWI on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/scbwi/
SCBWI on Twitter: https://twitter.com/scbwi
Become an SCBWI member today: https://www.scbwi.org/join-scbwi/
Shop the SCBWI Bookshop.org page: https://bookshop.org/shop/SCBWI
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In this episode of the SCBWI Podcast, we are joined by Richard Jesse Watson!
Port Townsend painter, illustrator, and sculptor, Richard Jesse Watson, has received numerous awards and several of his books were New York Times Bestsellers. His paintings hang in museums, corporate and private collections internationally.
Watson is an accomplished artist and perpetual experimenter. He often breaks out of boxes in his quest for originality.
"His work is a process of thinking: …to balance and nod to the extremes on either end of an idea.” Kristin Tollefson, Bainbridge Island Museum of Art.
“I love being in this zone coaxing dreams into reality or caressing reality back into a dream.”
Buy The Legend of Saint Christopher: From the Golden Legend, Englished by William Caxton, 1483 here:
https://bookshop.org/p/books/the-legend-of-saint-christopher-from-the-golden-legend-englished-by-william-caxton-1483-margaret-hodges/12578003?ean=9780802853608
and check out the rest of his art here:
https://www.rjwatsonart.com/
SCBWI on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/scbwi/
SCBWI on Twitter: https://twitter.com/scbwi
Become an SCBWI member today: https://www.scbwi.org/join-scbwi/
Shop the SCBWI Bookshop.org page: https://bookshop.org/shop/SCBWI
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In this Podcast Replay, we are joined by James Ransome, the iconic illustrator of classics like Before She Was Harriet (written by Lesa Cline-Ransome), Uncle Jed's Barbershop, Visiting Day, and so many more incomparable titles. James never does the same thing twice, and in our expansive and focused conversation, we discussed ways of seeing, color and quilts, his mentorship with the great Jerry Pinkney, and how his love of Parliament Funkadelic keeps him experimenting.
Follow James on Instagram: jransomillustr
Follow James on Facebook: James Ransome Illustration
James's Website: https://jamesransome.com
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In this episode of the SCBWI Podcast, we are joined by Kwame Mbalia!
Kwame is a husband, father, writer, a New York Times bestselling author, a former pharmaceutical metrologist, and a publisher with Freedom Fire Books, an imprint of Disney-Hyperion. His debut middle-grade novel, TRISTAN STRONG PUNCHES A HOLE IN THE SKY was awarded a Coretta Scott King Author Honor, and it—along with the sequels TRISTAN STRONG DESTROYS THE WORLD and TRISTAN STRONG KEEPS PUNCHING—is published by Rick Riordan Presents/Disney-Hyperion. He is the co-author of LAST GATE OF THE EMPEROR with Prince Joel Makonnen, from Scholastic Books, and the editor of the #1 New York Times bestselling anthology BLACK BOY JOY, published by Delacorte Press. A Howard University graduate and a Midwesterner now in North Carolina, he survives on Dad jokes and Cheezits.
Buy Rick Riordan Presents Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky (a Tristan Strong Novel, Book 1):
https://bookshop.org/a/19191/9781368042413
and check out the rest of his books here:
https://www.kwamembalia.com/
Follow him on Instagram here: https://www.instagram.com/mbalia1/
Register for the 2024 In-Person Conference Here: https://www.scbwi.org/events/scbwi-in-person-winter-conference-2024
SCBWI on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/scbwi/
SCBWI on Twitter: https://twitter.com/scbwi
Become an SCBWI member today: https://www.scbwi.org/join-scbwi/
Shop the SCBWI Bookshop.org page: https://bookshop.org/shop/SCBWI
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In this episode of the SCBWI Podcast, we are joined by Eugene Yelchin!
Eugene Yelchin is a graduate of the Academy of Theater Arts in St. Petersburg, Russia where he designed sets and costumes for stage productions until his immigration to the United States.
In Los Angeles, CA, he earned his graduate degree from the USC School of Cinematic Arts after which, he went on to direct television commercials and illustrate advertising campaigns (designing the original polar bears for Coca Cola). His first character designs were for the animated movie Rango, which won the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature, as well as Annie Award for Character Design.
While illustrating for editorial publications, creating character design for animation, and directing commercials, Yelchin were also painting. His paintings were shown in nine solo and dozens group exhibitions, and today, they are in important art collections in the US, Europe, Australia, and Japan.
In 2006 at the Society of Children’s Books Writers and Illustrators conference in New York, Yelchin received Tomie DePaola Illustration Award and began writing and illustrating books for children.
Since then, Yelchin received numerous awards for his books. Among them are Newbery Honor (Breaking Stalin’s Nose), National Book Award Finalist (The Assassination of Brangwain Spurge co-authored with M.T. Anderson), Sydney Taylor Award (The Genius Under the Table), National Jewish Book Award (The Rooster Prince of Breslov), Golden Kite Award (The Haunting of Falcon House), Crystal Kite Award (Won Ton: A Cat Tale Told in Haiku), and many more.
Buy The Genius Under the Table: Growing Up Behind the Iron Curtain here:
https://bookshop.org/a/19191/9781536215526
and check out the rest of his books here:
https://www.eugeneyelchin.com/books
Register for the 2024 In-Person Conference Here: https://www.scbwi.org/events/scbwi-in-person-winter-conference-2024
SCBWI on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/scbwi/
SCBWI on Twitter: https://twitter.com/scbwi
Become an SCBWI member today: https://www.scbwi.org/join-scbwi/
Shop the SCBWI Bookshop.org page: https://bookshop.org/shop/SCBWI
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Theo Baker talks with the chart-busting illustrator and book creator, Vashti Harrison, about how she anticipated success, and built her incredible career. Theo even got in a few questions about experimental film.
For all the latest on Vashti, head over to her website www.vashtiharrison.com, and follow her on Twitter at @VashtiHarrison and Instagram at @vashtiharrison.
For more info about the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators, please visit SCBWI.org.
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In this episode of the SCBWI Podcast, we are joined by Brandy Colbert!
Brandy Colbert is the award-winning author of several books for children and teens, including Black Birds in the Sky: The Story and Legacy of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre, which was the winner of the 2022 Boston Globe–Horn Book Award for Nonfiction and a finalist for the American Library Association's Excellence in Young Adult Nonfiction Award. Her other acclaimed books include Pointe, The Only Black Girls in Town, and Stonewall Book Award winner Little & Lion. Her writing has been published in the New York Times, and her short stories and essays have appeared in several critically acclaimed anthologies for young people. She is on faculty at Hamline University's MFA program in writing for children, and lives in Los Angeles.
https://www.brandycolbert.com/
Buy The Blackwoods here:
https://bookshop.org/p/books/the-blackwoods-brandy-colbert/19646205?ean=9780063091597
and check out the rest of her books here:
https://bookshop.org/contributors/brandy-colbert
Register for the 2024 In-Person Conference Here: https://www.scbwi.org/events/scbwi-in-person-winter-conference-2024
SCBWI on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/scbwi/
SCBWI on Twitter: https://twitter.com/scbwi
Become an SCBWI member today: https://www.scbwi.org/join-scbwi/
Shop the SCBWI Bookshop.org page: https://bookshop.org/shop/SCBWI
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In this episode of the SCBWI Podcast, we are joined by Lee Rowland!
Lee Rowland served for over a decade as a lawyer for the American Civil Liberties Union, the Brennan Center for Justice, and the New York Civil Liberties Union. She has extensive experience as a litigator, lobbyist, and public speaker. She has served as lead counsel in federal First Amendment cases involving public employee speech rights, the First Amendment rights of community advocates, government regulation of digital speech, and state secrecy surrounding the lethal injection process. She is also a prolific author of amicus briefs and blogs, where she provides insightful analyses of issues such as speech and privacy intersection, student and public employee speech, obscenity, and the Communications Decency Act. She also has represented several NCAC Partner Organizations.
How to Get Involved:
https://ncac.org/project/the-kids-right-to-read-project/kids-right-to-read
Follow the NCAC here:
https://www.instagram.com/ncacensorship/
Register for the 2024 In-Person Conference Here: https://www.scbwi.org/events/scbwi-in-person-winter-conference-2024
SCBWI on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/scbwi/
SCBWI on Twitter: https://twitter.com/scbwi
Become an SCBWI member today: https://www.scbwi.org/join-scbwi/
Shop the SCBWI Bookshop.org page: https://bookshop.org/shop/SCBWI
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In this episode of the SCBWI Podcast, we are joined by Bobbito Garcia!
NYC native Bobbito García is a visionary creative who has put an indelible footprint on multiple urban movements.
During the 1990s, the legendary air personality was one-half of the “Stretch and Bobbito” program on WKCR. The duo introduced the world to an unsigned Nas, Biggie, and Wu-Tang, as well as an unknown Jay-Z, Eminem, and the Fugees. The total record sales for all the artists that premiered on their platform exceed 300 million. In 1998, the Source Magazine voted them as “The Best Hip Hop Radio Show of All Time,“ and in 2023, they were inducted into the NAB Radio Hall of Fame.
As the progenitor of sneaker journalism, García penned his landmark Source article “Confessions of a Sneaker Addict” in 1990, then in 2003 became the critically acclaimed author of Where’d You Get Those? NYC’s Sneaker Culture: 1960-1987(Testify Books). In 2005, ESPN’s “It’s The Shoes” series, hosted by Bobbito, became the first show on the subject in broadcasting history.
A founding member of the Kennedy Center’s Hip Hop Culture Council and a 2018 Wesleyan University “Distinguished Alumni Award” recipient, "Kool Bob Love” currently produces his b-ball tournament Full Court 21™ in four continents, co-produces Stretch & Bobbito + The M19s Band music, is a DJ/Host on Apple Music Hits’ “Stretch and Bobbito Radio,“ and is the proud author of his first children’s book titled Aim High, Little Giant, Aim High!
www.koolboblove.com
Follow Bobbito on Instagram @koolboblove
Buy Aim High, Little Giant, Aim High! here:
https://bookshop.org/p/books/aim-high-little-giant-aim-high-bobbito-garcia/20576498?aid=79539&ean=9798888901533&listref=books-i-ve-authored-c15b87e5-577b-482c-8763-8ef0ed6c1ac7&
and check out his bookshop:
https://bookshop.org/shop/koolboblove
Register for the 2024 In-Person Conference Here: https://www.scbwi.org/events/scbwi-in-person-winter-conference-2024
SCBWI on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/scbwi/
SCBWI on Twitter: https://twitter.com/scbwi
Become an SCBWI member today: https://www.scbwi.org/join-scbwi/
Shop the SCBWI Bookshop.org page: https://bookshop.org/shop/SCBWI
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In this episode of the SCBWI Podcast, we are joined by Kate DiCamillo!
Kate DiCamillo is the author of many books for young readers. Her books have been awarded the Newbery Medal (Flora & Ulysses in 2014 and The Tale of Despereaux in 2004); the Newbery Honor (Because of Winn-Dixie, 2001), the Boston Globe Horn Book Award (The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane, 2006), and the Theodor Geisel Medal and honor (Bink and Gollie, co-author Alison McGhee, 2011; Mercy Watson Goes for a Ride, 2007). She is a National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature Emerita, appointed by the Library of Congress.
A native of Florida, Kate now lives in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
https://www.katedicamillo.com/
Buy The Puppets of Spelhorst here:
https://bookshop.org/p/books/the-puppets-of-spelhorst-kate-dicamillo/19660446?ean=9781536216752
and check out the rest of her books here:
https://bookshop.org/contributors/kate-dicamillo-c2ac26f8-7768-41eb-b8ca-92dbd9cbba12
Register for the 2024 In-Person Conference Here: https://www.scbwi.org/events/scbwi-in-person-winter-conference-2024
SCBWI on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/scbwi/
SCBWI on Twitter: https://twitter.com/scbwi
Become an SCBWI member today: https://www.scbwi.org/join-scbwi/
Shop the SCBWI Bookshop.org page: https://bookshop.org/shop/SCBWI
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In this episode of the SCBWI Podcast, we are joined by Sally J. Pla!
In addition to being an advocate for neurodiversity and autism acceptance, Sally J. Pla is the award-winning author of The Someday Birds and Stanley Will Probably Be Fine (HarperCollins), and the picture book Benji, The Bad Day, And Me (Lee and Low). Her next middle-grade novel, The Fire, The Water, and Maudie McGinn (HarperCollins/QuillTree), is slated for Summer 2023.
She’s also co-founder and editor of A Novel Mind, a web resource on mental health and neurodiversity in children’s lit. Find out more at https://linktr.ee/SallyJPla, and follow her on Twitter @sallyjpla.
https://sallyjpla.com/
https://www.instagram.com/sallyjpla/
Buy The Fire, the Water, and Maudie McGinn
here:
https://bookshop.org/p/books/the-fire-the-water-and-maudie-mcginn-sally-j-pla/18968427?ean=9780063268791
and check out the rest of her books here:
https://bookshop.org/contributors/sally-j-pla
SCBWI on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/scbwi/
SCBWI on Twitter: https://twitter.com/scbwi
Become an SCBWI member today: https://www.scbwi.org/join-scbwi/
Shop the SCBWI Bookshop.org page: https://bookshop.org/shop/SCBWI
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In this episode of the SCBWI Podcast, we are joined by Dhonielle Clayton!
Dhonielle Clayton is a New York Times Bestselling author of The Belles series, Shattered Midnight, co-author of Blackout, and the co-author of the Tiny Pretty Things duology, a Netflix original series. She hails from the Washington, D.C. suburbs on the Maryland side. She taught secondary school for several years, and is a former elementary and middle school librarian. She is COO of the non-profit We Need Diverse Books, and President of Cake Creative, an IP story kitchen dedicated to diverse books for all ages. She’s an avid traveler, and always on the hunt for magic and mischief. Up next: The Marvellers, her middle grade fantasy debut. You can find her on social media @brownbookworm.
https://www.dhonielleclayton.com/
https://www.instagram.com/brownbookworm/
Buy The Marvellers here:
https://bookshop.org/p/books/the-marvellers-dhonielle-clayton/16191610
and check out the rest of her books here:
https://bookshop.org/contributors/dhonielle-clayton
SCBWI on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/scbwi/
SCBWI on Twitter: https://twitter.com/scbwi
Become an SCBWI member today: https://www.scbwi.org/join-scbwi/
Shop the SCBWI Bookshop.org page: https://bookshop.org/shop/SCBWI
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In this episode of the SCBWI Podcast, we are joined by Naz Kutub!
Naz Kutub was born and raised in Singapore, and currently lives in Los Angeles with his partner Benson, and his two furry garbage collectors – Alex and Raffe. He will forever be grateful to fried chicken for being a primary motivator in his early years, and also for preventing him from becoming a fitness model, because writing is much more fulfilling.
https://nazkutub.com/
https://www.instagram.com/nazkutub/
Buy The Loophole here:
https://bookshop.org/a/19191/9781547609178
SCBWI on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/scbwi/
SCBWI on Twitter: https://twitter.com/scbwi
Become an SCBWI member today: https://www.scbwi.org/join-scbwi/
Shop the SCBWI Bookshop.org page: https://bookshop.org/shop/SCBWI
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In this episode of the SCBWI Podcast, we are joined by Katherine Marsh!
Katherine Marsh is an award-winning author of novels for middle-grade readers including The Lost Year (coming January 2023!); Nowhere Boy, winner of the Middle East Book Award; The Night Tourist, winner of the Edgar Award for Best Juvenile Mystery; Jepp, Who Defied the Stars, a New York Times Notable; and The Door By The Staircase, a Junior Library Guild selection.
Katherine grew up in Yonkers, New York in the home of her Ukrainian grandma who taught her to love stories and borscht. A former journalist and managing editor of The New Republic, Katherine lives in Washington, DC with her husband, two children and an astonishing array of pets.
https://katherinemarsh.com/
https://www.instagram.com/katherinemarshauthor
Buy The Lost Year: A Survival Story of the Ukrainian Famine
https://bookshop.org/p/books/the-lost-year-katherine-marsh/18231657?ean=9781250313607
and check out the rest of her books here:
https://bookshop.org/contributors/katherine-marsh
SCBWI on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/scbwi/
SCBWI on Twitter: https://twitter.com/scbwi
Become an SCBWI member today: https://www.scbwi.org/join-scbwi/
Shop the SCBWI Bookshop.org page: https://bookshop.org/shop/SCBWI
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In this episode of the SCBWI Podcast, we are joined by Chris Grabenstein!
CHRIS GRABENSTEIN is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Mr. Lemoncello, Smartest Kid in the Universe, Dog Squad, and Welcome to Wonderland series, and many other books, as well as the coauthor of numerous page-turners with James Patterson and of Shine!**, cowritten with Chris’s wife, J.J. Grabenstein. Chris lives in New York City.
Visit him at ChrisGrabenstein.com and on Twitter at @CGrabenstein*.*
Facebook: Chris.Grabenstein Instagram: @chrisgrabenstein**
Buy No is All I Know! By Chris Grabenstein Illustrated by Leo Espinosa :
https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/647090/no-is-all-i-know-by-chris-grabenstein-illustrated-by-leo-espinosa/
Buy The Smartest Kid In the Universe here:
https://bookshop.org/p/books/the-smartest-kid-in-the-universe-chris-grabenstein/14371307?ean=9780525647782
and check out the rest of his books here:
https://bookshop.org/contributors/chris-grabenstein-086f1049-f650-4ffd-8e82-8604eea5706f?gclid=Cj0KCQjw7aqkBhDPARIsAKGa0oJJkFgWMQ6b-VeP67nk4CsUW1jgzD_Qf1QnBdNvWp78KvP3IuoTz4AaAh80EALw_wcB
SCBWI on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/scbwi/
SCBWI on Twitter: https://twitter.com/scbwi
Become an SCBWI member today: https://www.scbwi.org/join-scbwi/
Shop the SCBWI Bookshop.org page: https://bookshop.org/shop/SCBWI
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In this episode of the SCBWI Podcast, we are joined by Shaun Tan!
Shaun Tan grew up in Perth and works as an artist, writer and film-maker in Melbourne. He is best known for illustrated books that deal with social and historical subjects through dream-like imagery, widely translated throughout the world and enjoyed by readers of all ages. Shaun is the recipient of an Academy Award for the short animated film The Lost Thing, the prestigious Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award in Sweden and the Kate Greenaway Medal in the UK.
https://www.shauntan.net/
Follow Shaun Tan on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shauncytan/
Buy Creature: Paintings, Drawings, and Reflections here:
https://bookshop.org/p/books/creature-paintings-drawings-and-reflections-shaun-tan/18261950?ean=9781646142002
and check out the rest of his books here:
https://bookshop.org/contributors/shaun-tan-94745734-66e5-4e2b-8728-4db2dd8a090f
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In this episode of the SCBWI Podcast, we are joined by Lawrence Schimel!
Lawrence Schimel is a full-time author, writing in both Spanish and English, who has published over 120 books in a wide range of genres. He is also a prolific literary translator, working into both English and Spanish, of over 140 books.His picture books have won a Crystal Kite Award from the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators, been selected for the White Ravens from the International Youth Library in Munich, Germany and have been chosen for IBBY's Outstanding Books for Young People with Disabilities three times, among many other awards, honors, and distinctions.For his adult books, he has won the Lambda Literary Award (twice), the Spectrum Award, the Independent Publisher Book Award, and many others.His translations have won a PEN Translates Award from English PEN three times and a National Endowment for the Arts Translation Fellowship (with Layla Benitez-James for HIJA DEL CAMINO by Lucía Asué Mbomio Rubio), and have been an Honor Title for the Américas Award and the Global Literature in Libraries Best Translated YA book Award, and been finalists for the Eisner Award, the Thom Gunn Award, and the Lambda Literary Award, among other honors.His writing has been published in over 50 languages, including Afrikaans, Arabic, Armenian, Basque, Catalan, Changana, Chinese, Croatian, Czech, Dutch, English, Esperanto, Estonian, Farsi (Dari), Filipino, Finnish, French, Galician, German, Greek, Hebrew, Hungarian, Icelandic, Indonesian, isiXhosa, isiZulu, Isindebele, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Kurdish, Latvian, Luxembourgish, Macua, Maltese, Polish, Portuguese, Romansh, Romanian, Russian, Scots, Sena, Sepedi, Serbian, Sesotho, Setswana, Siswati, Slovak, Slovene, Spanish, Swedish, Tshivenda, Turkish, Ukrainian, Welsh, and Xitsonga translations.He started the Spain chapter of the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators and served as its Regional Advisor for five years. He also coordinated the International SCBWI Conference in Madrid and the first two SCBWI-Bologna Book Fair conferences.
Follow Lawrence Schimel on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/LawrenceSchimel
Buy BEDTIME, NOT PLAYTIME! here:
https://bookshop.org/p/books/bedtime-not-playtime-lawrence-schimel/16170723?ean=9781459826731
and check out the rest of his books here:
https://bookshop.org/contributors/lawrence-schimel
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In this episode of the SCBWI Podcast, we are joined by Elana K. Arnold!
ELANA K. ARNOLD is the author of critically acclaimed and award-winning young adult novels and children’s books, including the Printz Honor winner Damsel, the National Book Award finalist What Girls Are Made Of, and Global Read Aloud selection A Boy Called Bat and its sequels. Several of her books are Junior Library Guild selections and have appeared on many best book lists, including the Amelia Bloomer Project, a catalog of feminist titles for young readers. Elana teaches in Hamline University’s MFA in Writing for Children and Young Adults program and lives in Southern California with her family and menagerie of pets.
Follow Elana K. Arnold on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/elanakarnold/
Buy An Ordinary Day here:
https://bookshop.org/p/books/an-ordinary-day-elana-k-arnold/218301?ean=9781481472623
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In this episode of the SCBWI Podcast, we are joined by Shadra Strickland!
Shadra Strickland studied, design, writing, and illustration at Syracuse University and later went on to complete her M.F.A. at the School of Visual Arts in New York City. She won the Ezra Jack Keats Award and the Coretta Scott King/John Steptoe Award for New Talent in 2009 for her work in her first picturebook, Bird, written by Zetta Elliott. Strickland co-illustrated Our Children Can Soar, winner of a 2010 NAACP Image Award. She has published with Lee and Low Books, Simon and Schuster, Random House, Candlewick, Chronicle Books, and Little Brown. Her books have received recognition from the American Library Association, Junior Library Guild, and other prominent literary organizations. Shadra currently teaches illustration at Maryland Institute College of Art in Baltimore, Maryland. Her online picture book course, The Art of the Picturebook is available at Craftsy.com.
https://www.jumpin.shadrastrickland.com/
Follow Shadra Strickland on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shadrieka/
Buy Jump In here:
https://www.bloomsbury.com/us/jump-in-9781619635807/
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In this episode of the SCBWI Podcast, we are joined by Varian Johnson!
Varian was born in 1977, and grew up in the thriving metropolis of Florence, SC (population 30,248—2000 Census). He has a twin brother and a younger sister, and his parents, unlike many of his characters, were actually pretty good in the parenting department.
Varian excelled in many subjects while growing up, specifically math and science. He was the typical high school “geek”—he played the baritone in marching band, was a member of the Wilson High School Academic Challenge Team, and he counted his Hewlett-Packard 48G calculator as one of his most prized possessions. However, Varian also enjoyed English—especially creative writing.
After writing novels for older readers, Varian began writing middle grade novels. His caper novel, The Great Greene Heist, is his first work for younger readers. It was recently named a Publishers Weekly Best Summer Book of 2014. Kirkus praised the novel in a starred review, stating, “The elaborate bait and switch of this fast-paced, funny caper novel will surprise its readers as much as the victims. They’ll want to reread immediately so they can admire the setup.”
Varian’s puzzle mystery, The Parker Inheritance, has been called The Westing Game meets The Watsons Go To Birmingham—1963. The Parker Inheritance, released in 2018, reviewed starred reviews from Kirkus Reviews, School Library Journal, Horn Book, and the Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books, and was named a 2019 Coretta Scott King Honor Book and a 2018 Boston Globe-Horn Book Award Honor Book among other accolades.
Twins, illustrated by Shannon Wright, is Varian’s debut graphic novel. It received five starred reviews, and was named an NPR best book, and a Washing Post Best Children’s Book, and a Texas Library Association Little Maverick Reading List Selection among other accolades.
Varian loves traveling around the world (seriously, the world!) talking about writing and books. Please contact him if you’re interesting in having him speak at your school or event.
https://varianjohnson.com/
Follow Varian Johnson on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mrvarianjohnson/
Buy Playing the Cards You're Dealt here:
https://bookshop.org/p/books/playing-the-cards-you-re-dealt-varian-johnson/17371581?ean=9781338348538
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In this episode of the SCBWI Podcast, we are joined by Deborah Halverson!
Deborah Halverson was an editor at Harcourt Children’s Books for ten years—until she climbed over the desk and tried out the author’s chair on the other side. Now she is the award-winning author of Writing Young Adult Fiction For Dummies, Writing New Adult Fiction, the teen novels Honk If You Hate Me and Big Mouth, the picture book Letters to Santa, and three books in Remix series for struggling readers. Armed with a master’s degree in American literature and a fascination with pop culture, she sculpts stories from extreme events and places—tattoo parlors, fast-food joints, and, perhaps most extreme of all, high schools.
In addition, Deborah is a freelance editor, writing instructor, and founder of the popular writers’ advice website DearEditor.com. She serves on the advisory board for the University of California San Diego Extension “Children’s Book Writing and Illustrating” certificate program and speaks extensively at writing conferences and workshops. She has been working with authors—bestsellers, veterans, debut, and aspiring—for over twenty-five years. She specializes in editing picture books and middle grade, teen, and new adult fiction and nonfiction. The books she’s edited have garnered awards and rave reviews, and many of the aspiring writers she’s coached have landed agent representation and book deals. She lives with her husband and triplet sons in San Diego, California. For more about Deborah, visit www.DeborahHalverson.com.
Follow Deborah Halverson on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/deborahhalversonbooks/
Buy Writing YA Fiction for Dummies here:
https://bookshop.org/p/books/writing-young-adult-fiction-for-dummies-deborah-halverson/8821834?ean=9780470949542
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In this episode of the SCBWI Podcast, we are joined by Jessixa Bagley!
JESSIXA BAGLEY grew up in Portland, OR. Upon becoming an adult, she decided to follow her childhood dreams of being a picture-book maker. Her debut picture book, Boats for Papa, has earned many accolades and awards, including a Junior Library Guild selection, 2016 ALA Notable, the SCBWI 2016 Golden Kite Award for Best Picture Book Text, as well as the 2016 Washington State Scandiuzzi Children's Book Award. Her recent picture book Laundry Day was a Junior Library Guild Selection and also received a 2018 Ezra Jack Keats Award Honor. She lives in Seattle, WA, with her husband, son, and a slew of houseplants that all have names.
http://www.jessixa.com/
Follow Jessixa Bagley on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jessixabagley/
Buy Courage Hats here:
https://www.chroniclebooks.com/products/courage-hats
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In this episode of the SCBWI Podcast, we are joined by Tracey Baptiste!
Tracey Baptiste is a New York Times bestselling author of Minecraft: The Crash, as well as the creepy Caribbean series The Jumbies, which includes The Jumbies (2015), Rise of the Jumbies (2017), and The Jumbie God’s Revenge (scheduled for 2019). She's also written the contemporary YA novel Angel’s Grace and 9 non-fiction books for kids in elementary through high school.
She is a former elementary school teacher, she does lots of author visits, and she is on the faculty at Lesley University’s Creative Writing MFA program.
Her name is pronounced buhTEEST.
https://traceybaptiste.com/
Follow Tracey Baptiste on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/traceybaptistewrites/
Buy Mermaid and Pirate here:
https://bookshop.org/p/books/mermaid-and-pirate-tracey-baptiste/18417484?ean=9781643750774
Buy The Jumbies here : https://bookshop.org/p/books/the-jumbies-tracey-baptiste/12562827?ean=9781616205928
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In this episode of the SCBWI Podcast, we are joined by Jason June!
You’ve come here wondering, “What is the meaning of life?” Er, I mean, Jason June’s life. Jason June (it's a two-name first name, like Mary-Kate without the hyphen or the Olsen twin) is a New York Times best-selling author who loves to create picture books that mix the flamboyantly whacky with the slightly dark, and young adult contemporary rom-coms full of love and lust and hijinks.
When not writing, JJ zips about Austin, Texas. He loves dinosaurs, unicorns, Pomeranians, and anything magical that takes you to a different world or time. JJ is a tried and true Laura Dern stan, and he is actively looking for an Andalite friend.
His picture books include WHOBERT WHOVER, OWL DETECTIVE, illustrated by Jess Pauwels, and PORCUPINE CUPID, a queer-inclusive Valentine’s Day story, illustrated by Lori Richmond, both from Margaret K. McElderry Books/Simon & Schuster. For under-the-sea whimsical adventures, check out the MERMICORN ISLAND chapter book series from Scholastic! For YA queer YA rom-coms, check out JAY’S GAY AGENDA and the finstant NYT best-seller OUT OF THE BLUE, both from HarperTeen!
https://www.heyjasonjune.com/
Follow Jason June on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/heyjasonjune/
Preorder Riley Weaver Needs a Date to the Gaybutante Ball here: https://bookshop.org/p/books/riley-weaver-needs-a-date-to-the-gaybutante-ball-jason-june/18811863?ean=9780063260030
Buy Jay's Gay Agenda here: https://bookshop.org/p/books/jay-s-gay-agenda-jason-june/17354307?ean=9780063015159
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In this episode of the SCBWI Podcast, we are joined by Golden Kite Winner Ariel Henley!
Ariel Henley is an author, DEI consultant, and thought leader with expertise in disability rights, disfigurement, and belonging.
Ariel aims to educate, empower and partner with individuals and companies in creating accessible environments and products so that everyone can thrive. As a DEI consultant, she partners with individual and corporate clients to create more inclusive workplaces, incorporate accessible processes and materials, navigate difficult conversations, and thoughtfully meet clients on their journey by providing them with customized tools, guidance, and educational resources to better foster inclusive and diverse environments and create sustainable change.
With a passion for writing as a form of activism, much of Ariel’s work explores her experiences growing up with a facial disfigurement, as a result of Crouzon syndrome — a rare craniofacial disorder where the bones in the head fuse prematurely. She writes to explore issues related to beauty, equality, human connection, and trauma. She shares her story in an effort to help eliminate stigma, educate others about the importance of facial equality, and promote mainstream inclusion for individuals with physical differences. Her writing has appeared in outlets like Bright Magazine, Teen Vogue, The Washington Post, The Rumpus, and Narratively.
In her work on disfigurement, Ariel combines the history around lookism, ableism, and disfigurement; current data; and personal narratives to help clients gain a nuanced understanding of what it means to exist in an appearance-based society with a face that is different. Research shows that looking at statistics and reading about trends isn’t enough to drive change. By using a narrative approach, Ariel provides a comprehensive overview of how pervasive discrimination against individuals with disfigurements is. With a passion for bridging the gap between ableism and lookism, Ariel also believes in the importance of taking an intersectional approach to help clients unpack their own biases and understand the links between topics like ableism and lookism, and racism.
As a thought leader, Ariel has appeared in The New York Times, The Lily, CBC Radio’s Ideas, BBC World Service, The New York Times’ Dear Sugars, SXSW, and The Atlantic. She is represented by Rachel Letofsky at CookeMcDermid Literary Management.
Ariel earned her B.A. in English and political science from the University of Vermont and her Master’s in Education, with a specialization in Organizational Leadership and Student Affairs. She combines her educational background, professional experience in disability support services, and her lived experience, to offer unique, tailored services to fit client’s needs.
— Her memoir, A Face for Picasso, is out now from Farrar, Straus, Giroux (BYR), an imprint of Macmillan —
https://www.arielhenley.com/
Follow Ariel Henley on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/arielhenley/
Buy A Face for Picasso here : https://bookshop.org/p/books/a-face-for-picasso-coming-of-age-with-crouzon-syndrome-ariel-henley/18581599?ean=9780374314071
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In this episode of the SCBWI Podcast, we are joined by Lamar Giles!
Lamar Giles writes for teens and adults across multiple genres, with work appearing on numerous Best Of lists each and every year. He is the author of the acclaimed novels Fake ID, Endangered, Overturned, Spin, The Last Last-Day-of-Summer, Not So Pure and Simple, The Last Mirror on the Left, The Last Chance for Logan County, and The Getaway as well as numerous pieces of short fiction. He is a founding member of We Need Diverse Books and resides in Virginia with his family.
Follow Lamar on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lamargiles
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Purchase The Getaway here https://bookshop.org/p/books/the-getaway-lamar-giles/18073727
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In this episode of the SCBWI Podcast, we are joined by Corinna Luyken!
Corinna Luyken is the author-illustrator of ABC AND YOU AND ME (June 2023); THE TREE IN ME (an NCTE Notable Poetry Book and Indie Bestseller); MY HEART (A New York Times Best Seller); and THE BOOK OF MISTAKES (which The Wall Street Journal called “sublime”). She is also the illustrator of IN THE DARK (Aug 2023) and NOTHING IN COMMON, both written by Kate Hoefler; PATCHWORK (A New York Times and Kirkus Best Picture Book of 2022), written by Matt de la Peña; SOMETHING GOOD and ADRIAN SIMCOX DOES NOT HAVE A HORSE, both written by Marcy Campbell; and WEIRD LITTLE ROBOTS, written by Carolyn Crimi. She was raised in Oregon, California, and Hawaii; and studied dance improvisation, poetry, and printmaking at Middlebury College in Vermont. She now lives near the Salish Sea in Olympia, WA with her husband, daughter, and two small cats.
Follow Corinna on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/corinnaluyken/
Purchase ABC and You and Me (2023): https://bookshop.org/p/books/abc-and-you-and-me-corinna-luyken/18822676?ean=9780593530467
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On the season's final episode, we are joined by James Ransome, the iconic illustrator of classics like Before She Was Harriet (written by Lesa Cline-Ransome), Uncle Jed's Barbershop, Visiting Day, and so many more incomparable titles. James never does the same thing twice, and in our expansive and focused conversation, we discussed ways of seeing, color and quilts, his mentorship with the great Jerry Pinkney, and how his love of Parliament Funkadelic keeps him experimenting.
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James's Website: https://jamesransome.com
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This week, we are joined by the best-selling author of WICKED: Gregory Maguire!
Gregory Maguire is a writer of several dozen crossover books for adults and children. He also helped found and for 25 years co-directed Children’s Literature New England, Inc., a nonprofit that raises awareness of the significance of literature in the lives of children.
Gregory's newest release, CRESS WATERCRESS, was released in March & can be found in our Podcast bookshop.org store here: https://bookshop.org/lists/scbwi-podcasts
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Keep up with Gregory's website: https://gregorymaguire.com/
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This week, we are joined by New York Times bestselling author of books for young readers, Cynthia Leitich Smith! Cynthia's books include HEARTS UNBROKEN, which won the American Indian Library Association’s Youth Literature Award.
Cynthia is also the author-curator of Heartdrum, a Native-focused imprint at HarperCollins Children’s Books, and the Katherine Paterson Inaugural Endowed Chair on the faculty of the MFA program in Writing for Children and Young Adults at Vermont College of Fine Arts. Cynthia is a citizen of the Muscogee Nation and lives in Austin, Texas.
Follow Cynthia on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cynthialeitichsmith/
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Cynthia's Website: https://cynthialeitichsmith.com/
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This week, we are joined by the incredible author of nonfiction books for children, Lesa Cline-Ransome! Lesa’s books have received numerous honors and awards including NAACP Awards, Kirkus Best Books, School Library Journal Best Book, and more.
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Catch up with Lesa here: https://www.lesaclineransome.com/
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This one's for you, artists! This week, we are joined by the incredibly talented artist and illustrator, Susie Ghhremani. Susie is also known as BoyGirlParty - an illustrated stationary and gift collection, where she is one of the top-selling designers on stores such as Etsy, Urban Outfitters, ModCloth, and more!
Purchase Susie's Journal: https://bookshop.org/lists/scbwi-podcasts
Learn more about BoyGirlParty: https://boygirlparty.com/
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This week we are joined by not one, but TWO very special guests to discuss... the magic of co-writing! Young Adult authors Sophie Gonzales & Cale Dietrich are the co-writers of IF THIS GETS OUT, a fabulous queer rom-com featuring two boyband members & their relationship. We dive deep into both the challenges and magical parts of crafting a new world with a fellow author, along with the inside scoop of what being a YA author online is really like.
Follow Sophie on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sgonzalesauthor/
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Purchase IF THIS GETS OUT on the SCBWI Bookshop page: https://bookshop.org/lists/scbwi-podcasts
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This week, we are joined by the wonderful Debbi Michiko Florence — author of middle grade novels Keep It Together, Keiko Carter, a Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection and New England Book Award finalist and Just Be Cool, Jenna Sakai, starred review from Kirkus, Amazon Best Books, and a Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection. Debbi's newest book, Sweet and Sour, comes out 9/6/22!
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Follow Debbi's Website: https://debbimichikoflorence.com/
Pre-Order Sweet and Sour: https://bookshop.org/lists/scbwi-podcasts
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This week, we are joined by a very special guest, the award-winning author of legendary books for children including Tell Me a Mitzi (1970), All the Way Home (1973), Tell Me a Trudy (1979), along with her Pulitzer-Prize finalist novel, Shakespeare's Kitchen (2008): Lore Segal. Much of Lore's work is influenced by her experiences during World War II, when Lore was sent from Austria to England on a kindertransport, moving from one host family to another. This episode details Lore's life, career, and her incredible wealth of writing knowledge.
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On this episode of the SCBWI Podcast, we are joined by children's book translator, Laura Watkinson!
Laura founded the Dutch chapter of the SCBWI in 2008. Her background is in languages and literature, specifically medieval and modern languages which she studied at St. Anne's College at Oxford University. Laura has been a full-time literary translator since 2003 when she relocated to the Netherlands.
Follow Laura on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/laura_watkinson/
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Keep up with updates here: https://laurawatkinson.com/
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This week, we are joined by the talented graphic novelist for middle-grade readers: Remy Lai! Remy is the author and illustrator of critically acclaimed novels Pie in the Sky, Fly on the Wall, and Pawcasso. In this episode, Remy tells us about her creative process, the importance of writing breaks, and balancing humor with heart.
Follow Remy on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rrremylai/
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Keep up with Remy's author updates: https://remylai.com/index.html
Purchase PAWCASSO here: https://bookshop.org/lists/scbwi-podcasts
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This week, we are joined by New York Times Bestselling, award-winning, YA author, Becky Albertalli! She is best known for her 2015 debut novel, Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda, which was adapted into the 2018 film Love, Simon and inspired the spin-off television series Love, Victor. Her latest book, Kate in Waiting, was released in April 2021.
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In this episode of the SCBWI Podcast, we are joined by award-winning author, TV/writer/producer, and screenwriter, Paula Yoo!
Paula is the author of 12 children’s books and Young Adult novels. Her books have won many awards, including the Boston-Globe Horn Book Award, the National Book Award Longlist for Young People's Literature, and more. Her debut chapter book series with Lee & Low Books will be forthcoming. Her next YA nonfiction book, RISING FROM THE ASHES: HOW THE 1992 LOS ANGELES UPRISING BRIDGED TWO COMMUNITIES, will be published in Fall 2023 by Norton Young Readers.
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This week, we are joined by author/illustrator, Brian Selznick! Brian is the author and illustrator of THE INVENTION OF HUGO CABRET, winner of the Caldecott Medal, and the basis for the Oscar-winning movie, Hugo, directed by Martin Scorsese.
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This week, we are joined by poet & author, Mahogany L. Browne! Mahogany is the Executive Director of JustMedia, a media literacy initiative designed to support the groundwork of criminal justice leaders & community members. She is the author of recent works: Vinyl Moon, Chlorine Sky, Woke: A Young Poets Call to Justice, Woke Baby, & Black Girl Magic. In this episode, Mahogany tells us about her experience reading as a child, writing through discomfort, and the process of writing a novel-in-verse.
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In this episode of the SCBWI Podcast, we are joined by #1 New York Times Bestselling author, Ruta Sepetys! Listen as Ruta details her writing process, music inspiration, research methods, and, of course, how SCBWI helped her get to where she is today.
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Erin is the winner of the 2018 Newbery Medal for Hello, Universe. With many other awards and multiple books on the New York Times bestseller list, she is also a professor of children’s literature at Rosemont College. In this interview with Theo Baker, Erin shares about her background in journalism, having the right mindset for feedback, how she developed her craft, and much more!
Part One: Erin speaks of her background in journalism, how to approach feedback, and how childhood challenges resonate in her writing.
Part Two: Erin discusses what gets her excited, how self-doubt can be helpful, and shares her advice for others writing stories for young readers.
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Erin is the winner of the 2018 Newbery Medal for Hello, Universe. With many other awards and multiple books on the New York Times bestseller list, she is also a professor of children’s literature at Rosemont College. In this two-part interview with Theo Baker, Erin shares about her background in journalism, having the right mindset for feedback, how she developed her craft, and much more!
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Francesco is the president and publisher of Penguin Workshop at Penguin Young Readers, as well the author of the Miss Popularity series. In this conversation with Theo Baker, Francesco speaks of his vision for Penguin Workshop, his approach as a publisher, the influence of books like “Wimpy Kid,” and how co-writing a graphic novel has helped his own writing.
Part One: Francesco on Penguin Workshop, his career and reader journey, and his approach as a publisher.
Part Two: Francesco shares the range of categories he publishes, considers the influence of books like “Wimpy Kid”, and discusses how co-writing a graphic novel series has helped his own writing.
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Francesco is the president and publisher of Penguin Workshop at Penguin Young Readers, as well the author of the Miss Popularity series. In this two-part conversation with Theo Baker, Francesco speaks of his vision for Penguin Workshop, his approach as a publisher, the influence of books like “Wimpy Kid,” and how co-writing a graphic novel has helped his own writing.
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Malinda Lo is the author of several award-winning young adult novels, including most recently A Line in the Dark. Her novel Ash, a lesbian retelling of Cinderella, was a finalist for the William C. Morris YA Debut Award. In this interview with Theo Baker, Malinda speaks about the difference between popular fiction and literary fiction, the role of research in her writing, revision, her dual coming out, and so much more!
Part One: Malinda on popular fiction vs. literary fiction, the role of research in her writing, and her dual coming out.
Part Two: Malinda on revision, A Line in the Dark, and the “emotional excavation” needed to write some novels.
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Malinda Lo is the author of several award-winning young adult novels, including most recently A Line in the Dark. Her novel Ash, a lesbian retelling of Cinderella, was a finalist for the William C. Morris YA Debut Award. Malinda speaks with Theo about the difference between popular fiction and literary fiction, the role of research in her writing, revision, her dual coming out, and so much more!
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Jenny Bent founded The Bent Agency in 2009. The agency now has nine agents, offices in New York City and London, and a focus on international rights. In this interview with Theo Baker, Jenny speaks about the difference between Y.A. and Adult, what she’s looking for, the decision to launch her own agency, and what happened that changed her approach to agenting. She also shares advice on what makes a book work better for film!
Part One: Jenny on Y.A. versus Adult, what she’s looking for, and, once she launched her own agency, what made her a different kind of agent. (24:36)
Part Two: Jenny on her editorial checklist, comp titles, and what makes a book work better for movie adaptations.
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Theo Baker talks with the unique and exemplary illustrator and author, Sergio Ruzzier, about his influences, colors, cartoons, and what's behind his mind-bending picture books.
For all the latest on Sergio, head over to her website ruzzier.com, and follow him on Instagram at @sergioruzzier.
For more info about the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators, please visit SCBWI.org.
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Season 6, episode 12
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Jenny Bent founded The Bent Agency in 2009. The agency now has nine agents, offices in New York and London, and a strong focus on international rights. Jenny speaks with Theo Baker about Y.A. versus Adult, what she’s looking for, the decision behind launching her own agency, and the shift in how she approaches being an agent.
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Theo Baker talks with the multi-talented, multi-award winning illustrator and author, Grace Lin, about how she developed from an illustrator to a master novelist, about food, place, heritage, and the nature of creativity. And so much more!
For all the latest on Grace, head over to her website gracelin.com, be sure to check out her podcast with editor Alvina Ling, and follow her on twitter at @pacylin, and on instagram also at @pacylin.
For more info about the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators, please visit SCBWI.org.
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Season 6, episode 11
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Theo Baker talks to graphic novelist megastar, Jeff Kinney, about cartoons, how he thinks, and the super futuristic method he has developed to write super good jokes.
For all the latest on Jeff, head over to his website wimpy kid.com, and his bookstore's site, unlikelystory.com, and be sure to follow him on Twitter at @wimpykid.
For more info about the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators, please visit SCBWI.org.
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Season 6, episode 10
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Libba Bray is a #1 New York Times bestselling and Michael L. Printz Award-winning YA author. In this two-part interview with Theo Baker, Libba speaks about her journey as a writer, her embrace of the absurd and surreal, and shares her writing advice!
Part One: Libba on music, journaling, and how playwriting lead her to writing books for teens. (30:32)
Part Two: Libba shares about a breakthrough moment in her own writing, and offers us writing advice that she follows.
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Theo Baker talks with the chart-busting illustrator and book creator, Vashti Harrison, about how she anticipated success, and built her incredible career. Theo even got in a few questions about experimental film.
For all the latest on Vashti, head over to her website www.vashtiharrison.com, and follow her on Twitter at @VashtiHarrison and Instagram at @vashtiharrison.
For more info about the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators, please visit SCBWI.org.
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Season 6, episode 9
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Editorial director at Simon and Schuster Books for Young Readers, writing coach, and author, Kendra Levin, talks with Theo Baker and guides us on a fascinating and profound deep inner dive about the writer's journey.
Be sure to follow Kendra on twitter at @kendralivin, and check out her website kendracoaching.com.
For more info about the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators, please visit SCBWI.org.
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Season 6, episode 8
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Theo Baker talks with the legend, mentor, master illustrator, dear friend, and paragon of grace and kindness, Jerry Pinkney. They discuss his childhood, his start in publishing, his works, and his love of animals. It's an open invitation into the mind and life of one of the industry's finest and most exemplary figures. We will miss Jerry very much.
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New York Times bestselling author and illustrator, Dan Santat, talks with Theo Baker about surviving the wild, childhood, and his early career, and how those experiences helped him to become the thriving creator he is today.
Be sure to follow Dan on Instagram at @dsantat, and twitter @dsantat, for all the latest in his world.
For more info about the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators, please visit SCBWI.org.
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Season 6, episode 6
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1 New York Times bestselling and Michael L. Printz Award-winning YA author Libba Bray speaks to Theo Baker about her journey to becoming a writer, her embrace of the absurd and surreal, and shares her best writing advice!
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McCarthur Genius Award winner Jacqueline Woodson talks with Theo Baker about fiction, language, rhythm, inspiration, and so much more. It's a wide-ranging peek inside the mind of this brilliant and penetrating artist.
Head over to www.jacquelinewoodson.com to learn more about Jacqueline, or follow her on twitter @JackieWoodson or Instagram at @jacqueline_woodson.
For more info about the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators, please visit SCBWI.org.
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Season 6, episode 5
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The prolific, ever-curious, and mega-poly-talented author Kate Messner talks with Theo Baker in depth about the craft of writing, imagination, grinding out early drafts, the joy of revision, and how she always moves forward.
For all the latest about Kate, please head over to katemessner.com, or follow her on twitter @KateMessner.
For more info about the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators, please visit SCBWI.org.
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Season 6, episode 4
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Namrata Tripathi is VP & Publisher of Kokila, a newly-formed imprint of Penguin Young Readers dedicated to centering stories from the margins. In this two-part interview by Theo Baker, Namrata shares about her career as an editor, the lessons she’s learned on the way, and the vision behind her new imprint.
Part One: Namrata on naming her imprint, her journey as an editor of Picture Books, Middle Grade, and Young Adult books, and lessons she’s learned on the way. (29:03)
Part Two: Namrata speaks to the vision behind her new imprint, Kokila.
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NY Times best-selling children's book writer, Derrick Barnes, talks in depth with Theo Baker about his childhood, how he works, fatherhood, and how after years of struggling to make it as a writer, he made up his mind to "make the Blackest books he could possibly make."
For all the latest about Derrick, please head over to derrickdbarnes.com, or follow him on Instagram at @authorderrickdbarnes and twitter @Author_DDB.
For more info about the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators, please visit SCBWI.org.
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Season 6, episode 3
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Theo Baker talks to the legendary "Baba Yaga" of children's books, the great Jane Yolen, about poetry, fairy tales, fantasy, the business, and how she got her start as a writer.
For all the latest about Jane, or simply to marvel at her catalog, visit www.janeyolen.com.
For more info about the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators, please visit SCBWI.org.
Subscribe to our podcast today. New shows every Friday!
Season 6, episode 1
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Namrata Tripathi is Vice President and Publisher of Kokila, a newly-formed imprint of Penguin Young Readers. Namrata speaks to Theo Baker about her career as an editor, her unique perspective, and the vision behind her new imprint!
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NY Times best-selling children's book writer, Mac Barnett, talks with Theo Baker about experimental fiction for kids, how he works, how he procrastinates, and why writing a funny story isn't exactly the same thing as eating dessert.
For all the latest in Mac's world, please check out his website, www.macbarnett.com, or follow him on Instagram, and enjoy over a hundred read-alongs.
For more info about the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators, please visit SCBWI.org.
Subscribe to our podcast today. New shows every Friday!
Season 6, episode 1
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Theo Baker chats with Bruce Coville, the celebrate author of over 100 books for children and young readers. In this two part interview, they speak about why some books don’t find their audiences and others become huge best-sellers, Bruce’s connection to audiobooks (and his audiobook production company, Full Cast Audio), openings, and much, much more!
Part One: Bruce speaks of audiobooks, covers and titles, and first lines. (32:33)
Part Two: Bruce shares how he’s “always attempting to write a book I would have wanted to read at age ten, or twelve,” offers some sage advice, and considers how literature can offer young people role models in a way that reality no longer does.
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The celebrated author of over 100 books for children and young readers, Bruce Coville speaks to Theo Baker about audiobooks, covers and titles, his approach to book openings, and much, much more!
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Theo Baker speaks with vice president, executive editor at Scholastic books and New York Times bestselling and multi-award winning author Andrea Davis Pinkney. In this two part interview, they discuss Andrea’s path to becoming a reader and an editor, how her background as a journalist has helped her both as an editor and author, the evolution of diversity in children’s publishing, and much more!
Part One: Andrea speaks of becoming a reader, shares the twist in her career journey that led to her becoming a children’s book editor, and reflects on the skills she gained in journalism that apply to her work. (25:44)
Part Two: Andrea tells us about launching the Jump at the Sun imprint at Disney, and her mission at Scholastic. She speaks of her writing discipline, the growth of diversity as a focus in children’s publishing and what gives her “hope for a new day.”
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Andrea Davis Pinkney is vice president, executive editor at Scholastic Books, and is also a New York Times bestselling and multi-award winning author. Andrea speaks with Theo about her path to being a reader and an editor, the insights she’s gained from her background in journalism, the evolution of diversity in publishing, and much more!
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Theo Baker speaks with award-winning and best-selling author Daniel José Older. In this two part interview, they cover craft, process, diversity, and so much more!
Part One: Daniel speaks about the difference between genre and literary, his background as a musician, and opens up about his process.
Part Two: Daniel considers the editorial process and how it shapes publishing, speaks of the movement towards a more diverse body of children’s literature, talks world-building, his embrace of bringing Civil War history to life (along with dinosaurs), and much more.
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Daniel José Older is the award-winning and best-selling author of middle grade, young adult, and adult books, including Shadowshaper, Half-Resurrection Blues, and Dactyl Hill Squad. Daniel speaks with Theo Baker about craft, process, diversity, the “secret heart” of a story, and much more!
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Theo Baker speaks with best-selling and award-winning author and illustrator Peter Brown. Their conversation includes Peter’s process, from creating characters to the evolution of his illustration style, how writing his novel was like writing multiple picture books, and so much more.
Part One: Peter speaks about his career, creating characters, and illustration.
Part Two: Peter shares about writing his novel, and details his creative process.
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Peter Brown has written and illustrated many best-selling and award-winning picture books, including Mr. Tiger Goes Wild, Children Make Terrible Pets, and The Curious Garden. His illustrations for Creepy Carrots, written by Aaron Reynolds, earned him a 2013 Caldecott Honor. His first novel for young people is The Wild Robot. Peter speaks with Theo Baker about the evolution of his style, his process and the use of technology.
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