SCBWI Podcasts

In this episode of the SCBWI Podcast, we are joined by Debbie Ridpath Ohi! 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 Support the Show.

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/ Support the show

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 Support the show

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/ Support the Show.

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 Support the Show.

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 Support the Show.

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 Support the Show.

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 Support the Show.

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 Support the show

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. Support the show

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 Support the Show.

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 Support the Show.

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 Support the Show.

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 Support the show

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 Support the Show.

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 Support the Show.

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 Support the Show.

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 Support the Show.

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 Support the Show.

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 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 Support the show