SCBWI Podcasts – Details, episodes & analysis

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 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

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

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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

Support the Show.