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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