Gratitude: Behind the scenes at KidLitArtists.com

If you're on Instagram, follow us at @KidLitArtists!

Can't believe it's almost the end of the year already! In case you missed recent posts highlighting the 2019 SCBWI-LA Mentees, do read Erin Balzer's interviews with Tenaya Lena Gunter Brown, Marcelo Verdad, Neena Phan, Viven Wu, Eddie Edwards, and Rob Sayegh Jr.

If you're on Twitter, follow us at @KidLitArtists!

Speaking of which, KidLitArtists' online presence would not be possible without the generous help of volunteers behind-the-scenes. These include:

Jen Betton, for coordinating these blog posts and posting schedule of this blog. You can find Jen on Instagram, Twitter and FB.

Meridth McKean Gimbel, for creating the avatar for KidLitArtists' Twitter and Instagram profiles, and who helps post for our Twitter and Instagram social media. You can find Meridth on Instagram, Twitter and FB.

Ana Aranda, who create the banner for our Twitter profile and who helps post on our Twitter feed. You can find Ana on Instagram, Twitter and FB.

Susie Ghahremani, who helps post on our Twitter feed. You can find Susie on Instagram, Twitter and FB.

Alexandra Thompson, who helps post in our Instagram feed. You can find Alexandra on Instagram, Twitter and FB.

Christina Barragan Forshay, who helps post on our Instagram feed. You can find Christina on Instagram, Twitter and FB.

Gail Buschman, who helps post on our Instagram feed. You can find Gail on Instagram and Twitter.

Erin Balzer, who interviewed all the 2019 SCBWI-LA Mentee winners for our blog. You can find Erin on Instagram.

If you're not already, please do follow us on Twitter and Instagram at @KidLitArtists!

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Debbie Ridpath Ohi is the author and illustrator of Where Are My Books? and Sam & Eva (Simon & Schuster). Her illustrations have also appeared in books by Judy Blume, Michael Ian Black, Aaron Reynolds, Rob Sanders and Lauren McLaughlin, among others. Her children's book career began at the 2010 SCBWI Summer Conference, when she won a SCBWI-LA Mentorship Award and Showcase Honor Award. You can find Debbie on Twitter, Instagram, and Youtube. She blogs about reading, writing and illustrating children's books at Inkygirl.com.

KidLitArtists Round-Up: News, Tips and Resources - by Debbie Ridpath Ohi

It's been nearly nine years since I was chosen for the SCBWI Illustration Mentorship Program and I've so enjoyed watching other Mentees' careers blossom as well. Here's a list of our books that have come out or are coming out in 2019 (thanks to Jessica Lanan for compiling this list).

I feel so lucky to be part of this amazing community of children's book illustrators/writers. Our KidlitArtists blog and social media is not officially part of the SCBWI but is run by volunteers, and I wanted to give kudos to those who are currently helping behind-the-scenes.

Thanks to Jen Betton, who organizes our blog posting schedule.

Thanks to Meridth McKean Gimbel, Ana Aranda, Susan Ghahremani, Alexandra Thompson, Gail Buschman, Christina Forshay for all their help with our social media. You can find their posts via @KidLitartists on Twitter and Instagram.

EXCITING MEMBER NEWS:

Mega-congrats to Juana Martinez-Neal on her Caldecott Honor for ALMA AND HOW SHE GOT HER NAME (her author-illustrator debut)!!!!

RECENT POSTS:

How Note-Taking Helps Me As A Creative - by Maple Lam. Maple gives us a sneak peek into how her note-taking obsession inspires stories and art (and sometimes results in publisher interest!).

Self-Sabotage: Recognizing The Voice And Getting Back On Track - by Jeslyn Kate. Tips on how to recognize when your inner voice is trying to sabotage your creativity and how to get back on track.

Traveling Art Suitcase - by Dorothia Rohner. Dorothia shares photos of her amazing traveling art suitcase and what she carries in it.

Artist In The Archives: How (and Why) You Should Be Learning With University Children's Literature Research Collections - by K-Fai Steele. K-Fai spent three weeks at the Kerlan Collection at the University of Minnesota and shares what she learned, encourages others to apply for the Ezra Jack Keats/Kerlan Memorial Fellowship. Lots of photos!

A Short Guide To Book Launch Parties - by Liz Wong. Liz offers great tips on the whens, wheres and hows of scheduling your book launch, describes what happens at a book launch, offers suggestions on swag and extra activities.

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Debbie Ridpath Ohi is an author/illustrator from the 2010 Class of SCBWI Mentees. Upcoming book: I'M WORRIED, a new picture book written by Michael Ian Black and illustrated by Debbie, launches from Simon & Schuster Books For Young Readers June 4, 2019.

You can find Debbie on her kidlit blog, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.