By Neil Shapiro
Like so many of the illustrators who have written about their publishing experience in these pages, I knew from an early age that I was destined for a life spent creating visual imagery. I began by copying cartoon characters (my favorite was Dennis the Menace). I went on to draw my way through school at every level. My identity has always been defined by my artistic ability. (more…)
By Lori Degman
My soon-to-be-published book, 1 Zany Zoo, took one peculiar path to publication. About twenty years ago, I was a stay-at-home mother of two boys who loved being read to and who loved funny, rhyming picture books. As Iʼm sure youʼve heard more times than you can count, reading great picture books to my children inspired me to write my own funny, rhyming picture books. I had visions of children all over the world listening to and enjoying my books. (more…)
By Janice M. Del Negro
Let me begin by commenting on hats. I wear, figuratively speaking, a number of them, all at once, like that monkey-beset cap seller or Bartholomew Cubbins. I am a professor at the Graduate School of Library and Information Science at Dominican University in River Forest, Illinois, where I teach Storytelling, Children’s Literature, Young Adult Literature, Foundations of Library and Information Science, the Capstone Class, and the PhD Reading Seminar. (more…)
The Growing SeasonWhether you are a plant, a writer, or an illustrator, spring is the season to grow. But how? Plants need sunlight, air, water, and soil. Writers and illustrators should start with what’s in this issue of the Prairie Wind:
• Greeting: Alice McGinty reports on how SCBWI-IL is growing, then offers specific suggestions about how we […]
I think I just may have to bite the bullet and admit it. I’m an old-timer—yup, an SCBWI old-timer who can remember back to our Illinois Woodstock retreats (complete with brown shag-carpeted walls) and the Prairie Wind coming in the mail with hand-written hellos from Heidi Roemer. When I joined SCBW about seventeen years ago, […]
