Writer/Illustrator Spotlight: Kirbi Fagan

Sagebrush, PICC, Grandma Trades, Dan Dos Santos, moving, and horses: Author/illustrator Kirbi Fagan

Charlie Barshaw coordinates our regular Writer Spotlight feature and interviews writers of SCBWI-MI. In this piece, meet debut author/illustrator Kirbi Fagan.

Your debut picture book, written and illustrated by you, received glowing reviews for the art. You’d never written a picture book manuscript before, yet The Big Empty received starred reviews with critics noting the “poetic” and “lyrical” and “lilting” text.

Have you been a secret writer all this time? How many drafts did it take to get to where it needed to be? How did you decide your unique POV?

A professor took my short story from class and it ended up published in an anthology my first semester at community college. After that boost, I continued to pursue and enjoy writing classes. 

My obsession with painting and composing images was insatiable and in my twenties I often fought the urge to write and focused on my art instead.

Like many stories, The Big Empty had a different subject and even went out on submission - with no luck. I kept a lot of the original imagery and the theme of resilience but I rewrote it with sagebrush at the center. 

Sagebrush after all was my original visual inspiration and was everywhere in my sketchbook. Kayla Cichello sailed it straight back into the market and it was warmly embraced by Carol Hinz without much fuss.

I’ve known you for many years, and you don’t seem to age. You present as the picture of youth and vigor, yet you’ve been beset since a young age with chronic illness. How has this contradiction of appearance vs. reality shaped your life?

When the flesh fails, my identity becomes more rooted. The challenges I’ve walked though have made me acutely aware of my ferocity inside and I’ve come to wear that on the outside. I think it kind of beams out of me unknowingly. 

When illustrating, We Are The Scrappy Ones, (authored by Rebekah Taussig) I got to put on paper what it looks like to have one foot in grief and the other in joy. 

Earlier in my life,  I would feel that I had to let my scars show, let a PICC line hang out or whatever other medical device I was slinging that week to feel like my authentic self. With a lot of help over the years, I’m more secure than ever with being completely misunderstood. 

When did young Kirbi first embrace her artistic side? Were you lauded for your art in high school?

I wanted to dance, sing, ice skate and perform! Crohn’s would not comply. Each time I took on an activity like that, it quickly came to an end so I learned every craft imaginable. 

In middle school at one point I was selling handmade jewelry at my infusions. By high school, I was a Jack-of-All-Grandma-Trades. 

At that time, I tried one more time to dance, that time on the Plymouth-Canton Color Guard but it wasn’t long until I couldn't keep up. So I traded my flag for a sketchbook and never looked back. 

While I would have loved to be known for my creativity, I was more known for being MIA for long stretches of time. 

What early influences guided you on your path to illustration?

In my art school’s library, I found the illustration annuals from the 50s and 60s… obsessed would be putting it mildly. They were rare, fragile copies, so they were not allowed to be checked out. I’d have to pour over them on the floor and take photos of the images to study and google later.

After art school, the Illustration Master Class set me on fire. The science fiction-fantasy artist community has the most experienced and highly skilled traditional illustrators in my opinion. 

There is a rich history of mentorship throughout the generations that I found trace all the way back to those illustration annuals. Dan Dos Santos in particular, taught me the illustration process and helped me bring my out-of-art-school-portfolio to industry ready. 

You had two great art schools to choose from. How did Kendall win out over CCS?

Before KCAD, while at Community College, I met Anne Garavaglia, a treasured mentor and friend. Anne and I have a supernatural connection that is difficult to describe. At one point she asked me “have you thought about Kendall?” When I visited the school, Grand Rapids felt like a micro Chicago and great hospitals within walking distance.

A lot of artwork was on display and I was impressed with how well all the students drew. Draftsmanship was my focus. Anne told me if I can learn to draw anything, I can apply those skills to anything I wanted to create. So I went there, focused on technique and was very disciplined about that.

https://www.annegaravaglia.com/

Eventually I did end up on “Kirby St." teaching at CCS but I found teaching with a faulty immune system too challenging. Teaching boosted me financially for a time and that’s when I had a bit of wiggle room to pivot and chase writing dreams. 

You devoted a whole floor at your house for a work space for yourself and your artist partner. What are some of the essential parts of your studio?

When Illustrating a Horse Name Sky, we were moving - I didn’t know how I would be able to create that book. My entire studio was packed up except the things I needed: desktop, scanner, pencils, paper, reference material - a few anatomy books and printed reference photos I took. This minimalistic approach changed my life.

Nowadays, what’s in my studio is only the projects I’m in the midst of. All materials are stored neatly away in cabinets in the basement. When I gather materials, it feels like shopping at an art supply store. 

You were co-Illustrator Coordinator with Deb Pilutti for SCBWI-MI? What is involved in coordinating illustrators?

I had the best time with Deb working for the illustrators in Michigan. We planned and coordinated conferences, events and programs. As the visual people on the team we were responsible for a lot of the visual media SCBWI used. 

I very much enjoyed working behind the scenes and meeting many industry guests, including my agent. I think volunteering was the best way to throw myself into the mix, even if my knees were knocking.

What’s next for Kirbi Fagan?

God willing, I hope to keep illustrating and writing for kids. A new series written by Terri Farley is coming out in January that I illustrated. My horse girl era is only getting started. 

Please share any social media platforms:

The best way to learn about my work is to visit my website, www.KirbiFagan.com. 

Thanks to Kirbi for examples of recent art:

Book Birthday Blog with Deb Pilutti

 

Welcome to SCBWI-MI's Book Birthday Blog!

Where we celebrate new books from Michigan's authors, illustrators and translators.

 

Congratulations to Deb Pilutti on the release of My Best Friend is a Lion 

 

How did you come up with the idea for your book? 

It came from an exercise at a writing retreat. We were doing an exercise that connected to ourselves as children and I was writing down things that I remembered from that age. One memory that stuck with me was the time I wanted to have a pet lion. I was very shy and I remember thinking my friends would be awed and a little afraid if I showed up with a pet lion. The story is not autobiographical, and my circumstances were different than the main character in my book, but some of the feelings were the same.

 

 

What is something you hope your readers will take away from your book?

It was fun for me to imagine what the MC could do if she had a lion for a friend. I hope that readers will enjoy the silliness of the situations and notice the dichotomy between the text and the illustrations. The MC is a slightly unreliable narrator! 

 

What was the most difficult part of writing and illustrating this book?

Deciding on how to portray the imaginative part of the story vs. real life. I ended up using more saturated colors, simple crayon lines and textured backgrounds. 

 

What are your marketing plans for the book and where can we find it?

It will be available in bookstores and online Jan. 7!

What's next for you?

Good question!! I am starting to explore that and am currently working on some other stories.

More about the book . . .

Friendship troubles are hard! Especially when your best friends start leaving you out of their fun.



But this little girl knows what would make everything better—a lion! If her best friend was a lion, they could go to the park without an adult, do amazing dunks on the basketball court, and get free ice cream whenever they want. Everyone would be jealous—especially those other friends.



A lion would definitely fix things, right?



Imagining and drawing some of their adventures help her work through her big feelings. And it turns out that sometimes, problems get better with a little time, creativity, and being yourself.

Published by: G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers, an imprint of Penguin

More about the author/illustrator . . . 

Deb Pilutti writes and illustrates books for children with humor and candor. 
She once wished she had a pet lion, but is now content to walk around the neighborhood with an Australian Shepard named Tater. 

She and her husband live in Ann Arbor, Michigan.

Instagram and Bluesky @dpilutti, Facebook @Deb Folta Pilutti 

 

Writer Spotlight: Jodi McKay

SCBWI-MI, Cardinal Rule, editorial suggestion, and takeaways: SCBWI-MI co-RA and author Jodi McKay

Charlie Barshaw coordinates our regular Writer Spotlight feature and interviews writers of SCBWI-MI. In this piece, meet author and SCBWI-MI co-RA Jodi McKay.

 

How did you start with SCBWI-MI?

To me, when starting any new job, hobby, or skill, it’s important to learn as much as possible about it. In 2013, I decided I wanted to write books for children and therefore needed a thorough understanding of what it takes to create a book worthy of a child’s attention. 

Books like Anne Whitford Paul’s, Writing Picture Books were helpful, but I needed more. Cue Google! A quick search for “How to write a picture book” led me to SCBWI’s website and on to SCBWI-MI’s webpage. 

SCBWI-MI friends

I got involved in as much as possible to give myself every opportunity to soak in the knowledge and experience that was so generously provided not only by industry professionals, but also by other SCBWI-MI members. I went to shoptalks, became the PAL coordinator, volunteered at conferences, and now I’ve been the co-regional advisor for the past six years.

 

In your interview with Maria Dismondy, Publisher of Cardinal Rule Press, you described how your first picture book was picked up and published as “weird.” You won a writing contest and a mentorship with a published author, who suggested you send your manuscript to her editor.  And the editor was interested. That never happens, but it did for you. Can you describe the step-by-step process?

You’re right! It hardly ever happens that way, but the stars just happened to align. It went down like this:

Star #1: I entered Susanna Hill’s Halloweenie Contest in 2014. It was a cute little story that met the theme- Witches.

Star #2: Much to my surprise, I won and received a critique from Anna Crespo (who is now an author and an agent!).

Star #3: A local shoptalk was offering a critique session. Wanting to polish my manuscript a bit before sending it to Anna, I had it critiqued. The feedback helped tremendously! I sent it on to Anna.

Star #4: The email she sent back along with my critique included this question, “Do you mind if we send this to my editor at Albert Whitman. I think she would like it.”

I didn’t mind at all. I sent it to Kelly Barreles-Saylor in November, and wouldn’t you know it, Anna was right, she did like it.

Star #5: I received a contract in December. Little did I know that there were a couple more stars that wanted to get in line as well.

 

It was only after the book was accepted that you found your agent. How did you do that?

With a contract in hand, I felt like I had a better chance at finding an agent. I emailed the agents I had queried over the past few months and let them know that I had received a book contract for Where Are The Words? and as more luck would have it, Star # 6: Linda Epstein asked to see a few other manuscripts. We chatted soon after and then I had an agent.

 

When I first sat down to write PENCIL, it was going to be a continuation of sorts from my first book, WHERE ARE THE WORDS? which ends with the characters asking for Pencil to draw them the perfect pictures for the story they just wrote. My editor at Albert Whitman & Co. liked the story and picked it up, but with a few changes that I think took it to the next level. She suggested that I have Pencil draw a picture for someone special, his dad. This added heart to the story and it became relatable to kids who often draw pictures for the special people in their lives.

You entered a contest, earned a critique. The person who gave the critique suggested you send your manuscript to their editor. This editor published your first manuscript, suggested winning changes for your next manuscript. Yet there were plenty of places along the way where everything could have gone south. What role does luck play in being published? How much did your hard work lead you to any lucky breaks you experienced?

While I put in the work to learn how to write, I still feel like I experienced a lot of luck along the way. Of course, with most things, there were some hiccups. 

There were communication issues with the contract department which slowed things down quite a bit and then the editor who acquired my first book left Albert Whitman halfway through the process. It was disheartening, but I accepted the fact that publishing is all about ups and downs. 

Author and son

I was in a “down time” but based on how I got the contract in the first place, I knew an “up time” could be right around the corner, so I wanted to be ready. I continued writing. 

Then, Star #7: My new editor was lovely and helped finish Where Are The Words? It was Andrea who read Pencil’s Perfect Picture and suggested it become a stand-alone.

The stars have since dispersed and I’m currently in a “down time”, but I’m still writing, I’m still learning, and I’m still finding ways to let the good luck in. That’s what we do, right? We persist!

Takeaway time:

School visit

·    There may be a little luck or perhaps timing that affects the path to publishing, but don’t discount the research, reading, and work that’s required to understand the craft of writing and illustrating. It can be hard, but you can do it.

·    Remind yourself of your “why”. Why do you want to create books for children? Write it down and post it where you will see it every day. It’s little things like that that could help you get through a “down time.”

·    Give yourself the best chance at helping your stars to align. Become an SCBWI member, volunteer, attend a conference or webinar, apply for a mentorship or a scholarship, get in on a writing or illustrating contest. DO IT ALL. You never know what will happen if you do. You could find an agent, form a critique group, learn something new that changes your work, or get that email/call that we all hope for.

What’s next for Jodi?

In 2026, you’ll find me working on our upcoming spring workshop series, a few fall webinars, some school visits, and the 2027 in-person conference alongside our IC’s Katie and Jen. 

When I’m not focusing on SCBWI matters or writing picture books and middle grade novels, I plan to spend my time staring at my son (and trying not to cry) who is graduating in May then leaving right after to go to Marshall University where he will play football. Now accepting well-wishes and positive vibes because I’m going to need them!

 

Please share any social media:

Website- https://www.jodimckaybooks.com/

IG- JodiMcKay1

FB- https://www.facebook.com/jodi.mckay.33/

 

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Reminders about Upcoming SCBWI-MI Events

• Registration for the SCBWI-MI 2026 mentorship begins today, January 2, 2026. If you need more information, see:
• Mentorship coordinator Jessica Zimmerman explains the program.
• Interview with 2026 mentor Sheela Chari
• Words of wisdom from previous mentees

• Registration for the SCBWI-MI Level Up series of webinars and workshops opens January 14, 2026. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Writer Spotlight: Suzanne Jacobs Lipshaw

 5 Ws, Jeckyl Island, swatches, CubeSats, and New Year's resolution: author Suzanne Jacobs Lipshaw

Charlie Barshaw coordinates our regular Writer Spotlight feature and interviews writers of SCBWI. In this piece, meet author and SCBWI-MI Events Coordinator Suzanne Jacobs Lipshaw.

Was it always your plan to teach? When did you find you had a knack of writing for students?

I didn’t decide to go into teaching until my sophomore year of college. Growing up I always thought I’d be a writer. In elementary school, I was that kid who when assigned a two-page paper, wrote ten. I received my first rejection letter from Western Publishing Company (they published the Little Golden Books) for my manuscript Boogie the Snail when I was twelve. 

In high school, I was co-editor of the school newspaper and co-wrote articles for the “High School Happenings” page of the Royal Oak Tribune. As a freshman in college, I majored in journalism, but, possibly ignorantly, decided I need to be pushy to be a journalist and that wasn’t part of my personality and rethought my major. 

I focused on things I found the most rewarding and being with kids as a day camp counselor kept topping the list. I took my first education class that year and never looked back. Now as a nonfiction Kid Lit author, I have combined both passions!

Do you remember your first teaching assignment? Ultimately, you crushed this teaching thing, but what were the early classroom days like?

I do! My sophomore year at MSU, I was selected for The Elementary Intern Program, which provided a lot more hands-on classroom experience than the traditional track had. 

My first internship was with a fourth-grade teacher at an elementary school in Okemos. I spent one day a week there and mostly helped students who had questions while working independently. 

One day, my mentor teacher was introducing a writing lesson and out of the blue called me up to teach. I was the type of person who liked to be prepared, and this was way out of my comfort zone. She told the students I used to major in journalism, so I was the perfect person to teach them how to write a newspaper article. 

There I was up in front of twenty-some kids all waiting for wisdom from me. I shot an apprehensive look to my mentor teacher who suggested I start with the basics of good journalism. That was all the info I needed. 

I did a lesson on using the five ‘W’ questions and the students were off and running. She was one smart lady. She knew I was nervous to get up in front of the classroom, so she threw me in using something I was familiar with and good at.

What was it about Special Education, kids with reading and other challenges, that drew you into the field?

I know it’s cliché but watching the lightbulb turn on for students who struggle shines a light across the entire room and the warmth filled my heart.

What were some of your most rewarding moments in your long career in the classroom?

When you work with kids there are so many rewarding moments. Overall, the aspect of my teaching I am most proud of and brought some unpredictable rewarding moments was the unique teaching program I developed. 

My mission as an elementary resource room teacher was to motivate, engage and empower my students to realize that even though they struggle in some areas, they are destined to do great things. Beginning in the 2013-14 school year, I started teaching my developing readers through a program I created called “Themed Project Based Learning Approach” (TPBLA).

The projects all centered on a high interest yearlong theme. The theme for the 2014-15 school year was Oceanography. That year my students boarded an imaginary yellow submarine from Northville, Michigan and embarked on a yearlong journey to explore the undersea world!

Their adventure began on Jekyll Island, a small island off the Georgia coast with a virtual field trip to the Georgia Sea Turtle Center. Our tour guide, Kira, taught us basic facts about sea turtles and how those found sick or injured are cared for in the center’s hospital. One of the first turtle patients we met was Mahi, a juvenile green sea turtle who was missing her right front flipper.

She also taught us about the dangers sea turtles face because of human disregard. This was when Kira helped me carry out a secret mission—to inspire my students to advocate for and help these endangered creatures. 

Kira explained that Mahi’s care was expensive. To help with the costs, people could symbolically adopt Mahi for fifty dollars. Without hesitation one of my fourth graders jumped out of his chair, pumped his fist into the air and shouted “Yes! We can do that!” 

Students decided to inform our school community about the threats to sea turtles. To accomplish this, they chose to put on a taped “virtual assembly” informing our school community about the threats. 

While researching, students discovered that cold weather stranded many Kemp Ridley sea turtles along New England beaches. This news further motivated my students to make a difference. These leaders decided to sell reusable collapsible water bottles for donations of $5.00 or more to help with the plastic problem that is plaguing our oceans. 

They designed a logo with “Protect Sea Turtles” imprinted on the water bottles and introduced the fundraiser at the end of their virtual assembly.

The assembly was successfully received, and donations came pouring in. My readers were thrilled to donate $1,711.38 to the center! Watching my students become leaders in our school and contributing to a cause that became dear to us all was heartwarming.

In your bio, there’s a line about comparing paint swatches at the local Sherwin Williams. Do you like to paint the walls in your home often? Or do you have another use for different hues of paint?

Ha! In light of this question, it’s obviously not a great line to imply my love of interior design. Looks like I’m going to be tweaking my bio. . .

Between teaching gigs, I stayed home to raise my sons Josh and Jeremy. When Jeremy, the youngest, was going into kindergarten I entered a bit of a mourning period. What was I going to do when both boys were in school? I knew I would volunteer in their classrooms, but it wasn’t going to be enough to keep me busy when Jeremy entered first grade. I started thinking about what I could do part time.

One of my friends suggested I go back to school for interior design since I was always helping my friends decorate their homes and I took her sage advice. Two years later, I had an associate’s degree in interior design and had secured a position as a part time designer.

Fast forward to Jeremy in middle school when I felt something missing in my life. After pondering, I realized it was working with kids as the middle school didn’t need parent volunteers in the classroom. 

So, I quit my interior design job and started substitute teaching. My second job was covering for a resource room teacher. It was a two-week assignment that lasted six months. I was back in my element, and it reaffirmed my true passion was teaching. The following year I got a job with Northville Public Schools and the second half of my teaching career began. 

I still dabble in interior design for my friends and enjoy seeing our mutual vision for a room in their home come to life. Also, I’m great at picking paint colors if I do say so myself.

Your newest title RUGGED RAX: The Little Satellite that Could, will be out in the world before this interview publishes. What can you tell us about your latest picture book?

Rugged RAX launched (pun intended) on December 10, 2025. Publishing, like many NASA launch dates get scrubbed. That’s what happened to RAX—twice. But RAX has now landed on bookstore shelves. Here’s the blurb.

 

Imagine you are part of an engineering team tasked with designing and building a mini but mighty satellite—a CubeSat named RAX. Your CubeSat’s mission? Gather space weather data to help scientists prevent massive blackouts caused by solar storms. But this team failed during its first attempt; will it succeed this time? RUGGED RAX is the true story of CubeSat RAX and is packed with a payload of space science and engineering for STEM enthusiasts ages 5-9.

 

What was the impetus that launched you into the world of satellites?

My son, Josh, while a junior at the University of Michigan, introduced me to CubeSats, when he joined the Michigan Exploration Laboratory (MXL) in 2013. CubeSats are miniature satellites built from 10xm x 10cm x 10cm cubic units and are extendable to larger sizes. They are much cheaper to build and deploy than larger satellites and provide an immense amount of information about space in a tiny package.

During Josh’s two years at MXL his team designed, built and tested three CubeSats. I was enthralled with every step of the process. Once I began my writing journey, I contacted MXL’s founder and director, Dr. James Cutler, and through discussion I decided to write a book about MXL’s first CubeSat—Radio Aurora Explorer (RAX).

Additionally, I am revising my first middle-grade fiction novel inspired by an experience my younger son Jeremy had rock climbing and my fascination with the moon. Is this the middle grade novel you ended up writing and getting published?

The launch of Decoding the Moon—my first venture into fiction and my first venture into middle-grade—is on February 25, 2026! This one is literally and figuratively a dream come true! (A story for another blog.)

Here’s the blurb: Avid rock climber Levi Manes thinks his newfound fear of heights is enough to shake up his twelve-year-old life. What he didn’t realize is, three months later, the tragic death of his mother would fracture his entire world. To make matters worse, Levi’s dad, unable to face his grief, moves their family from their home in the Detroit suburbs to a small town in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. Can the combination of some secret codes, rock climbing, and the Supermoon pull Levi’s family together and bring them the closure they each desperately need?

Currently, I have four informational fiction and nonfiction picture book manuscripts out for query (these are now published – several of my nonfiction manuscripts, one which was from my weather unit, never found a publishing home – I currently do not have any manuscripts out for query), three of which were inspired by one of my yearlong science themes. Did you enter each year with a plan to use your science themes to create books, or did the book material present itself as the project gained steam?

My yearlong themes were born from a combination of my passion for the topic and their high interest level for kids. Additionally, it was created at a time when the Common Core was first conceived and the requirement for teaching nonfiction had increased. 

I chose four themes since I had some of my students for four years: space, oceanography, national parks, and weather. My goal was to inspire my students and engage them in science material I was passionate about and that would motivate them to read and learn more about the topic. Once I took my first nonfiction picture book course, I realized using ideas from my units was a natural progression.

What’s the common thread in these non-fiction works?

Continuing my mission to inspire, educate and motivate students and show them they can make a difference in our world.

Is it true that your writing career began with a New Year’s resolution?

Me in fourth grade

Yes! Eight years ago, I decided if I didn’t make a concerted effort to carve out time to write I was never going to accomplish my dream of becoming a children’s book author. 

So New Year’s Eve 2016, I made a resolution to make writing a priority and it was the first resolution I’ve ever kept! I picked up a manuscript I started years back—a fiction middle-grade version of what eventually became my first published picture book I Campaigned for Ice Cream—and continued with it. 

I also resolved to take classes to further my craft. One of the first courses I enrolled in was Kristen Fulton’s Nonfiction Archeology. The idea of writing nonfiction strongly resonated with me because I taught developing readers by immersing them in a different science theme each year and I saw nonfiction as a natural progression from my method of teaching to my writing. The course inspired me to try the ice cream truck story in a nonfiction picture book format, and it worked. And from there I was hooked!

What’s next for you?

I am currently revising the very crappy draft of my second middle grade novel and researching another nonfiction picture book. Stay tuned…

Please share any social media:

Website: http://www.suzannejacobslipshaw.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/suzannejacobslipshaw/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SuzanneJacobsLipshawAuthorEducator/

BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/suzannelipshaw.bsky.social