SCBWI-MI 2019-2020 Picture Book Mentorship Winners!

Congratulations to the winners of the two mentorship competitions for picture book text! That's right, this year SCBWI-MI offered two mentorships - one for PAL members and one for non-PAL members. 

Congratulations to Katherine Gibson for her manuscript, OF DRAGONS AND PRINCESSES, and Buffy Silverman for her manuscript, LOON SONG.

You might recognize Katherine Gibson from our quarterly Ask the Editor series. Katherine is an editor and a writer continuing to develop her craft. How wonderful to be able to learn from an experienced author during this mentorship. A huge thanks to mentor Lisa Wheeler! After more than 40 published books and 250 rejections along the way, Lisa has tons of hard-earned experience to share.

And you probably recognize the other mentorship winner, Buffy Silverman! She's a longtime SCBWI-MI member, previous Regional Advisor, and the author of numerous non-fiction books and poetry for young readers. Thanks to her mentor, Kelly DiPucchio! Kelly is the author of many award-winning and best-selling picture books, and like Lisa, she has tons of hard-earned experience to share.

More congratulations for the two runners-up from each mentorship competition:

David Stricklen with POODLE FOOLERY

Marty Bellis with SALLY AND THE SNOWMAN

Patti Richards with CUPINE'S PERFECT DANCE PARTNER

PJ Lyons with ALIEN INVASION OF THE LITTLE SISTER


Thank you to everyone who polished their manuscripts, took a risk, and entered the competitions. We wish we could have more than one winner, and we hope the judges' feedback is helpful in your revisions. Keep at it! Our chapter is full of stories of persistence. I entered the novel mentorship competition three times before winning on my 4th attempt in 2018-2019!

Finally, thanks to our super-secret superstar judges for evaluating the manuscripts, and to mentorship coordinator Ann Finkelstein for coordinating this year-around process for multiple years. Stay tuned for announcements about the 2020-2021 mentorship competitions!

Cheers!
Kristin Lenz