The 2020 Members For Members Scholarship Awards

This year the SCBWI-MI E&I Team sponsored our first-ever Members for Members Scholarship Awards. Thanks to generous donations from our members and community we were able to fund five scholarships! Congratulations to this year’s awardees:

Elyse Arring

Stephanie Campbell

Ann Dallman

Rebecca Grabill

Sarah Lynn John

The following is a condensed version of our online interviews.
~ E&I Team Coordinator, Isabel Estrada O’Hagin. 

How did you use your award? 

Elyse: I attended my first national kidlit conference. Prior to the Summer Spectacular Conference, I wrote for middle grade through adult. I had the opportunity to listen to presenters who write picture books, which may not have happened in a traditional conference. The thoughtful and engaging presenters inspired me to try writing a picture book.

Stephanie: I attended the Summer conference, and this award made it possible. After the conference I felt inspired to continue my journey as an author and to never give up because we all start somewhere. After watching Mac Barnett and Jon Klassen’s webinar, I gained insight on book layout, both words and illustrations. I also was reminded to do what works for me and not to compare myself to authors because we are all unique in our own ways.

Ann: I applied it toward my membership fee that has helped me stay connected with the writing world. I live in the area of Michigan’s UP bordering Wisconsin. So, at times, it is easy to feel disconnected from the writing world, but the MI chapter’s wonderful website and blogs keep me up-to-date with valuable information.

Rebecca: The scholarship enabled me to continue my SCBWI membership, connecting me to this wonderful community of authors and artists who so freely share their wisdom and talents. As the global pandemic shuttered schools and businesses this spring, my plans for school visits, workshops, and the like evaporated. I watched my membership lapse and given the coronavirus pandemic I couldn't justify the expense of renewal over, say, groceries or school supplies. I’m grateful for this award.

Sarah Lynn: Because my membership dues were extended, I was able to sign up for the Summer Spectacular. The conference speakers were inspiring! I scribbled page after page of notes. Their words and life experiences triggered many ideas for my own future writing projects.

How did this new information influence your writing/illustrating of diverse books for children?

Elyse: I felt SCBWI did a superb job of cultivating a virtual conference that was both engaging and helpful. SCBWI showed up—for kids and for diverse creators and readers of all kinds. The commitment to justice and caliber of presenters made me proud to call myself a SCBWI member and deepened my commitment to my own work. I hope to bring underrepresented kids to the page, that they might see themselves in more and more books—that they will grow up knowing that all people are thinkers, and doers capable of courage and magic.

Stephanie: This information informed my decision to write for diverse children’s books because I truly strive for every child’s sense to feel alive when they read my books!

Ann: I taught for 15 years on a reservation in Michigan’s UP and continue to stay in touch with many of my former students. They asked me to write a book about them and for them. “Cady and the Bear Necklace” is that book. It has been recognized for a 2020 State History Award by the Historical Society of Michigan. This was in The Books: Children and Youth category for 2020.

Rebecca: Giving voice to the voiceless has always been a driving mission of mine, more now than ever before. Diversity of class, and the devastation of poverty, diversity of safety and the realities of domestic violence and exploitation of children, diversity of ability whether due to injury or genetics ... these are just a few of the faces of diversity that need to be reflected in literature for children, and some of those I am uniquely qualified to write. This award is helping me to continue a mission already well underway. Together we can change the world.

Sarah Lynn: One of my current WIP’s is a MG sci-fi whose protagonist has Type 1 Diabetes like my son. At the conference, the words of Jacqueline Woodson, Meg Medina and Grace Lin filled me with ideas of how I could bring more of my personal experiences to the page that would help broaden the perspective of children and cultivate more acceptance and empathy.


In closing, our awardees expressed their deep gratitude for the combined support, inspiration, and camaraderie found in our amazing, welcoming community.

We are indeed kindred spirits!

Isabel Estrada O’Hagin (Ph.D.), Equity and Inclusion Team Coordinator and Kalamazoo Shop Talk (KAST) Co-Coordinator, has been a member of SCBWI since 2013. As a pre-published author, she writes stories steeped in Latino culture from the borderlands in Arizona where she lived most of her life. She has written two middle-grade novels, several picture books and is currently working on a YA novel. In 2018 she was recognized as a runner-up in the SCBWI-MI Novel Mentorship Contest. Her publication credits include teacher education articles, book chapters in early childhood music, and serving as editor for a state education journal.  








Thank you, Isabel! Learn more and read quarterly posts from the SCBWI-MI E&I Team at the Equity and Inclusion Corner of our blog. We're excited about their newest initiative. Learn more below: