The Editors of Critique Carousel 2026

Introducing the seven (7!!!) editors who will be critiquing for the 2026 Critique Carousel.

 

Courtney Stevenson

Editor, Harper Collins

 

Courtney joined HarperCollins in 2016, and since then has been lucky enough to work on both acclaimed frontlist and beloved backlist titles. In building her own list, Courtney is largely focused on middle grade and YA books, with a particular interest in historical stories that haven't been told before, clever humor, queer romance, family dynamics, the occasional pop nonfiction, and writing that pulls her along to the next page. Some of her recent titles include Queso, Just in Time by Ernesto Cisneros; The Ordinary and Extraordinary Auden Greene by Corey Ann Haydu; The Deep Well by Laura Creedle; and Money Out Loud: All the Financial Stuff No One Taught Us by Berna Anat.

 Find Courtney’s wishlist here. 

 For the 2026 Critique Carousel, Courtney will be critiquing:

•        Picture book fiction
•        Picture book nonfiction
•        Picture book dummy
•        Chapter book
•        Middle grade fiction
•        Middle grade nonfiction
•        YA fiction
•        YA nonfiction

 

Foyinsi Adegbonmire

Editor, Feiwel & Friends/Macmillan Children’s 

 

Foyinsi Adegbonmire is an Editor at Feiwel & Friends/Macmillan Children's Publishing Group. She acquires Middle Grade and Young Adult fiction, and is open to coming-of-age, mystery, romance, and fantasy, while enjoying lighthearted stories with conversational narrative voices. She was named a PW Star Watch Honoree and her acquisitions include Ace of Spades by Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé, Dear Wendy by Ann Zhao, and The Beanstalk Murder by P.G. Bell. When not reading or thinking about her very large TBR, she can be found watching people react to her favorite media, or doomscrolling on TikTok or Instagram(@Foyinsi_Pub)

Find Foyinsi’s wishlist here.

Foyinsi will be critiquing:

•         Middle grade fiction
•         YA fiction
•         Novel-in-verse

 

Jin Soo Chun

Assistant Editor, Atheneum

 

Jin Soo Chun (first name “Jin Soo”) joined Atheneum in 2024 and assists Reka Simonsen. Previously, she worked in book marketing at Ecco and in the fashion and restaurant industries. Jin Soo enjoys working on middle grade, YA, graphic novels/nonfiction, and picture books across all genres.

 

For picture books, she is drawn to books that celebrate the complex interior worlds of children and mischievous stories that make readers feel like they’re a partner in crime as they tag along with the protagonist on misadventures. In MG and YA (graphic and prose), she loves vividly imagined stories full of heart and humor and is especially partial to narratives propelled by an unforgettable, diverse cast of characters ranging from the spunky and spirited to the devious and terrible. Jin Soo delights in dynamic, cinematic storytelling that balances lively dialogue and emotionally stirring prose, and overall, she’s a big fan of books that humanize characters through their flaws and mistakes and allow for growth without compromising the essence of who the characters are.

Find Jin Soo’s wishlist here.

Jin Soo will be critiquing:

• Picture book dummy
• Chapter book
• Middle grade fiction
• YA fiction
• Graphic novels fiction or nonfiction
• Novel-in-verse
• Portfolio review

 

Kade Dishmon

Assistant Editor, Peachtree Teen & Peachtree Publishing

Kade Dishmon (they/he) is an assistant editor at Peachtree Publishing currently acquiring middle grade and young adult fiction. Across genres, Kade is actively seeking stories with something to say—either socio-politically or about life itself. He’s drawn to work with cathartic character arcs, authentic tween and teen messiness, and a strong sense of emotional immediacy. Kade is passionate about uplifting underrepresented voices, whether those stories are gritty and unflinching or warm and hopeful. 

Their most recently published acquisitions include YA folk horror AND THE TREES STARE BACK by Gigi Griffis, a Vermont Green Mountain Book Award Nominee, A Kirkus Best Book of the Year, a YALSA Best Fiction for Young Adults title, a CBC Choice, and a JLG selection; and YA dark fantasy THIS RAGING SEA by De Elizabeth, which is also available in France, the UK, Poland, and Germany. 

Find Kade’s wishlist here. 

For the 2026 Critique Carousel, Kade will critique:

•      Middle grade fiction
•       YA fiction
•       Novel-in-verse 

 

Matt Phipps

Editor, G. P. Putnam’s Sons Books for Young Readers

 

Matt Phipps (he/him), editor at G. P. Putnam’s Sons Books for Young Readers, acquires picture books, middle grade, young adult, and crossover, including graphic novels across categories. Books he has recently edited include the middle grade novels The Extraordinary Orbit of Alex Ramirez by Jasminne Paulino, a School Library Journal Best Book of the Year; Majestica by Sarah Tolcser, a Kirkus Reviews Best Book of the Year; and the picture books At the Cookout by Nadia Fisher and The Crayon Stub by Marcus Cutler. Prior to joining Putnam in 2020, he spent several years on Penguin’s School and Library Marketing team. He was an Editor Mentor with The Word: A Storytelling Sanctuary and volunteered with the Representation Matters Mentorship Program, in addition to serving on the board of the Penguin Random House LGBTQ+ Network. He has also worked as a bookseller, a Spanish-English translator, and a college writing instructor.

Find out more about Matt’s editing taste here.

 

Matt will be critiquing:

·        Picture book fiction

·        Picture book nonfiction

·        Picture book dummy

·        Middle grade fiction

·        Middle grade nonfiction

·        YA fiction

·        YA nonfiction

·        Graphic novels fiction or nonfiction

·        Novel-in-verse

 

Milena Blue Spruce 

Associate Editor, Little, Brown Books for Young Readers

Milena Blue Spruce is an Associate Editor at Little, Brown Books for Young Readers. She has been at LBYR for 5 years and acquires projects across all age categories: picture books, middle grade, young adult, and new adult. Milena is particularly interested in finding projects with disability representation, and her favorite project to read is a young adult speculative novel. When not at work, she's passionate about volunteering at her local food pantry, volunteer gardening at the park, and feeding the local feral cat colony.     

Milena will be critiquing:

• Picture book nonfiction
• Middle grade fiction
• YA fiction
• Novel-in-verse

 

Tova Seltzer 

Assistant Editor, Neal Porter Books

Tova Seltzer (she/her) joined the Neal Porter Books team in 2022, with a background in freelance editing, sensitivity reading, and bookselling. She is looking to acquire fresh, surprising picture books with spare, potent prose and a strong narrative arc, whether fiction or nonfiction. She’s also partial to books touching on art and design (triple points for interior design and architecture). A few of her all-time favorites are Pokko and the Drum by Matthew Forsythe, Everything You Need for a Treehouse by Carter Higgins and Emily Hughes, and Speak Up, Blanche! by Emily Arnold McCully.

 Tova’s wishlist can be found here.

 For the 2026 Critique Carousel, Tova will be critiquing:

• Picture book fiction 
• Picture book nonfiction 
• Picture book dummy 

 

RECAP:

If you read the last installment where our agents were introduced, then the following is a review. If you didn’t read last installment, find it here. And to refresh your memory:

• Remember to research the professionals you’d like to submit to, read interviews with them, find out their Manuscript Wish Lists, and read the information on their professional websites. I’ve given you links and a start above, but there’s more, so much more.

• Be sure your manuscripts/portfolios/dummies are in tip-top shape. Being professional and following guidelines goes a long way in proving you’ve done your due diligence.

• Here’s the website with all the details: cost, guidelines, procedures, and more.

• Registration will open September 19 for SCBWI-Michigan members. If you haven’t yet joined SCBWI, do so here (you’ll get a better rate for the event)!

• E&I scholarship available!

 

·       Questions? We have answers! 😊 Please read through all the info before emailing me!

 

September 1-12 - E&I scholarship application period

September 19 – Critique Carousel 2026 opens for Michigan SCBWI members

September 20 – Critique Carousel 2026 opens for all KidLit creators

September 30 – Registration closes

October 1 at 11 PM – all materials due via the form provided with your paid registration

 

Good luck, everyone!

 

Your Critique Carousel Coordinator,

Wendy BooydeGraaff

critiquecarousel@gmail.com

 

Wendy BooydeGraaff is the author of the picture book Salad Pie (Ripple Grove Press/Chicago Review Press) and her middle grade story “The Michigan Triangle” was included in the Haunted States of America anthology (Henry Holt, 2024). Her poetry, fiction, and essays have been included in Alaska Quarterly Review, X-R-A-Y, South Dakota Review, Southword, and elsewhere. Connect on Bluesky @onlybooyskies.bsky.social.

Author/illustrator Spotlight: Amy Nielander

Mom and me, Bologna, Blob, Detroit Month of Design, and workshops: Author/illustrator Amy Nielander

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

 

[Note: the items in italics are from my research into Amy Nielander. My questions follow the italicized items.]

My mom taught me storytelling skills. As a child, I listened to her turn everyday experiences into fascinating tales. She loved to write and shared her work with me often. I remember one particular novel she was working on and how she chipped away at each chapter. Being a full-time working parent (with four kids!), sitting down was a luxury. My mom did not have blocks of time to write, so she talked through scenes when we were together (in the kitchen or the car), and “air” revised. I soaked it all up! I loved hearing her map out the big picture then zoom in on character details. My mom’s creativity stretched and curled with every world she imagined. She continued sharing her stories with me even after I graduated from college and moved away. Now, I have a hefty binder labeled “Mom’s Stories” with the manuscripts she mailed to me back then.

What a gift to have a parent sharing their writing dream, and more importantly, the patient process of writing while busy with Life. Did your mom ever succeed in getting published?

Thank you for sharing this, Charlie, and having me on the blog! Yes. I feel blessed to have had such a loving and creative mom. Unfortunately, she never found a publisher. She hoped to get published, but that wasn’t why she wrote. She truly loved writing. The act of writing comforted her. And completing a story brought her much joy.

Mom and me

Amy Nielander graduated from College for Creative Studies in Detroit, Michigan. Before becoming an Author/Illustrator, she worked as a product designer and digital sculptor in the automotive industry.

What products did you help design? How does one sculpt digitally?

After I graduated from CCS, I worked for a mountain bike component manufacturer. One of my first projects was to design a grip cover for smaller hands. I was the only female designer in the group and they ended up calling it “Amy”, which was a big boost for a young designer (who did not do a lot of mountain biking). 

After that project, I worked on a shifter for comfort bikes along with a few other conceptual products. Those experiences led me to Germany and Taiwan where I worked closely with both engineering and manufacturing groups. I learned a lot during my time there and am grateful for the people I worked with along the way!

I became a digital sculptor after I moved back to Michigan. Digital sculptors translate sketches into digital data by creating surfaces. They use 3D modeling programs to build (sculpt) those surfaces. 

Sculpting, in this way, is far more technical than creative. Mechanical parts are usually involved and surfaces have to wrap around or sit on top of them. After surfaces are approved, that data is used to build prototypes or manufacture parts. 

Shifter

You’ve gotten three picture books published during challenging times. How many picture book drafts have you (for now) set aside? Do you “pull the plug” on projects, or is there always hope?

My agent has pitched three stories since My Name Is NOT Ed Tug, but unfortunately, they did not find a publisher. Those rejections broke my heart because I really loved the characters and believed in their stories, but it was time to move on. I’m still hopeful they’ll find a new life in the future!

This year, I participated in Storystorm for the 2^nd time and shared a list of concepts with my agent. She picked her favorites and now I’m working on the first story. 

Unlike a lot of artists, your interest in illustration bloomed later in life, when you went to the College for Creative Studies. What series of events prompted you to embrace the visual arts?

Drawing has always been a big part of my life (as well as writing and reading), since childhood. I graduated with a degree in Industrial Design and worked as a product designer for a few years (then as a digital sculptor). 

It wasn’t until my kids were born that I began experimenting with picture books. When I was looking for ways to build a more creative and flexible career, my mom and I teamed up to submit a story she wrote for a godchild (her text, my illustrations). Sadly, we only collected rejections, but I fell in love with the process of pairing words with art.

Eventually, I learned about SCBWI and began honing that craft. After years of attending conferences, workshops, classes, submitting work and collecting rejections, I finally broke through after entering the Silent Book Contest. 

My story, The Ladybug Race, became a finalist and I was invited to attend the Bologna Book Fair that year. It was a surreal experience because it all happened so fast! Each finalist had their story on display which was an incredible honor. 

When I returned, I researched publishers and submitted the story for publication. Pomegranate Kids picked it up, (no longer in print now) and Terre di MezzoEditore continues to publish the Italian version.

It has been a joy to create activities for The Ladybug Race, as well as see the fun projects educators have made with their students. One of my favorite experiences was participating in a parade! We made a giant book along with ladybug wings for kids to wear. 

Tell us about The Blob Blog.

Thank you for asking, Charlie! The blog has evolved since 2014 and is now called the Create a Character blog. It’s been an exciting journey!

In a nutshell, the blog is a playful drawing practice I’ve kept (with occasional breaks) for 12 years now. It began when my kids were in elementary school. We loved drawing together, and I wanted to figure out a way for us to draw together regularly. 

So, I designed the Create a Character Activity. We used simple tools and shapes to let our imaginations run wild and created characters every week. These drawing dates added a boost of fun to our day because they were low pressure (rough sketches).

We created characters for 2.5 years together, and I posted our progress on my blog. Families (and guest artists!) were invited to join us along the way. Thank you to Michigan artists Virginia Rinkel, Heidi Woodward Sheffield, and Aaron Zenz for being the blog’s first participants! I am very thankful for everyone’s generosity and time. (Virginia and Heidi also tried the blob blog.)

In 2024, I decided to take the activity on the road. I had just released the Create a Character Book One (which includes the first 25 activity sheets) and wondered if families could embrace drawing to deepen their connection at home (without screens).

I reached out to local libraries to host workshops the first year and refined the experience based on how both kids and adults interacted with the drawing activities. 

The second year, hosts included a senior living center and two mental health organizations. It’s been a growth experience for me (still is) but so rewarding. 

This is my third summer leading workshops, and I could not be happier with the response. When kids and adults draw alongside each other, meaningful moments sprout! From enthusiastic high-fives to questions that lead to storytelling, workshops help families engage with one another. 

A big takeaway parents/caregivers leave with is that being creative does not require a closet full of materials or mediums. A pencil and paper can go a long way! 

This little activity is taking on a whole new life. I was honored to be a speaker at the Michigan Library Association’s Spring Institute Conference this past March, where I shared my playful drawing journey. 

I also led the first large-scale Create a Character Community Activity. Youth librarians created characters together and we had a gallery displaying everyone’s collaborative designs. It was a wonderful experience. Before that event, we tested the activity at Eastern Market during Detroit Month of Design.

My hope is that drawing workshops not only bring people together but also raise awareness about the creative process. When adults and kids create characters on their own, it may deepen appreciation for the work we do as writers and illustrators.

When I came up with the idea I had just learned about the Silent Book Contest through SCBWI, specifically Ruth McNally Barshaw (forever indebted to Ruth!).  Since The Ladybug Race was a picture book that challenged genre boundaries it seemed like the perfect platform to test it out.

Wow! I’d forgotten that part. (Ruth had, too.) You were a member of SCBWI-MI for many years. Throughout the interviews, you list many instances when a conference, a critique, a chance meeting helped you along your path to publication. What has SCBWI in particular, and writing groups in general, done for you?

SCBWI helped me grow as an author illustrator when I began my writing journey. Now, I work closely with my writing group. In the past, I’ve collected valuable feedback through SCBWI conferences and pursued opportunities I learned about in forums. I’m grateful for supportive members (like Ruth!) and volunteers (like you!) who help us become the best writers/illustrators we can possibly be.

Tell us about being a Children’s Book Coach at the Detroit Writing Room. Have you helped others get published?

First, I have to shine a light on the creative force behind The Detroit Room, founder, Stephanie Steinberg. She has not only built a strong community of writers in the area, but is helping high schoolers too, through DWR’s non-profit arm Coaching Detroit Forward. Readers can learn more about that program, coaches and events on the DWR website.

Being a Children’s Book Coach has been such a rewarding experience! I work with writers at every stage of their picture book writing journey, but most clients tend to share their first draft with me. 

As a writer and illustrator, I’ve accumulated much feedback over the years, from vague (unhelpful) comments to constructive critiques. I really strive to give every writer something concrete to run with, then wrap it with encouragement! 

We’ve had two children’s book writers (that I know of) self-publish their stories: Lauren Evasic and Gerry Boylan. Gerry’s story began as a picture book, but after he learned about word count, he chose to develop a middle grade story instead (worked with a different DWR coach).

Coaching writers for the past few years has been an absolute privilege. Each story has a personal experience attached to it and I feel honored when writers share that inspiration with me. I learn a lot from them too!

                                      Gerry wrote his story, Showdown At Firefly Island, with his grandson, Eli)
 

If your publishing career has proven anything, it’s that persistence pays off. There were many years of effort before The Ladybug Race. Many more years before the publication of Grama’s Hug. And then more years until My Name is NOT Ed Tug. How do you keep going in this tough industry?

Believing that my work helps or inspires others in some small way is what keeps me going.

What’s next for Amy?

I’m working on a new picture book story I hope to submit to publishers soon. More drawing workshops are being scheduled, including an event at Michigan Central. I’m teaming up with The Detroit Writing Room to host a Parent Child Drawing Workshop there on Thursday, August 6^th, 7-8pm. All caregivers and families are welcome! Lastly, thanks to a grant from Michigan Women Forward this year, I’m developing the Create a Character platform. I’ll share those updates on my blog.

 

Please list any social media you wish to share:

Website: https://www.amynielander.com/

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

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