SCBWI Oregon: The Great Critique - Winter 2024

KIM T. GRISWELL has written about everything from flesh-eating plants to exploding toilets and spends as much of each day as possible reading, writing, and critiquing children’s books. For twenty years, Kim worked in senior editorial and book development positions in children’s and educational publishing, including at Highlights for Children, The Mailbox Book Company, Boyds Mills Press, and Portable Press. Kim has taught writing workshops, visited schools, and done readings of her work across the country. She has published hundreds of short stories, articles, columns, and blog posts, as well as a dozen books for educational publishers. She is the author of three picture books about the intrepid pink hero, RUFUS LEROY WILLIAMS III: RUFUS GOES TO SCHOOL, RUFUS GOES TO SEA (both Oregon Book Awards finalists), and RUFUS BLASTS OFF! She and her husband live in a tiny house beneath a towering redwood in Ashland, Oregon.

DANE LIU believes in the power of stories to affirm, transport, and transform. Her new release LAOLAO’S DUMPLINGS (Henry Holt BYR/Macmillan) is a “moving tale of intergenerational and community bonds,” says Publishers Weekly in a starred review, and is featured in the Original Art Show, an annual exhibition of “the year’s best children’s books” at the Museum of American Illustration in New York City. Her debut for young readers FRIENDS ARE FRIENDS, FOREVER (Henry Holt BYR/Macmillan) is a Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection, a Kids' Indie Next pick, and a best of the year from the Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books. Her nonfiction picture book AMAZING: ASIAN AMERICANS AND PACIFIC ISLANDERS WHO INSPIRE US ALL (Viking/PRH), cowritten with Olympic Medalists Maia and Alex Shibutani, has been featured on ABC News, NBC News, and CBS Mornings. Dane is a 2023 Oregon Book Award recipient and a 2022 Oregon Literary Career Fellow. As a writer for young people, she hopes to inspire all children to see the beauty of their own stories and the power of sharing them.

Matthew Rivera is an artist from Arizona where he grew up on a diet of Tom and Jerry cartoons, Brady Bunch reruns and Star Wars films. He graduated from the University of Arizona with a Bachelor’s in Fine Arts and then moved to Los Angeles. He worked many years as an art director for advertising agencies, large corporations, and toy companies. Now, he lives in Portland, where he makes art and writes stories for kids. He also works as a senior exhibit designer at the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry. When working on books, you can find him at his desk with a large cup of coffee, while Mavis, his pet rabbit, yanks his shoelaces for extra greens. He is the illustrator of nine picture books to date, and his author and illustrator debut, THE PLANT RESCUER, will be released May 2024 through Holiday House.

GABI SNYDER is a fan of the unexpected and the author of several picture books. Her debut, TWO DOGS ON A TRIKE, illustrated by Robin Rosenthal, was a Kirkus Best Picture Books of 2020 selection. Her second picture book, LISTEN, illustrated by Stephanie Graegin, was a 2022 Oregon Book Award finalist. Gabi’s most recent title, COUNT ON US!, illustrated by Sarah Walsh, is the winner of the 2022 Sigurd F. Olson Nature Writing Award in the children’s category. Gabi is also the author of the upcoming picture books TODAY (2024) and LOOK (2024). Gabi studied psychology at the University of Washington and creative writing at The University of Texas. When she’s not writing, she loves taking nature walks, visiting Little Free Libraries, and baking sweet treats. She lives in Oregon with her family.

JANAY BROWN-WOOD, PhD, is an award-winning children’s author, poet, educator, scholar, and a former professor of Early Childhood Education and Child Development. Her first children’s book IMANI'S MOON won the NAESP Children’s Book of the Year Award and was featured on Stephen Colbert’s The Late Show and her second book GRANDMA'S TINY HOUSE: A COUNTING STORY! won the CELI Read Aloud Book Award. JaNay is also the author of over twenty books including the popular picture book series WHERE IN THE GARDEN, the HARRIET TUBMAN and SIMONE BILES Little Golden Book Biographies, and the chapter book series LOVE PUPPIES. JaNay lives in California with her husband Catrayel, her daughter Vivian, and her turtle Theodora.

Cindy Baldwin is the award-winning author of many middle grade books, including WHERE THE WATERMELONS GROW and NO MATTER THE DISTANCE. She has mentored and critiqued for Pitch Wars, We Need Diverse Books, Storymakers, and SCBWI. In addition to writing fiction, Cindy is a passionate disability activist. She lives near Portland, Oregon, with her husband and daughter.