THE ART OF THE STEAL: When Illustrators Look to the Work of Other Artists (best for adults)

Join illustrators Doug Salati, K-Fai Steele and Rowboat Watkins as they talk with fierce children’s books advocate, Susannah Richards, about looking to other illustrators for inspiration  – archive-diving and backlist scouring abound. They’ll love on the work of James Marshall, Maurice Sendak, William Steig, and more! Join us!

Doug Salati  – Doug grew up in central New York and studied art and illustration at Skidmore College and RIT.  He received his MFA from the Illustration as Visual Essay program at the School of Visual Arts and was a 2015 Sendak Fellow. His first book was In a Small Kingdom by Tomie DePaola, and his second, Lawrence in the Fall by Matthew Farina, was a 2020 Ezra Jack Keats Illustrator Award Honoree, a Society of Illustrators Original Art Show selection and Junior Library Guild Gold Standard selection. He lives and works in New York City.

Pre-order Hot Dog 

K-Fai Steele – K-Fai Steele is an author-illustrator who grew up in a house built in the 1700s with a printing press her father bought from a magician. She wrote and illustrated A Normal Pig and the forthcoming All Eyes on Ozzy! and has illustrated several other books. She was a James Marshall Fellow at the University of Connecticut, a Brown Handler Writer in Residence at the San Francisco Public Library, and an Ezra Jack Keats/Kerlan Memorial Fellow at the University of Minnesota. Born in Charlton, Massachusetts, K-Fai now lives in Lausanne, Switzerland.

Purchase All Eyes On Ozzy

Rowboat Watkins – Rowboat Watkins is somehow a dad, who likes to tell stories and draw…with kids. He doesn’t believe in turtlenecks or boots, and is a recipient of the Sendak Fellowship and the Ezra Jack Keats New Illustrator Honor Award. Rowboat lives with his family (who have divergent opinions about footwear and shirts) in Brooklyn, NY, and shares a studio with three incredible picture book makers: Sophie Blackall, Brian Floca, and Doug Salati. Learn more at rowboatwatkins.com.

Purchase Mabel: A Mermaid Fable 

Susannah Richards – Susannah Richards is an associate professor of education at Eastern Connecticut State University where she teaches courses in English Language Arts and Children’s and Young Adult Literature. She earned a PhD in Educational Psychology/Gifted Education from the University of Connecticut. She was a member of the 2013 John Newbery Award Committee, 2017 Geisel Committee, and other book award committees. You can always identify Susannah Richards by the white file box full of books she’s lugging from one place to the next. Often heard before seen, Susannah’s mission is to spread the joy and appreciation of literature to readers of all ages. Be it through teacher education, consulting or just throwing in her two-cents whenever the opportunity arises. She regularly presents on books and book-ish topics at international, national and state conferences including ILA, NCTE, AASL, NCSS and NSTA .