Author Mentorship with Kade Dishmon or Zoie Konneker, Editors from Peachtree Publishing
Sep 27, 2026 - Apr 15, 2027
Online event
Offers SCBWI Premium Member authors the opportunity to work directly with Kade Dishmon or Zoie Konneker.
San Diego SCBWI is excited to offer 16 Author Mentorships with Zoie Konneker (for picture books) and Kade Dishmon (for middle grade and young adult), Editors from Peachtree Publishing. The Author Mentorship is open to Unpublished SCBWI Member authors to work on their manuscript directly with Konneker or Dishmon.
Round 1: Author's initial submission will receive written critique notes from their chosen editor - on both the submission and SCBWI critique form as well as 15-minute one-on-one Zoom critiques.
Round 2: Revised submissions will receive written critique notes and final 15-minute Zoom critiques.
The mentorships will conclude with a one-hour live Zoom Q&A session with your chosen editor.
We expect this Mentorship opportunity to fill up quickly, so mark your calendars! Please only sign up for one mentorship with one faculty member as spaces are limited and we want to give everyone a chance.
Registration opens on Sunday, September 27th at 4 p.m. (PT) for SCBWI San Diego Home Region Premium Members. If mentorship spots are still available, Non-San Diego Home Region Premium members may register on September 29 at 4 p.m. (PT). (If you are not a San Diego Home Region Member and you register before September 29, you will be removed from the mentorship program.)
Kade Dishmon, Assistant Editor at Peachtree Publishing and Peachtree Teen
Kade Dishmon (they/he) is an assistant editor at Peachtree Publishing and Peachtree Teen. An example of a recently published novel that Kade acquired is AND THE TREES STARE BACK by Gigi Griffis, a YA folk horror that was named a Kirkus Best Book of the Year, a YALSA Best Fiction for Young Adults Title, a CCBC Choice Book, a Bank Street Best Book of the Year, and a Green Mountain Book Award nominee. Kade most loves books that have something important to say—either sociopolitically or about life itself. They’re drawn to MG and YA fiction with cathartic character arcs, visceral emotional immediacy, and real thematic depth. And while he's open to most genres excluding off-world SFF, he's a sucker for all things scary, speculative, and unapologetically strange.
Kade Dishmon's Critique Preferences
MG, YA, Mystery/Thriller, Contemporary Fantasy, Contemporary, Novels in Verse, Graphic Novels (text +art), Romance, Historical Fiction, Magical Realism, Horror, Dystopia.
Zoie Konneker, Assistant Editor at Peachtree Publishing Company
Zoie Janelle Konneker (she/her) is an Assistant Editor at Peachtree Publishing Company in Atlanta, Georgia. She has worked on projects from award-winning nonfiction picture books by Sibert Honor winning authors to bestselling young adult novels, including a Printz Honor book. Her list includes the acclaimed YA debut In The Country I Love by Alaa Al-Barkawi and the New York Times bestselling picture book The Littlest Yak by Lu Fraser. In her free time, she can be found bottle feeding foster kittens at 3 a.m. or hunched over her sewing machine. You can find her current MSWL and social media links at: linktr.ee/zoie.janelle
Zoie Konneker's Critique Preferences
The manuscript should be child-centered and should contain realistic, culturally relevant themes. The history and liberation of the LGBTQIA+, BIPOC, and differently abled communities are top priorities for me, so stories that provide unique, authentic perspectives and insight into their histories and experiences are especially intriguing. I tend to fall in love with books that make me laugh and/or cry—especially those that do both!
I am looking for fiction and non-fiction picture books for children ages 4 to 8 years old. I prefer stories with an original message that provide insight into a lesser-known topic or showcase an underrepresented perspective or identity. In fiction, I look for stories with a strong voice and a commercial hook. In non-fiction, I strongly prefer material that would supplement U.S. public school curriculum and belong in a classroom or library setting.
As I am still developing my picture book list, I am currently open to a broader range of genres and topics. However, I would not be the best fit for:
- Birth to death biographies
- Holiday-themed books
- Bathroom humor
- Fairies and Unicorns
Mentorship Timeline
September 27 (Sunday) at 4 p.m.: Registration opens for SCBWI members residing in the San Diego Region.
September 29 (Tuesday) at 4 p.m. Registration opens for SCBWI members who live outside of San Diego.
Round 1:
October 10 (Saturday), by 10 p.m.: Mentees receive a link to their Google Folders. (Save your Google Folder link until the end of the Mentorship. You will use it to upload your work and to see comments for each critique round.)
October 16 (Friday): Mentees upload their submissions to their Google Folders by this date
November 20 (Friday): Critique forms and notes on the submission are returned by faculty to Google Folders.
December 1-3 (Tuesday-Thursday), from 4-7 p.m. (PT): 1st Round of Critiques. These virtual critiques are 15 minutes each.
Round 2:
March 9 (Tuesday), 2027, by noon: Mentees upload revised or new pages to the Google Folder.
April 9 (Friday): Critique forms and notes on the submission are returned to Google Folders.
April 13-15 (Tuesday-Thursday), from 4-7 p.m.: 2nd Round of Critiques. These virtual critiques are 15 minutes each.
April 13 (Tuesday), 6:30-7:30 p.m. (PT) Zoie Konneker’s one-hour Zoom Meet & Greet Q&A
April 14 (Wednesday), 6:30-7:30 p.m. (PT) Kade Dishmon’s one-hour Zoom Meet & Greet Q&A