SCBWI New Mexico's PB 'n' J Day: a Picture Book Intensive

9:30-10:30 AM Mountain Daylight Time ❖ You’ve got a great manuscript and character studies—now what? In this workshop, we’ll put you in the director’s chair by covering the basics in staging your character. Develop a map of your character’s world to envision “camera” angles and framing that can best convey your visual narrative. Bring a sketchbook and a fresh cinematic eye! Learning outcomes include: basic understanding of mapping to envision the character’s world; basic understanding of framing a scene through the cinematic model; basic understanding of point-of-view through linear perspective.

Sheli Petersen exhibits her award-winning artwork at international, national, and regional venues and has six published picture books. Inspired by the wildlife and landscapes she observes on her daily walks, in her visual story-telling Sheli interweaves the detailed accuracy of scientific illustration with her love of world-building, character design, lively interaction, and playful humor to engage kids of all ages. She is an active member of the Society of Children's Book Writers & Illustrators, providing leadership for their Nebraska and North Texas chapters. As Professor of Graphic Design & Illustration at Texas Woman's University, Sheli loves sharing her knowledge and discoveries with her students.

11:00 AM -12:00 PM Mountain Daylight Time ❖ A picture book is more than words and pictures on pages — it is a physical object, a literary “tiny house” where every inch counts. This intensive workshop invites writers to see the picture book as a space to be designed, not just a manuscript to be written. We’ll explore the narrative possibilities of physical elements like trim, page turns, paratext, and especially the overlooked gutter. Drawing on examples from Suzy Lee, Isabel Minhós Martins, and others, we’ll uncover how physical form deepens story. Writers will leave with tools to approach their manuscripts as crafted objects alive with possibility.

Sope Martins is a Nigerian author of children’s and young adult literature, and the Executive Director of The Kid Lit Foundation, which fosters literacy and storytelling across Africa. She is an MFA candidate in Writing for Children & Young Adults at Vermont College of Fine Arts. Her debut picture book Hairstory (Atheneum/Caitlyn Dlouhy Books, 2026) explores identity through the lens of Black hair. Sope brings her dual expertise as a writer and craft lecturer to help others unlock the narrative potential of the picture book form.

12:30-1:30 PM Mountain Daylight Time ❖ From the first line to the last word, learn techniques for plotting your picture book. We will discuss tips on how to leave room for an illustrator and find ways to choose the most irresistible words. We will also look at quick and painless methods for editing without ruining your masterpiece.

Ann Marie Stephens is the author of numerous picture books including the ARITHMECHICKS series, the CATastrophe! series, SO MANY BOOKS! (with Sue Fliess), and more. Her books have been translated into multiple languages and have been featured on lists such as, Fuse #8, Children’s Book Council, and Hot Off the Press. She is a retired, award-winning elementary teacher with over 30 years in the classroom. Ann Marie’s poetry and literacy work has been featured in Bon Appetit Magazine and on NPR. She is represented by Emily Mitchell at Wernick & Pratt Agency.

2:00-3:00 PM Mountain Daylight Time ❖ Picture books are meant to be read aloud and successful ones frequently sound like a song. Join author Debra Kempf Shumaker for a session on lyrical language techniques that help picture book texts sing. She will cover poetic techniques that include sound devices (alliteration, assonance, consonance, rhyme, and repetition) and figurative language (simile, metaphor, and imagery.) Debra will share the strategies and tools she used when writing her nonfiction rhyming picture books FREAKY, FUNKY FISH and PECULIAR PRIMATES, and her lyrical ode to the wind, WIND IS A DANCE, which was named a 2025 NCTE Notable Book of Poetry.

Debra Kempf Shumaker loves weird and fascinating facts. When she isn’t reading or writing, she enjoys hiking, gardening, setting puzzles, and watching Jeopardy. She lives in Northern Virginia with her husband and two cats. She is the author of both fiction and nonfiction picture books, including rhyming nonfiction FREAKY, FUNKY FISH and PECULIAR PRIMATES, and WIND IS A DANCE, an NCTE 2025 Notable Book in Poetry. Two more picture books, SUNDAY SCARIES and FIRE IS A CHORUS, will hit bookstores in 2026 and 2027.