SCBWI SF North East Bay: Create Well: Making Space for Mental Health & Creativity

Natasha Yim is the co-Assistant Regional Advisor for the San Francisco North & East Bay region. She is the author of 12 picture books, including Goldy Luck and the Three Pandas, Luna's Yum Yum Dim Sum, and the upcoming Luna and the Case of the Missing Mooncakes, releasing on Aug. 12, 2025. She holds a B.A. in English Literature with a Writing Emphasis, and a M.S. in Counseling Psychology from Dominican University of California, and currently teaches and facilitates mental health awareness trainings for the Mendocino County Office of Education. She has long been a mental health advocate, and strongly believes that everyone should prioritize mental health and self-care.

Emily Jiang is the Co-Regional Advisor for the SCBWI San Francisco South region, and the author of Summoning the Phoenix: Poems & Prose about Chinese Musical Instruments, published by Lee & Low. An inadvertent lyricist, she holds an MFA in Creative Writing from Saint Mary's College of California and her poems & prose have been published in Weird Tales, Uncanny Magazine, Strange Horizons, and What Publishing Taught Me, an anthology sponsored by the Science Fiction & Fantasy Writers Association. She also holds a Masters degree in Traditional Chinese Medicine and a certification in qi gong. She has practiced mindfulness as part of her meditation practice for several years.

Monica Wesolowska is an author, editor, and teacher. She's also the Co-Alameda County Coordinator for the SF North and East Bay region. Her most recent children’s book ELBERT IN THE AIR was named a “Best Book of the Year” by Bank Street College of Education while her debut LEO + LEA won an SCBWI Crystal Kite Award. Her memoir for adults HOLDING SILVAN: A BRIEF LIFE was named a “Best Book of the Year” by The Boston Globe. For over two decades, she has taught creative writing at Stanford Continuing Studies and elsewhere while also running an independent editing business. Read more at www.monicawesolowska.com.

The SF North and East Bay region's Co-Illustrator Coordinator, Zuzu Gong (she/her) is a sketchbook lover, picture book illustrator and 2023 We Need Diverse Book mentee, currently seeking representation. Born in an Eastern culture but shaped by the West, she sees the beauty in diverse cultures—and more importantly, the similarities that connect them. Her experience working with both kids and grown-ups as an art instructor in public schools and libraries inspires her to create images that offer a moment of rest and joy—where children and the young at heart can immerse themselves and simply enjoy the moment. Enthusiastic about experimenting and crafting vibrant illustrations, Zuzu uses a mix of media including pastel, ink, gouache, and digital tools. For her, the creative process is full of magic: “You never know what magic you’ll create, until your brush meets the paper.”

Genevieve "Gennie" Gorback is an early childhood educator with a Master's of Education in Teaching and a BA in Women's Studies. She's a play advocate and her book with co-author Kate Allen Fox is called GO PLAY: How Parents Can Empower Kids to Build Their Own Worlds will be published in Spring 2026. Gennie writes across genres, but all of her work comes from a deep understanding of child development. She volunteers as her local SCBWI County Coordinator. Gennie was a finalist for the 2022 de Groot Courage to Write Grant, a recipient of a 2022 and a 2024 Highlights Foundation Scholarship, and the recipient of the 2023-24 Neurodiverse Scholarship for The Courage to Create Community through The Writing Barn. Gennie is represented by Katie Bircher at Sara Crowe Literary and lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with her college-sweetheart and two daughters.