International Central Region Team

Rekha Salin, is an artist/illustrator from India, living in Bahrain with her husband and two kids. She is passionate about telling stories through pictures and feels there is so much joy in giving characters a place and a world to live in and bringing stories to life which can make a reader laugh, cry, think, empower or just be silly. She has been an SCBWI member since 2020 and loves connecting with people. She comes with a Degree in Finance and Accounting, but telling stories and connecting with people is what she truly loves. When she is not drawing you can find her going on long walks, clicking pictures with her mobile of every random thing she sees and dreaming of food. Spending time with family is her favorite thing to do.

You can know more about here at –

Portfolio- www.rekhasalin.com

Instagram- www.instagram.com/illustrate_daily

Newsletter- https://rekhasalin.substack.com/

Latest book- Little Sheku and the Animal Orchestra 

Catarina Oliveira is a Portuguese-Canadian illustrator currently based in Portugal. 

She started her career as a graphic designer but decided that her love of children's books was too strong to ignore. Her clients include Litter Tiger Press, Orca Press, OwlKids, Ulysses and Penguin Workshop.

Catarina lives by the water with her husband and two stray cats. When she's not working, she enjoys making paper collages, cooking, hiking in the woods, and travelling around the World.

See Catarina's work at-

Portfolio- https://www.catarinaoliveirastudio.com/

Instagram- https://www.instagram.com/catarinaoliveirastudio/

Catarina is represented by Nicole Tugeau at T2 Agency.

Hongyu Jasmine Zhu 朱弘昱 is based between Chengdu, China and Providence, United States, where she studies Comparative Literature and English at Brown University.

She reviews children’s literature on World Kid Lit, Words Without Borders, and Global Literature in Libraries Initiative, serves as Editor-at-Large for China at Asymptote Journal, and writes on grief work. Jasmine’s translation of Taiwanese author Zhou Jianxin’s picture book Little Squirrel and Old Banyan—a story of life and goodbyes passing from branch to branch, telling to telling—will be out with Balestier Press this autumn. She is busy collecting picture books from around the world, dreaming to one day open a reading room where no one is too young or too old to huddle and play.

Elisabeth Norton is the Regional Advisor for the International Central Region (ICR). The ICR is a virtual home region for members who live in countries without a local SCBWI chapter. She works with a team of volunteers to offer ICR members a blog, email newsletter, as well as a few online programs each year. She also serves as the SCBWI Assistant International Advisor for Outreach, and sits on the Advisory Council.

Compensation & perks:

All the events, meetings and programs in the region are planned by our volunteers. We are dedicated to making sure our region is inclusive and reflects the diverse needs of its creatives. 

There aren't any paid positions on the Leadership Team (including the RAs), but we will provide you with a free membership for as long as you hold your volunteer position. Through their work, members of our Leadership Team gain access to professionals in the industry. Plus we are a fun, spirited group who enjoy helping others and growing in the process.

If you are interested in volunteering, please email [email protected]