SCBWI WWA EI Charter
The SCBWI Western Washington region is committed to carrying out SCBWI’s mission to support the creation and availability of quality children’s books in every region of the world. We recognize that fulfilling this mission requires us to celebrate and support writers and illustrators from a broad spectrum of backgrounds. We plan to achieve this by:
>Reducing barriers to membership in SCBWI WWA and participation in sponsored activities for marginalized groups, be they financial or social, through scholarships, sliding scale admission fees, reduced fees for events with industry professionals, and event location.
>Advocating for BIPOC, LGBTQ+, and disabled (hearing, visual, physically challenged) representation in faculty.
>Serving as a safe conduit for marginalized members to communicate with the Advisory Committee and to interact with and join SCBWI.
>Celebrating and promoting works by creators from historically underrepresented groups from Western Washington and beyond as a way of affirming our commitment as a chapter to the concept of We Need Diverse Books.
>Creating guidelines and structures that support SCBWI WWA being a safe, inclusive environment.
>Sharing EI educational opportunities as they arise with our membership.
SCBWI EI Statement
The Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators stands together with the African-American community in our unequivocal stance against racial inequity and prejudice. We deplore the legacy of tragedy, pain, cruelty, and fear that have resulted from long-standing explicit and implicit racism. We must examine and dismantle racism. Our members create books that will influence what kind of adults children grow up to be and how they see themselves reflected in the world. We want those stories to speak to all children, to tell the truth no matter how difficult it is to face, and to contribute to the message of today––that the time has come to end racial inequity forever. Black Lives Matter. Black Children’s lives matter.
Western Washington is working to launch local (WWA) activities–book clubs, webinars, links to resources–with the express purpose of amplifying the voices of kidlit Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) creators and supporting their work in our region. In this work, we welcome the voices of BIPOC creators on ways our chapter can improve and are ready to act on those suggestions. Our Regional Team will be working as liaisons to April Powers, SCBWI’s new Equity and Inclusion Officer as well.
SCBWI recommends the following resources for learning more about this work: https://www.scbwi.org/black-lives-matter-resources/
Meet the EI Team
Ellie Peterson is a picture book author, illustrator, and science educator living in the Seattle area. Her work is inspired by her many years of teaching and her upbringing as a biracial army brat. Her picture books include The Reason for the Seasons, It’s a Round, Round World, and Bea’s Bees (by Katherine Pryor). Her next book, How to Hug a Pufferfish will debut in 2022. When she’s not in the lab, she enjoys experimenting with art supplies in her home studio and visiting local schools. Find out more about Ellie at elliepetersonart.com.
Holly Huckeba works as a high school paraeducator and Gender & Sexuality Alliance (GSA) advisor. In turn, Holly gets schooled all over again on the glorious messiness of being young. To catch this lightening in a bottle for writing, Holly must wake up early in the morning, sometimes known as the middle of the night. Holly earned a Master’s Degree in Writing for Children and Young Adults from Vermont College of Fine Arts (VCFA), and loves to talk about it! Holly lives in a cottage in Bellevue with their partner, a dog and two cats, and a dwindling flock of chickens.
Suma Subramaniam is the contributing author of The Hero Next Door (Penguin Random House, July 2019). She is also the author of She Sang For India: How MS Subbulakshmi Used Her Voice For Change (Macmillan FSG, Winter 2022) and Namaste Is A Greeting (Candlewick, Fall 2022). She is the Director of the Internships Grants Committee at We Need Diverse Books. She hires tech professionals for a leading software company during the day and is a writer by night. Suma has an MFA in Creative Writing from Vermont College of Fine Arts and degrees in computer science and management. Visit her website at https://sumasubramaniam.com.
Dolores Andral is a writer, mother, and former preschool teacher. Dolores has an MFA in Creative Writing from Queens University in Charlotte, NC. When Dolores isn’t writing, who are we kidding—she’s always writing! But if she has spare time loves creating clay characters and is teaching herself animation.
Julie Artz helps writers tell their stories as a book coach and freelance editor. She also writes stories for children that feature the natural world, folklore, mythology, history, and all that is magical about those things. Since her first work-study job editing papers and resumes at DePauw University, she’s made her living writing and editing everything from computer manuals to training materials, from press releases and marketing copy to gardening articles, from flash fiction to novel-length works. She contributes regularly to bookish blog The Winged Pen and the middle grade book club/newsletter Middle Grade at Heart. A former Regional Advisor, Julie continues to serve on the SCBWI WWA Advisory Committee and participates in its DEI activities.