MEET THE TEAM: Louisiana & Mississippi have been aligned as a region since 2013, a natural fit as the two states share a rich cultural, literary, and artistic past. REGION OFFICE HOURS: We are all volunteers and do our best to reply to emails as quickly as possible. The best times to reach us and receive email replies are during the week: • Monday-Friday afternoon/evenings THE TEAM: Marti Dumas, Regional Advisor, is a mom, teacher, and creative entrepreneur from New Orleans. An expert in childhood literacy, Marti has worked with children and teachers across the country for the last 15 years to promote an early love of reading both in and out of the classroom. Her best-selling Jaden Toussaint, the Greatest series combines literacy with STEM skills and humor, and adds much-needed diversity to the children’s chapter book landscape. Her latest books, Jupiter Storm and The Little Human are middle-grade fantasies being heralded for their skillful combination of science, family, and magic. Gary Alipio, Assistant Regional Advisor, joined SCBWI in 2001 when he decided to start sharing the stories he wanted to read as a kid. Fast forward a marathon later, and his middle grade debut, The Craziest Fishing Tale on the Bayou, was selected to represent Louisiana at the Library of Congress National Book Festival in Washington, D.C. The book was also an SCBWI Crystal Kite finalist. Gary has two short stories in the spooky middle grade Bayou Bogeyman Presents: Hoodoo and Voodoo (both books with Pelican Publishing.) When not writing, you can find him fishing, biking and hanging with his middle grade daughter around NOLA. Read more at: garyalipio.com Follow him on twitter/instagram: @garygalipio Denise Gallagher, Illustrator Coordinator, joined SCBWI in 2014. Her writing and illustration are inspired by her passion for unusual animals, folklore, and fairy tales. She is the author and illustrator of the picture book, A Tip Tap Tale (2017, UL University Press). She has also illustrated folktales for both Louisiana and Canadian authors including Jean-le-Chasseur et Ses Chiens, a Cajun folktale by folklorist Barry Ancelet, and Peg Bearskin, a traditional Newfoundland folktale published in Canada. She is devoted to promoting a love of arts and literature in children and has given lectures and classes to students from kindergarten through college. Her illustrations have won numerous national awards and her fine art work has been exhibited in museums and galleries in Los Angeles, New York, Portland, Indianapolis and throughout Louisiana. In 2019, a retrospective of her picture book illustrations was exhibited at the Hilliard University Art Museum in her home town of Lafayette, Louisiana. Laura Roach Dragon, Manuscript Coordinator, joined SCBWI in 2007 hoping to learn how to get her middle-grade novel traditionally published. Hurricane Boy was published by Pelican Publishing seven years later. It went on to win an SCBWI Crystal Kite. Two other books soon followed Bayou Bogeyman Presents Voodoo and Hoodoo and Scary New Orleans. She is also published in the literary magazine, THEMA. In her regular life, she’s a psychotherapist and works with the Jefferson Parish schools. Laura always dreamed of writing, but without SCBWI’s meetings and conferences, she knows it never would have happened. Alisha Johnson Perry, Critique Group Coordinator currently uses her writing and storytelling skills to raise funds for an educational non-profit charter schools management organization, FirstLine Schools. Employing her sensibilities for relationship and consensus building, Alisha leads an integral team of fundraising professionals and volunteers who leverage local, regional and national partners and individual contributions, to resource strategic school-based initiatives that nurture the whole child, in mind, body and spirit. Alisha holds a juris doctorate in Civil Law and a bachelor’s degree in Journalism and Spanish. She enjoys words, whether on Scrabble vocabulary lists or in children’s books. Sarah Frances Hardy, PAL Coordinator. is an artist and a former lawyer. She is the author/illustrator of three picture books: PUZZLED BY PINK (Viking); DRESS ME! (Sky Pony Press); and PAINT ME! (Sky Pony Press). Sarah Frances is working on several more picture books as well as an illustrated middle grade novel, all of which are in various stages of revision. A resident of Oxford, Mississippi, Sarah Frances is surrounded by a wonderful community of writers and readers. She serves on the boards of the Friends of the University of Mississippi Library and the Mississippi Institute of Arts and Letters. Read more at www.sfhardy.com Carol Stubbs, Acadiana Coordinator. It is my joy to be a part of the Louisiana Mississippi chapter of SCBWI. I lead the Critique Group for the Acadiana region in Louisiana. This critique group is home to amazingly creative writers and illustrators, and it’s exciting and inspiring to follow their writing/illustrating process. All of us learn so much from each other. Any interested writer or illustrator is welcome to join our group. We meet once a month, and the date and time are published on the region website. I co-write children’s books with Nancy Rust, who is also a member of our regional group. We have been writing together since 2011 and now have three published books with another coming out late summer 2021. Our first book is about Louisiana, A Louisiana Christmas: Heritage Recipes and Hometown Celebrations. Our second book is What’s Watching Me? and Other Animal Stories, a middle-grade book with ten short stories about animals. Each story is followed by facts about animals. Our third book is Andrew Higgins and the Boats That Landed Victory in World War II, a picture book biography that tells the extraordinary story of a boy whose passion for building boats led to the production of the iconic landing craft used by the Allies in World War II. Our fourth book, scheduled for release August 2021 is The Rose Without a Name, a picture book inspired by true events. Courtney Warren, Membership Coordinator, is a writer for her local newspaper The Bolivar Commercial, a storyteller instructor, and an English teacher in Mississippi. She graduated from Hollins University with a master’s degree in Children’s Literature and is an active member of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators. She loves to read just about anything placed on the shelves but has a special place in her heart for the Harry Potter series. When she is not writing about herself in third person, she loves reading picture books to her students and writing stories based in the Mississippi Delta. She lives in the Madison, MS area with her football coach husband Brett and spunky toddler Berit. She can often be found drinking Earl Grey tea from a very prissy teacup and blogging at planondeltatime.blogspot.com Monique Stevenson, Communications Coordinator, is a writer, artist, and a creative entrepreneur from the Mississippi Gulf Coast. She is passionate about helping children become lifelong readers. She uses storytelling to connect with people of all ages. When she is not writing, you can find her hanging out with friends and family or reading books to children in her community EQUITY & INCLUSION TEAM: Whitney Stewart is an award-winning author of fiction and nonfiction books for kids — toddlers to young adults. When she is not writing, she teaches mindfulness and meditation to kids. You can find Stewart’s books on her website link below or wherever you buy books. Find Whitney at: Twitter: @whitneystewart2 Instagram @whitneystewart2 Facebook/WhitneyStewartAuthor or at www.whitneystewart.com Christine Cole is currently an Illustration student at Rocky Mountain College of Art and Design. She has a background in early childhood education and was a certified ABA therapist before she decided to chase her dream to become an artist. With her degree in illustration, she aspires to create teaching tools for ABA therapists as well as illustrate children’s books. Karen Wallsten is the author and illustrator of “The Adventures of Shiko and Walter,” a tale about a dead oak tree (Walter) and his life long companion Shiko, a tree sprite, who live in her Hammond, Louisiana backyard. As a retired public school teacher, Karen enjoys sharing story-related life science programs with children at schools, libraries and other local venues. She is currently working on a second Shiko and Walter book. For more information, visit www.shikoandwalteradventures.com Margeaux Weston is an editor, sensitivity reader, and writer. She has a degree in English, with a concentration in writing and culture, from Louisiana State University. She has written four children’s books, including two in the upcoming Days That Changed America series for Capstone Publishing. Margeaux is also an editor at the Hugo nominated Fiyah Magazine. As an editor, she enjoys working with speculative fiction, kid lit, nonfiction, and historical fiction.