Interested in “meeting” our Mentors?

Mark your calendar for February 1–8! Every day, we’re releasing fresh Mentor Interviews on the blog at 9:00 AM Eastern Time. Mentors will be expanding on what they want, what they love, and what they hope to see. The best part? You can drop your questions in the comments and connect directly with each Mentor! Subscribe to our newsletter so you don’t miss out.

2026 PB RISING STARS SUMMER WORKSHOP

GUEST INSTRUCTORS

Along with one-on-one mentorship, 2026 Mentees will get FREE access to three picture book craft workshops and four weeks of a publishing business intensive. Below are the instructors for the 2026 picture book craft workshops.

Josh Funk

Meera Sriram

Julia Kuo

Quartez Harris

Anoosha Syed

*Summer workshop instructors are NOT mentors and are NOT open for applications. Mentors are listed below.

HOW TO USE THIS PAGE

First, read our eligibility guidelines, important 2026 dates, and FAQs to make sure this program is a fit.
The text-only mentors are in the first section. Mentors seeking illustrators and author-illustrators are in the second section. Please note: SOME of the Mentors in the author-illustrator section are also open to text-only applicants. And ONE of the text-only authors is open to photographers, too.
Check each mentor’s criteria so you know who they’re open to (unagented, agented, text-only, author-illustrator, illustrator-only, BIPOC-only, and beyond).
Once you have a list of who you can apply to, look over each mentor’s complete wish list (including what they do not want), plus their strengths, bio, visual wish list, personal statement, and more. BE OPEN-MINDED!
Remember, you can shoot your shot with any mentor, as long as you’re not sending something they aren’t open to, or that they’ve clearly said isn’t for them.

Not sure who to apply to?
Want your application to shine and stand out? We’ve got you!

Sign up for our Applicant Prep Party
on February 12th from 8:00-9:30 PM Eastern Time.

SAVE YOUR SPOT AT THE APPLICANT PREP PARTY!

Applications open Feb 27-March 13!

⭐

Applications open Feb 27-March 13! ⭐

2026 TEXT-ONLY MENTORS

Scroll down for the Illustrator-only and Author-Illustrator Mentors. Note: Some author-illustrator mentors ARE accepting text-only applications.

Sara Holly Ackerman (She/Her)

Sara is looking for unagented text-only authors.
Sara is a good fit for:
Rhyme that enhances the story or concept ★ Quirky humor ★ Friendship stories ★ School settings ★ Subtle SEL ★ Retellings ★ Nonfiction ★ Authors who write in a variety of styles and genres.
Sara is not a good fit for:
🚫 Toilet humor · Pun-only humor · Anthropomorphized food.
⚠️Historically marginalized creators are especially encouraged to apply, but Sara is open to everyone.

view sara's mentor profile
Livia Blackburne (She/Her)

Livia is looking for unagented AND agented text-only authors who identify as BIPOC.
Livia is a good fit for: Books that appeal to both children and adults ★ Universal themes ★ Love ★ Family ★ Loss ★ STEM-related books ★ Creative nonfiction ★ Books with an epic feel ★ Fantasy ★ East Asian voices.
Livia is not a good fit for:
🚫 Rhyme · Books telling kids how special/unique they are · Slice of life unless there is a strong emotional core.

⚠️ Open to BIPOC creators only.

view livia's mentor profile
Sylvia Chen (She/Her)

Sylvia is looking for unagented text-only authors.
Sylvia is a good fit for:
Diverse stories ★ Asian and/or Asian American culture ★ STEAM-focused narratives ★ Informational fiction ★ Humor with additional genre hooks ★ Character-driven arcs with SEL tie-ins ★ Clever wordplay.
Sylvia is not a good fit for:
🚫 Authors with manuscripts mostly in rhyme · Lyrical writing as the main hook · Grief (unless done in a very uplifting way) · Slice of life stories.
⚠️Historically marginalized creators are especially encouraged to apply, but Sylvia is open to everyone.

view sylvia's mentor profile
Rio Cortez

Rio is looking for unagented text-only authors.
Rio is a good fit for:
Fiction ★ Nonfiction ★ Prose ★ Cultural stories ★ Slice of life stories ★ Informational stories with heart ★ Poetic or lyrical writing ★ History ★ All picture book stories.

view rio's mentor profile
Tonya Duncan Ellis (She/Her)

Tonya is looking for unagented text-only authors.
Tonya is a good fit for:
Lyrical writing ★ Fiction ★ Historical fiction ★ Nonfiction ★ BIPOC voices.
Tonya is not a good fit for:
🚫 Rhyme · Concept books · Stories with lots of puns · Potty humor.

view tonya's mentor profile
Nada Shawish Dutka

Nada is looking for unagented text-only authors.
Nada is a good fit for:
Fiction ★ Moody manuscripts that have characters working through big changes or challenges ★ Scary adventures (but not egregious violence or gore) ★ Multigenerational / Family ★ Big heart manuscripts ★ Magical or whimsical settings ★ Fairy and folktales retold/untold. ★ Someone who identifies as BIPOC, though all are welcome to apply if content is a good fit
Nada is not a good fit for:
🚫 Humor · Nonfiction · Biographies.
⚠️Nada especially encourages BIPOC creators to apply, though all are welcome if the content is a good fit.

view nada's mentor profile
Jasmine Fang (She/Her)

Jasmine is looking for unagented text-only authors.
Jasmine is a good fit for:
Diverse voices ★ Family ★ Community ★ Tradition ★ Cultural ★ Humor with heart ★ Adventure ★ Sports ★ Anthropomorphic characters ★ Nature or camping stories ★ Whimsy ★ Magic ★ Grief ★ Hard topics ★ Bilingual with Mandarin Chinese.
Jasmine is not a good fit for:
🚫 Potty humor

view jasmine's mentor profile
Kate Allen Fox (She/Her)

Kate is looking for unagented AND agented text-only authors.
Kate is a good fit for:
Nonfiction ★ STEM ★ Informational fiction ★ Anything about nature ★ Second-person storytelling ★ Unusual POVs ★ Mind-blowing topics ★ SEL ★ Mindfulness ★ Meditation ★ Concept books ★Lyrical & poetic writing ★ Stories with strong emotional resonance.
Kate is not a good fit for:
🚫 Rhyme · Books about cancer or child death.

VIEW KATE'S MENTOR PROFILE
Michael Genhart (He/Him)

Michael is looking for unagented AND agented text-only authors.
Michael is a good fit for:
Diverse voices ★ Stories told in a creative way ★ Stories with strong emotional resonance ★ Themes with a psychological bent ★ Gentle, quiet stories that have impact ★ Subjects that have not been written about before ★ Unique themes with universal appeal ★ Personal stories only you can tell ★ Biographies about lesser-known people who changed history ★ Applicants that identify as LGBTQ+ and BIPOC.
Michael is not a good fit for:
🚫 Rhyme · Nonfiction (except for picture book biographies) · Silly stories without any purpose · Humor.

VIEW MICHAEL'S MENTOR PROFILE
Andrew Hacket (He/Him)

Andrew is looking for unagented text-only authors.
Andrew is a good fit for:
Humor ★ Absurdity ★ Lyricism ★ Emotion ★Nature ★ Inanimate objects as characters.
Andrew is not a good fit for:
🚫 Rhyme · Nonfiction · Overly message-y books.

view andrew's mentor profile
Janelle Harper (She/Her)

Janelle is looking for unagented AND agented text-only authors who identify as BIPOC.
Janelle is a good fit for:
Lyrical prose ★ Verse ★ Non-typical storytelling structures ★ Fiction ★ Biographies ★ Cultural stories ★ Multi-generational/family.
Janelle is not a good fit for:
🚫 Death · Cancer · Animal characters · Rhyme · Concept books · Stories centered on trauma or tragedy · Humor.
⚠️ Open to BIPOC creators only.

VIEW JANELLE'S MENTOR PROFILE
Nadia L. Hohn (She/Her)

Nadia is looking for unagented text-only authors who identify as BIPOC.
Nadia is a good fit for:
★ Nonfiction ★ Biographies ★ Immigrant stories ★ Multilingual stories ★ Cultural (by people of that culture) ★ Neurodivergence ★ Characters with special talents, abilities, and interests ★ BIPOC Creators ★ Visual thinkers ★ Multiplatform and multidisciplinary artists (e.g., writers who are also musicians, filmmakers, etc.)
Nadia is not a good fit for:
🚫 Violence, gore, occult · War/conflict · Toilet or gross out humour.
⚠️ Open to BIPOC creators only.

view nadia l. hohn's mentor profile
A.J. Irving (She/Her)

A.J. is looking for unagented text-only authors.
A.J. is a good fit for:
Fiction ★ LGBTQIA+ inclusive stories ★ SEL ★ Lyrical language ★ Heart and humor ★ Character-driven stories.
A.J. is not a good fit for:
🚫 Nonfiction · Rhyme · Religious stories · Wordless picture books · Stories with excessive dialogue.
⚠️ A.J. is open to everyone, but LGBTQIA+ applicants are especially encouraged to apply.

view a.j.'s mentor profile
Jenna Johnson (She/Her)

Jenna is looking for unagented text-only authors.
Jenna is a good fit for:
Fiction ★ Slice of life stories ★ Character driven stories ★ Kid-appeal/kid-centered stories ★ Great read-alouds ★ Lyrical language ★ Humor and heart ★ Disability rep (authentic rep only) ★ Dogs ★ SEL that focuses on reaching kids not teaching kids ★ Manuscripts that surprise readers in any way ★ Unique structures ★ Holiday ★ Traditions ★ Cultural ★ Folktale/fairytale with a twist ★ Strong voice ★ Stories that feel like a hug ★ Laugh-out-loud stories.
Jenna is not a good fit for:
🚫 Loss, death, or grief · Rhyme · Potty humor · Stories with dialogue only · Biographies · Didactic stories · Punny overkill.

view jenna's mentor profile
Melissa Cristina Márquez (She/Her/Ella)

Melissa is looking for unagented text-only authors.
Melissa is a good fit for:
Educational content ★ Narrative nonfiction ★ Nonfiction, especially science and nature topics ★ STEM ★ Wildlife, conservation, or ocean-themed stories ★ Creators aiming to make complex concepts accessible for young readers ★ Projects that blend storytelling with real-world science.
Melissa is not a good fit for:
🚫 Rhyme · Manuscripts that rely heavily on poetic or lyrical prose · Grief/loss · Heavy emotional themes.

view melissa's mentor profile
Namita Moolani Mehra (She/Her)

Namita is looking for unagented text-only authors.
Namita is a good fit for:
Fiction ★ Cultural stories (own voices) ★ Character-driven stories ★ Holiday stories ★ Lyrical verse ★ Quiet stories ★ Tough topics ★ Migration/refugee stories ★ Intergenerational/family ★ Marginalized authors/POC ★ Food stories! ★ Stories about real people ★ Stories inspired by true events/history ★ Personal stories packed with emotion.
Namita is not a good fit for:
🚫 Rhyme · Non-fiction · Meta · Slapstick humor · Didactic stories · Folktales · Stories starring mermaids and princesses, pirates and dragons.

view namita's mentor profile
Lesléa Newman (She/Her)

Lesléa is looking for unagented AND agented text-only authors.
Lesléa is a good fit for:
Rhyme ★ Prose ★ Diverse families ★ Stories centering the Jewish experience ★ LGBTQ+ family stories ★ Grief ★ Animal stories and characters.
Lesléa is not a good fit for:
🚫 Violence against people or animals · Horror · Sci-fi · Fantasy.

view Lesléa's mentor profile
Audrey Perrott (She/Her)

Audrey is looking for unagented text-only authors.
Audrey is a good fit for:
Humor with heart ★ Lyrical ★ Whimsical themes ★ Modern-day fables ★ Authors who are excited to envision their story in different ways ★ Stories that invoke strong emotions (joy, bittersweet, righteous rage, hope, etc.) ★ Anthropomorphic characters ★ Human characters ★ Creative nonfiction ★ Stories thwarting toxic masculinity, binary roles, etc. ★ Inclusive stories by authors who share the lived experiences of their characters.
Audrey is not a good fit for:
🚫 Loss of a loved one · Abuse · Cancer · Authors who exclusively write in rhyme · STEM.

view audrey's mentor profile
Patty Cisneros Prevo (She/Her/Ella)

Patty is looking for unagented text-only authors.
Patty is a good fit for:
Disability-themed stories ★ Nonfiction ★ Stories inspired by personal experiences ★ Tackling difficult/serious topics ★ Topics centered around diversity, equity, and inclusion ★ Social justice ★ Intersectionality ★ Stories centering historically marginalized communities.
Patty is not a good fit for:
🚫 Rhyme · Playful themes · Animal stories.

view patty's mentor profile
Caroline Kusin Pritchard

Caroline is looking for unagented AND agented text-only authors.
Caroline is a good fit for:
Fiction and non-fiction ★ Dynamic characters with strong voices ★ Heartfelt humor ★ Subverting expectations ★ Layered vs. "on-the-nose" storytelling ★ Authors who love revising and trying a range of approaches.
Caroline is not a good fit for:
🚫 Spooky/Horror · Cradle-to-grave biographies.

view caroline's mentor profile
Kim Rogers (She/Her)

Kim is looking for unagented AND agented text-only authors.
Kim is a good fit for:
Fiction ★ Lyrical ★ Humor with heart ★ Intergenerational stories ★ Sibling stories ★ Diverse stories ★ Grief ★ Manuscripts that break the rules ★ Sparse, beautiful writing ★ Strong, intentional writing.
Kim is not a good fit for:
🚫 Biographies · Rhyme · Toilet humor · Wordy manuscripts.

view kim's mentor profile
Lisa Rogers (She/Her)

Lisa is looking for unagented text-only authors.
Lisa is a good fit for:
Innovative nonfiction, especially biographies ★ STEM ★ Arts ★ Activism ★ Lyrical stories with emotional depth.
Lisa is not a good fit for:
🚫 Fantasy · Science fiction · Rhyme · Cradle-to-grave biographies · Books with a message · Stories including death, dementia, and/or cancer.

view lisa's mentor profile
Sita Singh (She/Her)

Sita is looking for unagented text-only authors who identify as BIPOC.
Sita is a good fit for:
Fiction ★ South Asian Voices ★ Heartwarming stories ★ Stories rooted in cultural traditions ★ Intergenerational/family bonds ★ Themes of identity and belonging ★ Process-centered stories that celebrate food, art, and the joy of creating.
Sita is not a good fit for:
🚫 Nonfiction · Rhyme · Humor · Concept books.
⚠️ Open to BIPOC creators only.

view sita's mentor profile
Ana Siqueira (She/Her)

Ana is looking for unagented text-only authors.
Ana is a good fit for:
Humor with heart ★ Diverse books ★ Cultural ★ Action-packed stories.
Ana is not a good fit for:
🚫 Rhyme · Quiet books · Concept books · Nonfiction · Anthropomorphized objects.

view ana's mentor profile
Charles R. Smith Jr.

Charles is looking for unagented text-only authors & photographers who identify as Black males.
Charles is a good fit for:
Writers of various genres ★ Sports poetry ★ Nonfiction ★ Aspiring poets ★ Photographers.
Charles is not a good fit for:
🚫 Fiction writing of all types · Faith based storytelling · Non-fiction fact-based collections.
⚠️ Open to Black, male creators only.

view charles' mentor profile
Patricia Tanumihardja (She/Her)

Patricia is looking for unagented text-only authors.
Patricia is a good fit for: Intergenerational family stories ★ Friendship ★ Food ★ Asian/Southeast Asian themes & locations ★ Subtle humor ★ Multicultural stories (including those with a holiday twist) ★ Magical ★ Whimsical ★ Fairy characters ★ Boys as main characters ★ Stories with many layers to appeal to different audiences ★ Folk and fairy tales (especially those with a twist).
Patricia is not a good fit for:
🚫 Rhyme · Nonfiction (unless it’s a biography) · Concept books · Lyrical · Potty humor · Purely SEL stories unless it’s blended into a story.

view patricia's mentor profile
Gwendolyn Wallace (She/Her)

Gwendolyn is looking for unagented text-only authors.
Gwendolyn is a good fit for:
Authors who like to play with genre ★ Manuscripts that blend fiction and historical fact ★ Black history ★ Cultural ★ Stories that explore abolition, world-building, and radical imagination ★ STEM ★ Authors new to the publishing world ★ Authors who want to learn to market and leverage social media.
Gwendolyn is not a good fit for:
🚫 Rhyme · Counting Books · Books with sparse text · Board books · Holiday stories.

view gwendolyn's mentor profile
Andrea Wang (She/Her)

Andrea is looking forunagented AND agented text-only authors who identify as BIPOC.
Andrea is a good fit for:
Social emotional learning ★ Tough topics (non-tough topics are a good fit, too!) ★ Cultural stories ★ STEM nonfiction ★ Biographies of BIPOC written by someone from that community ★ Tearjerkers ★ Manuscripts with good punctuation, spelling, and grammar (unless these rules are broken with intention).
Andrea is not a good fit for:
🚫 Slapstick or potty humor · Rhyme · Board books · Cultural stories outside the author's lived experience · Initial story development · Manuscripts that need a lot of copyediting (grammar, spelling, punctuation).
⚠️ Open to BIPOC creators only.

view andrea's mentor profile
Pasha Westbrook

Pasha is looking for unagented text-only authors.
Pasha is a good fit for: Biracial/Multiracial stories ★ Native Freedmen & Freedmen/Indigenous ★ Poetic ★ Imaginative, dreamy, & whimsical ★ Multigenerational & ancestral ★ Nature Inspired ★ Literary ★ Fairytale-esque ★ Single parent & low-income representation ★ Mental illness ★ Grief stories ★ Cancer stories.
Pasha is not a good fit for:
🚫 Sports · Bathroom humor · Pop culture · Nonfiction · ANY stories with or alluding to the physical assault of children.

view pasha's mentor profile
M.O. Yuksel (She/Her)

M.O. Yuksel is looking for unagented AND agented text-only authors who identify as BIPOC.
M.O. Yuksel is a good fit for:
Fiction ★ Nonfiction ★ Lyrical★ Stories that feel timeless and classic ★ Strong voice ★ Underrepresented voices ★ Multigenerational stories.
M.O. Yuksel is not a good fit for:
🚫 Rhyme
⚠️ Open to BIPOC creators only.

view m.o. yuksel's mentor profile

2026 ILLUSTRATOR-ONLY & AUTHOR-ILLUSTRATOR MENTORS Note: Some of these mentors are open to text-only, too.

Jenny Alvarado (She/Her)

Jenny is looking for unagented text-only authors, illustrators, and author-illustrators.
Jenny is a good fit for: Text-only Authors ★ Illustrators ★ Author-Illustrators ★ Fiction ★ Humor★ Puns ★ Mischievous characters ★ Character-driven stories ★ Illustrators who work in Procreate
Jenny is not a good fit for:
🚫 Rhyme · Biographies (unless they're funny) · Didactic text · Sad stories · Illustrators with a realistic art style · Illustrators who only work traditionally.

View Jenny's mentor profile
Anne Appert (They/Them)

Anne is looking for unagented illustrators and author-illustrators from any background + unagented, trans or nonbinary text-only authors.
Anne is a good fit for: Illustrators ★ Author-Illustrators ★ Illustrators who want to be author-illustrators ★ Author-illustrators/Illustrators who enjoy writing/illustrating in a variety of genres/styles ★ Illustrators who work in Procreate or Photoshop ★ Illustrators who work in watercolor or gouache ★ Humor ★ Humor with heart ★ Subversive and/or quirky stories, dummies, and art ★ Lyrical and/or whimsical stories, dummies, and art ★ Stories/Art tackling anxiety and mental health.
Anne is not a good fit for:
🚫 Nonfiction · Rhyme · Stories/art about religion.

View Anne's Mentor Profile
Lynnor Bontigao (She/Her)

Lynnor is looking for unagented author-illustrators.
Lynnor is a good fit for: Author-Illustrators with a dummy (work-in-progress is okay) ★ Fiction ★ Heartfelt stories paired with humor ★ Cultural ★ Family stories ★ Stories with food ★ Stories with dogs ★ Charming/Quirky Characters ★ Nostalgia ★ AANHPI Voices ★
Lynnor is not a good fit for:
🚫 Rhyme · Nonfiction
⚠️ Lynnor is open to all author-illustrators with a work-in-progress book dummy, but AANHPI creators are encouraged to apply.

View Lynnor's Mentor Profile
Lian Cho (She/Her)

Lian is looking for unagented AND agented illustrators & author-illustrators.
Lian is a good fit for: Authors/Illustrators who want to push the genre ★ Silly and goofy books ★ Absurd premises ★ Imaginative stories with twists and turns ★ Snarky, flawed, but likable characters ★ Hard lessons learned in an unusual way ★
Lian is not a good fit for:
🚫 Rhyme · Nonfiction · Cheesy stories with cliche endings · Educational stories · Activism stories.

view lian's mentor profile
Nadia Fisher (She/Her)

Nadia is looking for unagented AND agented illustrators & author-illustrators.
Nadia is a good fit for: Illustrators/author illustrators who want to work across genres ★ Any medium ★ Black joy ★ Heartfelt stories/characters ★ Humor with heart ★ Joyful stories ★ Stories about family ★ Empowering stories ★ Adventurous stories ★ Stories about community ★
Nadia is not a good fit for:
🚫 Rhyme · STEM · Didactic Stories · Anthropomorphic characters.

view nadia fisher's mentor profile
Aya Ghanameh (She/Her)

Aya is looking for unagented AND agented author-illustrators.
Aya is a good fit for: Digital illustration (Procreate, Photoshop) ★ Traditional (ink, watercolor) ★ Cultural stories ★ Stories centered on identity, memory, and place ★ Nonfiction ★ Historical Fiction ★ Family stories★ Quiet, emotionally resonant narratives ★ Illustrators refining their portfolio for traditional publishing ★ Diaspora, family history, or intergenerational stories.
Aya is not a good fit for:
🚫 High-concept gag or joke-driven books · Purely commercial or trend-focused projects · Heavy reliance on parody · Hyper-realistic rendering · traditional mediums like acrylic or gouache.

view aya's mentor profile
Natasha Khan Kazi (She/Her)

Natasha is looking for unagented text-only authors & author-illustrators.
Natasha is a good fit for: Authors and Author-Illustrators who enjoy writing in a variety of genres (lyrical, humor, nonfiction) ★ Illustrations in traditional or digital mediums ★ Lovers of revision ★ Creators who have read at least 100 picture books that have come out in the last 5 years ★ People who want to change the world - one book at a time ★ BIPOC stories.
Natasha is not a good fit for:
🚫 Stories about sisters and loss · Rhyme · Books dealing with aging parents/grandparents/grief · Manuscripts/dummies that have been recently submitted to agents.
⚠️Creators with perspectives that are not well represented in traditional publishing are encouraged to apply.

view natasha's mentor profile
Steph Littlebird (She/Her)

Steph is looking for unagented illustrators & author-illustrators.
Steph is a good fit for: Illustrators working in Procreate ★ Non-traditional writers/artists ★ Culturally-specific storytellers ★ Poetry ★ LGBTQIA stories ★ Highly creative projects ★ Social justice
Steph is not a good fit for:
🚫 Medical/death related stories · Christian/Religious-centered stories.

view steph's mentor profile
Julia Mills (She/Her)

Julia is looking for unagented illustrators & author-illustrators.
Julia is a good fit for: Illustrations in traditional or digital mediums ★ Illustrators who want to try new mediums ★ Humor ★ "Weird" books with interesting characters ★ Animal or non-human protagonists ★ A story that starts silly and ends not silly.
Julia is not a good fit for:
🚫 Concept books (unless something really interesting happens) · Nonfiction · Overly wordy manuscripts.

view julia's mentor profile
Adam Rex (He/Him)

Adam is looking for unagented AND agented text-only authors, illustrators, & author-illustrators.
Adam is a good fit for: Illustrators who work in most mediums ★ Digital illustrations in Photoshop and Procreate ★ Experimental text and illustration ★ Humor (with or without heart) ★ Prose ★ Rhyming poetry.
Adam is not a good fit for:
🚫 Addressing your medium-based questions about watercolor or gouache · Nonfiction that doesn't have a narrative through line.

view adam's mentor profile