More About Natasha Khan Kazi (She/Her)
Languages: English and Bengali
Natasha Khan Kazi was born in Dhaka, Bangladesh, raised in Chittagong, Texas, Pennsylvania, and Virginia, and now lives in Southern California, where she writes and illustrates books for young readers, including her debut picture book, Moon’s Ramadan (a 2023 SLJ Best Picture Book).
Her creative work is rooted in empathy, diversity, and childhood joy. Natasha is the blogger behind IslamiMommy and Art with Miss Natasha. She is a 21′-23 Highlights Foundation Muslim Storyteller Fellow.
Her forthcoming picture books include Lulu in the Spotlight: A South Asian Wedding Story (Versify/HarperCollins, 2025) and Bela and Lily (Kokila/ Penguin, 2025).
Follow her adventures online at www.natashakhankazi.com and on social @natashakhankazi.
You can find her online at:
Natasha is a Highlights Foundation Muslim Storyteller Fellow. She shares the impact of finding community in this video. And she hopes to pay it forward.
Natasha’s strengths are…
Brainstorming strong beginnings, strengthening murky middles, surfacing satisfying endings, connecting the internal and external journey to develop strong characters and plots, drafting illustrations to push the emotion, heart, and plot of a story, revising pitches, finding comp titles, polishing query letters, suggesting like-minded agents, preparing for “the call,” navigating the author-agent relationship, building a social media presence, building a brand and marketing strategy.
What Natasha is looking for…
Natasha is looking for a rising star: a mentee with talent, passion, and determination. She is especially looking for a mentee with a proven track record of honing their craft and is serious about a career in traditional children's book publishing. She loves stories across genres but leans toward stories with heart. She hopes to connect with someone who wants to prepare their work for submission or an agented creator who wants to build their career. Attainable goals for the mentorship with measurable results are a plus! If your manuscript moves her, plus plus!
A Note from Natasha:
“When I meet successful authors and illustrators, I notice they share a common habit: they show up for their craft every single day. Whether writing, drawing, or both, committing to a daily practice is one of the most reliable ways to grow and refine your skills. Consistency builds mastery, and the simple act of doing the work daily sets you on a path to continual improvement.”
Natasha’s Picture Books
MOON’S RAMADAN, written and illustrated by Natasha Khan Kazi
Natasha’s Upcoming Picture Books
BETA AND LILY, written and illustrated by Natasha Khan Kazi
LULU IN THE SPOTLIGHT: A SOUTH ASIAN WEDDING STORY, written and illustrated by Natasha Khan Kazi
If Natasha created a Visual Wish List, it would be made up of…
*Unless otherwise stated, the below serves as a wish list only. Each mentor is excited about the opportunity to find a manuscript they can’t stop thinking about.
DIM SUM PALACE, written and illustrated by X. Fang
YOUR PLACE IN THE UNIVERSE, written and illustrated by Jason Chin
RIVER OF DUST, written by Jilanne Hoffmann and illustrated by Eugenia Mello
NOT QUITE SNOW WHITE, written by Ashley Franklin and illustrated by Ebony Glenn
THE MOON FROM DEHRADUN, written by Shirin Shamsi and illustrated by Tarun Lak
MIXED: A COLORFUL STORY, written and illustrated by Arree Chung
Natasha is a good fit for…
Authors and Author-Illustrators who enjoy writing in a variety of genres (lyrical, humor, nonfiction)
Illustrators who work in digital mediums (procreate, photoshop)
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…
Rhyme
Books dealing with aging parents/grandparents/grief
Manuscripts/dummies that have been recently submitted to agents
Who can apply to Natasha? Unagented AND Agented Text-only Authors and Author-Illustrators.
*Natasha is ONLY looking for creators from any and all marginalized groups.
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