By Margaret Lea Many of you already know Julie Hedlund, our January, 2026 speaker. Not only is she a picture book author, she started and runs the 12 X 12 Picture Book Writing Challenge, which helps writers complete a new picture book every month. She began the group in 2012 and had planned for it to be just one year, but it took off and now has about 2,000 members. Shortly after her first two books came out, Julie applied and was accepted into a bootcamp run by her picture book hero, the legendary Jane Yolen. This bootcamp took place at Jane’s home in Massachusetts. Each of the ten or so attendees brought two works-in-progress for Jane to critique. As Julie happened to be the first to arrive, she got the first critique. Jane’s daughter, Heidi Stemple, ushered Julie into a room where Jane was sitting in front of a window. Rays of sunlight created a halo effect around Jane, enhancing her prese...
Interviews with those in the publishing industry and short writing tips