We laughed, we cried, and we all came away determined to be ‘more human’; the 2026 SCBWI professional development day had it all.
Pauline Fitzgerald, Head of Learning at the State Library of NSW, welcomed us warmly as always and spoke of the library’s upcoming 200th birthday events. Pauline also mentioned ‘the library that made me’ project, which is collecting personal stories about the importance of libraries. This tied in nicely with beloved picture book maker Binny Talib’s talk, in which she compelled us to think deeply about details from our lives, noting that AI can imitate, but can’t replace your unique way of seeing the world. Binny encouraged us to get offline and be observant, because “people are hungry for humanity”. Binny also talked about the very human tendency towards self-doubt, which became a reoccurring theme throughout the day.
One way Serena Geddes and Mick Elliott overcome self-doubt is through advice and support from fellow creators. This helped them navigate the technical challenges and massive workload involved in creating their debut graphic novels, Serena’s Ella Forever and Mick’s Uranus FC. “It always seems impossible until it’s done,” Serena said. Mick also talked about using sport as a story structure, citing the epic Matilda’s 2023 world cup run, and that penalty shot by Cortnee Vine, as inspirations for the Uranus FC story.
Author Lisa Shanahan took us on a delightful deep-dive into writing and collecting observations, conversations and ‘delicious’ words to inform your work. Lisa talked about falling in love with picture books, “small fictions that speak something so big and true about life… that allow children to be experts and learners at the same time.” Like Binny, Lisa spoke about being observant of the world around you for inspiration. “Pay attention to the moments that make you laugh, bring tears… when your heart is seized by tenderness for someone else,” Lisa said.
Author Carla Fitzgerald and illustrator Peter Baldwin talked about working together on the How to Survive Grade Five series (and we had a sneak peek at the cover of book three, How to Make the World Cup and Survive Grade Five, due out September). They both spoke about being inspired by books they loved as kids. “They taught me how to make your reader care about the characters,” Carla said. Babysitters-Club-lover Carla and Bugalugs-Bum-Thief-devotee Peter also talked about the importance of middle grade books. “It’s the age kids decide if they are readers or not,” Carla said.
Authors Kristin Darell and Ashleigh Barton shared tips for making your story shine’, including focusing on feelings and never underestimating your readers. “Kids can handle big themes,” Ashleigh said, recalling how she loved reading sad books as a kid, “Books that made me feel things.”
In the final session Laura Harris (Laura Harris Publishing) and Suzanne O’Sullivan (Penguin Random House) discussed what makes a book stand out. Suzanne sees a demand for highly engaging, fast-paced stories, but emphasised the importance of thinking about your story and what format and length is needed to best tell it. Laura encouraged taking opportunities to pitch your story, and how much of a game-changer it can be to ‘find your person’, someone to mentor and support you. Case-in-point was Drawing Nudes While Making Other Plans, which author Zoe Gaetjens pitched to Laura at the 2024 SCBWI professional development day. Laura guided Zoe through rewrites and submissions, and the book is now out in the world! Here’s hoping for similar success stories from this year’s terrific pitches!
Angie Schiavone, Author and SCBWI member