Robyn Chapman is an editor, a publisher, and (sometimes) a cartoonist. She is a senior editor at First Second, a graphic novel imprint at Macmillan Children's. She's also the proprietor of Paper Rocket Minicomics, a New York-based micro-press. Her published projects there include American Cult and the Mini Memoir Project. Robyn teaches professional practices in comics at the School of Visual Arts.
Nicole Harwood is an author/illustrator from Vancouver, WA. As a professional ASL/English Interpreter, she transforms English phrases into the visual medium of ASL regularly. She can be found on local community theater stages, working towards publishing her debut graphic novel, or spending time with her husband and three Neurodivergent sons.
Tim writes under the pen name Francis S. Poesy and has developed an exciting backstory for Mr. Poesy, as he believes writers of children’s stories should be more interesting than a technical writer who lives outside of Philadelphia with his wife, his son, and his daughter’s dog (don’t ask). Tim is a serial doodler and maker of very occasional comics but aspires to write graphic novels, not draw them.
Ken is an award-winning professional dabbler. He was born in the Philippines and moved to the US with his entire family during his teenage years. Currently, he enjoys life as an author/illustrator of picture books and graphic novels. His latest graphic novel is the middle-grade series Mischief and Mayhem. His most recent books include The Whole Hole Story, Ghastly Ghosts, and Petro and the Flea King (which was Nevada’s 2020 selection for the Library of Congress National Book Festival).
Sarah E. Steinberg’s architecture jobs did not lead to designing real-life secret rooms, so she began making children’s books with lots of them. Sarah is an author-illustrator with a traditional watercolor background, working on picture books and graphic novels. Her early reader series ADVENTURES OF NICKI AND RICKY (with Rowena Zahnrei) combines the scientific method with the steps of storytelling. Sarah is currently making a picture book, two webcomics, and six or seven other projects, depending on when you ask. She finds magic in mossy Oregon with her son & partner. Sarah is represented by Allison Remcheck at Stimola Literary Studio.
Johnell is a former public relations exec who switched to writing picture books, middle grade and graphic novels. She traveled and worked with international clients before marrying a diplomat, and now moves to a new country every two-three years. Some of her favorite adventures included swimming with dolphins in the oceans of New Zealand and Israel, and snorkeling with nurse sharks in Belize. Watching her three TCK (third-culture) kids experience a childhood so different from her own rural upbringing has inspired many stories.
Michelle Lin is a bilingual screenwriter and script consultant in China’s film and television space and has worked with studios such as Perfect World Entm't, Warner Bros China, Wanda Entm't, and CJ Entm't. She has also co-created an award-winning radio show that taught conversational English to over a million Chinese. Beijing Normal University published her novella and listed it as a summer must-read. Parts of the book were adapted into a limited TV series nominated for a Golden Eagle Award. Michelle’s debut MG graphic novel, The Riceball Fairy, is set for publication in fall 2026.
Russ was raised by a pack of crazed hillbillies in the backwoods of Tennessee. Instead of whittling away the time, he was always found with a pencil or a paintbrush in his hand. He followed his childhood dream of becoming an artist and now creates picture books, graphic novels, and chapters books for young readers.
Annette was born in Japan and moved to California as a child. She recently moved to Columbus, Ohio where she illustrates and writes children’s books. In 2020, Annette won a mentorship with middle grade author Sylvia Liu through the Author Mentor Match program. Her debut graphic novel, SELFIES BY SUMIE will be published in 2025 with Viking Press. Annette is represented by Elizabeth Bennett of Transatlantic Agency. When Annette is not working on her books, she enjoys gardening, oil painting and spending time with her two mischievous Corgis.
Urania Smith has a B.A. in English and has been writing for children for 17 years. She is a founding and current Diversity Committee Member for the Illinois chapter of The Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators. Urania is the winner of the 2017 We Need Diverse Books Mentorship in the Picture Book category and Co-Founder of KidLit Nation. KidLit Nation has provided resources, mentorships, and conference scholarships for writers and illustrators of color. Urania loves to cook, garden, decorate, and DIY projects. She could be more humble about her mad cooking, gardening, decorating, and DIY skills.
Orange County School of the Arts
Josh Wood holds a Master of Fine Arts in creative writing and a Master of Arts in English, both from Chapman University, and a bachelor’s degree in literature with a creative writing emphasis from Sonoma State University. As the Creative Writing Conservatory Director, Mr. Wood teaches a variety of fiction and poetry workshops and advises the conservatory’s award-winning art and literary journal, Inkblot.
Mr. Wood is a recipient of a John Fowles Center for Fiction Award and a finalist for Glimmer Train’s Short Story Award for New Writers, The North American Review's James Hearst Poetry Prize, and the Pablo Neruda Prize for Poetry. Mr. Wood’s writing appears in Volt, DIAGRAM, SpiralOrb, The Berkeley Poetry Review, OccuPoetry, and many additional publications. Previously, he was an editor for Dirtcakes, a journal dedicated to exploring themes suggested by the United Nations Millennium Development Goals to end extreme poverty. Mr. Wood is dedicated to educating his students to express themselves with clarity, creativity, and purpose through the study of diverse genres, styles, and writers.
Emma Chen has been pursuing art in a hobby form since childhood. She has learned artistic technical skills through both private tutoring and self-teaching, and is now focused mainly in illustration and partially in concept design. She is currently enrolled in Orange County School of the Arts' Design and Media conservatory, where she is a part of the school's comic anthology club FLIP. As an artist, she always takes opportunities to try new mediums. Outside of school, she enjoys browsing artist alleys, sketchbooking, and reading.
Sienna is an eager writer who has been telling stories ever since she was a toddler. Her first formal writing lessons were taken at UCI under various trained professionals. Ever since, she has aimed to showcase new perspectives through her work. Sienna is enrolled in Orange County School of the Art’s Creative Writing program, where she continues to experiment with new genres daily. She is also a writer and designer for her school's newspaper Evolution. Currently, she is making a portfolio focused on exploring human connections and relationships. When she isn’t writing, she is seen coding small projects or scrapbooking in her favorite junk journal.
Patrick Williams earned his bachelor’s degree in illustration design from Art Center College of Design and his master’s degree in drawing and painting from California State University, Long Beach. He actively pursues his own creative artwork and is also an adjunct faculty member at Orange Coast College.
Mr. Williams has dedicated his career as an arts instructor to creating transformative and empowering opportunities for young artists through education. He began his teaching at Orange County School of the Arts in 1999 in the school’s elective program and Visual Arts Conservatory before being named the Director of the Design & Media Conservatory in 2012. Mr. Williams is now credited for creating one of the most innovative high school digital media programs in the country.
Miriya has been drawing since she could crawl to markers and paper. She started taking formal art lessons at age 6. She hopes to create art that highlights the importance of climate change issues through her cutesy and cartoonish style, to make change wherever she can. Her favorite mediums are ceramics, needle felting, and digital. Miriya takes joy in people watching, going to museums, and eating sweets. You’ll occasionally find her wandering through furniture stores, where she is the happiest.
Nicholas is a writer and poet at The Orange County School of the Arts, with an interest in political writing. In his free time, you can find him rereading his favorite books, making jewelry, or watching the latest shows on Netflix.
Audrey Shih is a senior in the Creative Writing conservatory at OCSA. She is a spoken word poet and has performed in numerous slam competitions, where, as a lover of nature, she speaks out about crucial environmental issues. She has received the Governor’s Medallion for the Arts, the highest distinction in California for artistically talented students and the Scholastic National Silver Medal for poetry. In her free time, she loves to cook, read (obsessively), and watch whale documentaries.
Abigale Lin studied classical realism under an award-winning American Artists' Professional League signature member and is currently enrolled in the design and media conservatory at the Orange County School of Art, where she continues to explore various art mediums. Abigale indulges her competitive side by participating in writing contests, winning regional awards from both essay and poetry contests. During her down time, she makes jewelry for her friends, tends to her orchid, and enjoys bird-watching.
Lam Dang has carried out his passion for art and drawing since his youth. He took only a few formal art lessons from his childhood (albeit didn’t pay attention) before knowing his direction to pursue and has since been teaching himself further skills. His talents lie within concept designing and digital illustration, and like the wind, he found himself wandering into other mediums connected to his own. He is currently enrolled in the Design & Media conservatory at Orange County School of the Arts, where he sought opportunities to broaden his vision. Through OCSA, he competed in the 24-Hour Animation Challenge sponsored by various animation studios and toured the inside of DreamWorks Animation LLC, where he immersed himself in the filmmaking and 3D animating process. In his free time, he revels in editing video footage, experimenting with new recipes, and practicing Taekwondo (you won’t win against him; 10 years is a lot to catch up). No matter what he does or what he’s been assigned to, his quirky and innovative thinking will go the distance.
Malina Levy is an avid reader and writer of all genres and formats. She is a junior in the Creative Writing conservatory at Orange County School of the Arts where she was the recipient of the Creative Writing Freshman of the Year award in 2025 and the Best Essayist and MVP awards in 2026. She has an insatiable penchant for Shakespeare and a tendency to utilize exorbitant amounts of words of exceptional length. Her favorite hobbies involve stabbing things and lying. Malina can be found just about anywhere in the world eating the strangest local foods she can get her hands on. Her ideal final form is Kirby.
Jua Kim is a Creative Writing student at the Orange County School of the Arts. She is an alumna of the Adroit Journal Mentorship and the Iowa Young Writers Studio. Her work appears in the Interlochen Review, Eunoia Review, The Howl, and more. Her favorite graphic novel author is Mariko Tamaki.
Ada Chen brings a bold, curious, and competitive energy to everything she creates. She has pursued formal art training since the age of six and has spent many years studying under the mentorship of a doctoral-level artist, building a strong technical foundation while developing her own professional website. She is currently enrolled in the Design & Media Conservatory at the Orange County School of the Arts, where she leads the conservatory’s social media team. As an outlet for her loud and competitive personality, Ada participates in DECA, speech and debate, and regularly applies to art and writing competitions. Outside of school, she spends her time visiting new art exhibitions, getting lost in classical literature, and sharing her personal journeys through poetry.
Aerin Ahn lives in Irvine, California, where she spends her days writing, sleeping, and falling into rabbit holes of information. She is a California Arts Scholar and is currently studying creative writing at the Orange County School of the Arts. Her work has received recognition from the Scholastic Art and Writing Awards, as well as the John Locke Global Essay Competition. Aerin is also a member of Last Generation Press, where she edits, designs, and publishes work by teens. Speaking of publishing, you can find her work in Mosaic Lit, Teastained Literary, Writing from the End of the World, as well as forthcoming pieces in Magpie Review and Just Poetry. When not writing, you can find her reading to the late hours of night and watching cryptic YouTube videos.
Elio Pacchioni is currently a junior at OCSA in the Creative Writing Conservatory. He loves comics, the strange, and the unusual. He also enjoys drawing, music and rain…at least however much of it California gets.