In The Picture with Meenal Patel

In The Picture with Meenal Patel

In which we talk about the confluence of graphic design and kidlit, picture books as design objects, the value of learning about project management, delving into work that comes from a personal, emotional space, the challenges of starting up a creative business, including learning about contract language,and the joy and fulfillment that comes from storytelling. To learn more about me and my work, go to jyotirajangopal.comYou can follow me on Instagram @jyotirgopal and on Blue Sky @ jyotigopal.bsky.social  To learn more about Meenal go to meenalpatelstudio.com andfollow her on Instagram  @meenalpatelstudio   Books and resources mentioned: The Writing Barn - thewritingbarn.com Neela Goes to San Francisco by Meenal Patel Priya Dreams of Marigold and Masala by Meenal Patel Where Do Stories Live? By Meenal Patel In This Family by Shelly Anand and Meenal Patel

In the Picture with Holly Hoover

In which we talk with the Art Director of Eerdmans Books about her creative process, the joy of acquiring picture books from abroad, her perspective on asking for illustration samples, having the humility to know when to get out of a project’s way, her advice to illustrators about their voice, and what may surprise people about her job. To learn more about me and my work, go to jyotirajangopal.com. You can follow me on Instagram @jyotirgopal and on BlueSky at jyotigopal.bsky.social To learn more about Holly’s work go to hollyhooverdesign.com Books mentioned: Wind: Discovering Air in Motion by Olga Fadeeva Water: Discovering the Precious Resource All Around Us by Olga Fadeeva I Hate Borsch by Yevgenia Nayberg Ben and the Emancipation Proclamation by Pat Sherman and Floyd Cooper Building an Orchestra of Hope by Carmen Oliver and Luisa Uribe Building a Dream, How the Boys of Koh Panyee Became Champions by Darshana Khiani. Trouble Dog by Carol A. Foote and Larry Day Counting Winter by Nancy White Carlstrom and Claudia McGehee

In the Picture with Anden Wilder

In which we talk about how a book by Kate Di Camillo changedthe trajectory of her life, how her high school art teacher connected her with SCBWI and her critique group, her work process, how the MC of her next picture book, Elaine, started off as a stream of consciousness for her morning pages, how the Bologna Book Festival was an inspiration, the advice she finds herself giving over and over again to mentees, yupo paper and so much more. To learn more about me and my work, go to jyotirajangopal.com You can follow me on: Instagram @jyotirgopal Blue Sky @jyotigopal.bsky.social To learn more about Anden and her work go to andenwilder.com and follow her on Instagram @andenwilderillustration   Anden’s books: Scamp (Little Brown, 2025) Tulip’s Mess (Knopf, 2025) Elaine ( Knopf coming Oct. 2026)  Books mentioned: Sing a Song of Popcorn by Beatrice Schenk de Regniers The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane by Kate DiCamillo The Lost Christmas Gift by Andrew Beckham (Princeton Architectural Press) Women of Abstract Expressionism (YaleUniversity Press)   The paper Anden uses– yupo paper. Syntheticpaper made from 100% polypropylene, known for its smooth, bright white, andnon-absorbent surface that is waterproof and durable.

In the Picture with Adriana Hernández Bergstrom

In which we talk about her long and winding path to being an author illustrator, how she started off as a biological illustrator (what is that you ask? Listen to find out!) then worked on set design, how a sudden move to Germany and becoming a mom refocused her creative energies, how exactly book designing works, how teaching feeds her work, and redesigning classics. We had also had an illuminating discussion about measurements forpicture books and how the US System (derived from the older British Imperial system) and so different from what the rest of the world uses can lead to convolutedconversations with illustrators in other parts of the world! To learn more about me and my work, go to jyotirajangopal.com. You can follow me on Instagram @jyotirgopal and Blue Sky @jyotigopal.bsky.social To learn more about Adriana , follow her on Instagram@adriprints Adriana’s books: Abuelita and I Make Flan (Charlesbridge, 2022) Tumble (Scholastic, 2023) Countdown for Nochebuena (Little, Brown, 2023) She’s also the illustrator for: Boomer At Your Service by Vanessa Keel  (Spork, 2019) and the upcoming Challahbaloo by Elizabeth Suneby (PJ Library, Jan 2026) Check out: The Storyteller Academy Hans My Hedgehog by the Brothers Grimm

In the Picture with Cassandra Federman

In which we talk about how she worked as a wrestler and a mystic wood elf, the gift of an SCBWI membership, the journey to being a self-taught illustrator, revision and pagination, finding the right art style for a project, partnering with Ben Clanton, and the joy of finding her way back to her childhood love of creating stories. To learn more about me and my work, go to jyotirajangopal.com. You can follow me on Instagram @jyotirgopal and Blue Sky @jyotigopal.bsky.social To learn more about Cassandra, follow her on Instagram and Blue Sky  @cassfederman Cassandra’s books: This is a Seacow (Albert Whitman & Co) This is a Seahorse (Albert Whitman & Co) Gray Squirrel Loses It (Random House) Story Spinners: A Sisterly Tale of Danger, A Princess, and her Crew of Lady Pirates. (Aladdin/ Simon and Schuster) Aquamanatee (DC) Releasing Oct 2026: Aquamanateam: More Than a Dream (DC)