Team Blog Intros: Meet Debbie Ridpath Ohi

Counting down the days until the SCBWI Summer Conference! I have a special fondness for the Summer Conference because my own children's book career got jumpstarted in 2010 because of this event; you can read details here, as well as advice I wish I could tell my younger self.

For those who don't know me, I'm Debbie Ridpath Ohi.

Once upon a time I was a computer programmer/analyst. Now I write and illustrate books for young people! My illustrations appear in books by Judy Blume, Michael Ian Black, Linda Sue Park, Rob Sanders, and others. My home publisher is Simon & Schuster Children's Books, where I have the privilege of working with Justin Chanda and Laurent Linn.

I'm currently working on illustrations for I'M BUSY, written by Michael Ian Black and illustrated by me (Simon & Schuster), and I have a solo picture book coming out Sept. 17, 2024 called I WANT TO READ *ALL* THE BOOKS.

Excited to be on SCBWI Team Blog! Whether you're an SCBWI Conference newcomer or a seasoned pro, I recommend attending Jolie Stekly's Orientation Session on August 1st; it's a great way to start the event. In addition to contributing to the SCBWI Conference Blog, I'll be doing some live-posting from Bluesky with the #scbwiSummer24 hashtag.

For those on Bluesky, I've also created:

#scbwiSummer24 custom feed: Picks up Bluesky posts tagged with #scbwiSummer24 or #scbwiTeamBlog. Empty right now, since I only JUST created it.

SCBWI Feed: Searches SCBWI-related lists (like the ones below) for #SCBWI hashtag as well as others related to kidlit or YAlit.

SCBWI Regions: Click the "About" tab to see a list of SCBWI Region accounts who are on Bluesky.

SCBWI List: Click the "About" tab to see a list of those on Bluesky who are members or supporters.

Also don't forget to follow SCBWI Team Bloggers who are on Bluesky! 

Lee Wind @leewind.bsky.social
Don Tate - @dontate.bsky.social
Justin Campbell - @themermancam.bsky.social
Jolie Stekly - tba
Jaime Temairik - tba
Debbie Ridpath Ohi - @debbieohi.com

For those new to Bluesky, I have some Starter Threads, feeds and lists, tips and resources in this blog post. Bluesky recently launched user-created "Starter Packs" to help new users connect with others, so feel free to check the "Starter Packs" tab in my profile to find KidLit/YA Agents, Editors, Librarians, Publishers, Book Bloggers/Reviewers, etc.

Also do check out the KidLit Mega Feed, a collaborative Bluesky feed that picks up #kidlit and related hashtags kidlit Lists curated by others in the community. Admins: Me, Charlene Chua, Brian Kirby. Moderators include Jaymie Heilman, Diana Sousa, Erica Lee Schlaikjer, Julie Hedlund, and Kellie Nicely. It's been exciting to see the kidlit community growing on Bluesky! (Pssst: Educators, too! School Library Journal asked me to write an article about Bluesky for their August issue.)

Looking forward to seeing you all at the virtual SCBWI Summer Conference!