The Wrap Up

Sarah Baker (she/her) is the Executive Director of SCBWI, where she leads the SCBWI staff and works closely with the Board of Directors, the Advisory Council, and the Global Regional Teams. She joined the SCBWI staff in 2011. Sarah graduated from UCSB with a major in Studio Art and began her career in children’s book publishing at Penguin Young Readers Group, where she designed children’s books. Sarah is also a children’s book illustrator, with her debut illustrated picture book coming out in May 2026: Becca & Bubbe's Bucket List, written by Laura Gehl, published by Rocky Pond Books.

With the audience still applauding Tiffany Jackson for her inspiring closing keynote, Sarah took to the stage to thank Tiffany both for her keynote and for her generosity in giving a Q&A. 

She hopes that everyone found inspiration, tools, insights, and friends this weekend. “The whole staff are proud of you too.” 

She goes on, as we leave the children’s book bubble, remember that this community is here for you and you can tap into that magic anytime you want and anytime you need it. 

• Attend a meet up
• Attend an online course
• Listen to a podcast episode
• You can read a blog post (Shoutout to us!)

Stay in touch with those you met this weekend. Community is what keeps us going. From the good times and the bad. 

Sarah talked about an author talk she heard. The author said that writing and reading is a way to underscore that human connection is important . You know my mind and I know yours. Sarah agrees. 

Human connection is more and more rare. We have to fight against that. The books we create connect all of us. When you go back to your desks, just know that you’re doing important work. When it feels hard and silly and vulnerable, remember that it’s important. The world needs your stories, so keep it going. 

It’s great to stay connected, so use the SCBWI hashtag, #scbwiNY26, when sharing content from this weekend. 

Even if you didn’t attend the class, you can still glean some gem or insight from someone else’s posting of the class.

She reminds us that the Virtual Winter Conference is coming up! It starts with golden kite awards and you can keep the energy of this weekend going with all new content. 

Stay in touch throughout the year. The next winter conference will be at this same hotel, the Marriott Marquis in Time Square, in March of 2027. 

Thanks for coming and for being members. 

Keep creating!

Can't make it to the In-Person Winter Conference in New York City, join us online at the Virtual Winter Conference featuring inspirational talks, industry panels and deep-dive Creative Labs, taking place in February of 2026. Videos of all sessions are available to watch for approximately 30 days after the event.