Advisory Committee

Co-Regional Advisors, Conference Directors, Joni Sensel & Laurie Thompson

Co-Regional Advisors, Conference Directors, Joni Sensel & Laurie Thompson

Together, Joni and Laurie lead the Western Washington chapter of the Society of Children’s Book Writers & Illustrators. They partner as conference directors and editorial directors for the chapter’s print and online publications, in addition to managing the monthly Professional Series Meetings and a team of amazing volunteers who make up the Advisory Committee. In addition to handling the chapter’s fiscal responsibilities, Joni is the public face and voice of the organization, handling most of the public speaking opportunities as well as gathering and editing information for The Chinook. Laurie is happiest doing the “behind-the-scenes” technical work: twiddling spreadsheets, maintaining databases, and tracking the various to-do lists. They couldn’t do any of it without the enormous contributions of assistant regional advisor, Kimberly Baker. Whatever it is, you can be sure all three of them played a part.

Joni Sensel
Joni Sensel is the author of REALITY LEAK and THE HUMMING OF NUMBERS, published by Henry Holt, and THE FARWALKER’S QUEST and THE TIMEKEEPER’S MOON from Bloomsbury. She’s also the author of two picture books and loads of business propaganda. Joni lives in the woods near Mt. Rainier, where she tries to keep her two dogs from chasing elk and climbing trees after squirrels. Read more at www.jonisensel.com.

Laurie Thompson
Motherhood transformed Laurie Thompson, a mild-mannered, dissatisfied software engineer, into a passionate, fulfilled writer. While raising two young children, she strives to create nonfiction and fiction stories that will educate, entertain, and inspire. Laurie’s articles have appeared in ParentMap, Know, Faces, WeeOnes, and Kono, and she is currently working on several nonfiction book ideas. Read more about her work at lauriethompson.com.

Assistant Regional Advisor, Conference Coordinator, Chairperson

Kimberly Baker
In addition to being an indispensable member of the regional advisory triumvirate, Kim assists the conference directors with the organization, management, and logistics related to SCBWI Western Washington’s annual conference. She recently finished her first middle-grade novel and is currently working on her second. She spends her days keeping up with two small kids, and saves most of the reading and writing for nights and weekends. Otherwise, you can find her exploring, crafting, or slowly renovating a creaky old house. She lives in Seattle with her family and a few furry creatures. Read more at www.kimberlycbaker.com.

Professional Series Director/Bookstore Liaison

Allyson Valentine Schrier
Allyson coordinates our monthly Professional Series Meetings and serves as a liaison for our event booksellers. She started writing about eight years ago after taking a class with Peggy King Anderson (along with so many others, who say, “thank you Peggy!”). She has written more than 20 fiction and nonfiction books for an educational publisher and has had stories accepted for publication by Spider and Hopscotch. She recently received an MFA in Writing for Children and Young Adults from the Vermont College of Fine Arts.

Art and Design Editor

Kevan Atteberry
Kevan is the wizard behind The Chinook’s great look—or its existence in print at all, for that matter. He is also an illustrator, designer, and Flash animator during the day and an illustrator of books—including FRANKIE STEIN, by Lola Schaefer, the 2008 Children’s Book Council’s K-2 Children’s Choice Book of the Year—during his other waking hours. He’s currently illustrating the sequel to that and working on the manuscripts for several picture books. He enjoys volleyball, birding, and staying on top of the new music scene. And banana cream pie.

Attendance Coordinator

Chadwick Gillenwater
Chadwick greets and signs in attendees at our Professional Series Meetings, as well as keeping track of meeting attendance. Otherwise known as Professor Watermelon, he’s a school librarian and creative writing instructor recently named Teacher of the Year by the administrators of his school network. Hailing from Indianapolis, IN, Chadwick is a Hoosier at heart but is happy to call Seattle his home.

Chinook Articles Editor

J. Elizabeth Mills
Elizabeth (or Liz, as she likes to be known) was a children’s book editor at Scholastic in big, bad New York for eight years until she realized she was happier climbing mountains than the steps of the subway. She moved to Seattle and worked as toys and games editor at Cranium for two years. Now she is a freelance writer and editor, with many work-for-hire publications and a new trade picture book, THE SPOOKY WHEELS ON THE BUS, just out from Cartwheel Books. She loves hiking, rock climbing, reading anything and everything, and waking up to a view of the Cascades every morning.

Chinook Update and Good News Editor

Rebekah Jensen
Rebekah produces the Chinook Update, our blog for authors and illustrators of children's literature in our region. She is fairly new to writing children's books, but received her first rejection letter last year, so she now feels like she's part of the club. She currently lives on a little pear orchard in Zillah, WA (which is the ideal place for the ongoing writing, and revising process). She works at an after school program, and writes blog posts for the Seaside, OR Tourism Department, Pulse, and O2 Racing Technology. She loves children’s literature, and always beelines to the children’s section first. When not working with children, or plotting her next middle-grade novel idea, she's running, walking the dog, or planning a trip.

Critique Coordinator

Kerri Kokias
Kerri helps writers and illustrators in our region connect with their peers to form critique groups. She also coordinates our annual Great Critique where authors and illustrators have the opportunity to critique with published professionals. Kerri began writing picture books in 2004 when she left her research job to be a stay-at-home mom. At first, it gave her something fun to focus on while using the same energy she drew from to parent. But before long she knew writing children’s books is what she wanted to do as a career. Now her idea of a vacation is attending writing conferences and retreats, and she can be found writing away at coffee shops whenever she can steal a moment to herself. In 2006 she completed an advanced education certificate program in Writing for Children at the University of Washington.

Illustration Program Coordinator

Jaime Temairik
Jaime dreams up, organizes, promotes, and manages all of our programs for illustrators. She has illustrated LIGHTS, CAMERA, FASHION!, written by Sara Easterly, as well as fellow AdCommer Martha Brockenbrough’s THINGS THAT MAKE US (SIC). She’s part of SCBWI’s TEAM BLOG, which covers SCBWI International Conferences, as well as a blogger for MSN Entertainment’s Bound blog. When Jaime’s not drawing, she’s driving visiting authors around town with First Edition Media Services. She recently taught her favorite class in the whole world, Illustrating Children's Picture Books, for the University of Washington Extension. Jaime is embarrassed by the number of web links she has, but would like to point you to  www.cocoastomp.blogspot.com for starters.

Inside Story Chairperson

Martha Brockenbrough
Martha organizes the Inside Story events twice a year. She is the author of three books: THE DINOSAUR TOOTH FAIRY (forthcoming, Arthur A. Levine Books); THINGS THAT MAKE US [SIC], published in 2008 by St. Martin's Press; and IT COULD HAPPEN TO YOU, published in 2002 by Andrews McMeel Universal. She writes about pop culture, parenting, and other topics for Cozi.com, MSN.com, Women's Health, Parenting, and other publications. She founded both National Grammar Day and SPOGG.org, the Society for the Promotion of Good Grammar. Martha is the social media diva for readergirlz, the cutting-edge literary and social media project for teens.

Northern Network Coordinator

Rebecca Van Slyke
Rebecca coordinates schmoozes and other fun as the Northern Network Coordinator. She has an MFA in Writing for Children and Young Adults from Vermont College of Fine Arts. She writes picture books, easy readers, nonfiction, and poetry, and she’s currently working on something she swore she would never attempt: a middle-grade novel. She also has illustrated five art books for children. Rebecca is a second-grade teacher in Lynden, where she lives with her husband, daughter, and a very spoiled dachshund. She is also a cowgirl.

Public Events Coordinator

Tina Hoggatt
Tina will be taking on a new role helping to coordinate public events and other opportunities for SCBWI to engage with our community. A writer and illustrator, she is currently working on young-adult and middle-grade fiction. The experience of working as an artist and writer in the schools informs her outreach and education work for 4Culture, the cultural services agency for King County, where she works for public art, oversees the blog and enews, and tweets up a storm. Tina has illustrated two books for adults, MY JIM by Nancy Rawles and HOME FIELD, a collection of essays on baseball edited by John Marshall. Her artwork The Positions on the Field is permanently installed in Safeco Field. Learn more about her work at tinahoggatt.com.

Published Member Liason

Sara Easterly
Sara strategizes on programs for SCBWI’s published members. A former regional advisor for SCBWI Western Washington and one of two SCBWI Members of the Year for 2009, Sara Easterly is both an author publicist and a children’s author. As principal and creative director of Sara Easterly & Friends, she’s handled publicity for a variety of award-winning and bestselling authors. Her first book, LIGHTS, CAMERA, FASHION! (becker&mayer!/Chronicle), illustrated by Jaime Temairik, won a 2007 Parents’ Choice Silver Honor, among other awards. Sara holds a journalism degree from Colorado State University, as well as a writing certificate from the University of Washington Extension. Sara’s website is www.saraeasterly.com .

Resources Coordinator

Erik Pulkka
Erik sells SCBWI products — including pens, book bags, t-shirts, and the Nuts & Bolts packet — at monthly meetings and our annual conference. Erik is married and a full-time dad to twin boys. Watching them interact with their environment inspires him to create adventures for his characters on paper. Erik began writing his first chapter book, WELLINGTON THE BOOT, in 2008 when he found Peggy King Anderson’s class, The Magic for Writing for Children. Starting in 2009, he started taking his writing to his core audience by reading to local school children and was recently named author of the week by students at East Ridge Elementary. Erik also feeds his creative side by hand-painting miniatures for strategy games and re-creating historical or sci-fi battles. His love of gaming has prompted him to begin writing young adult science fiction.

Retreat Director

Jolie Stekly
Jolie is responsible for pulling together and delivering our annual fall retreat for writers-Weekend on the Water. She grew up in small-town Montana before moving to the Pacific Northwest where she lives with her husband, daughters, and parents (yes, parents). After many years of teaching first and second grade, Jolie is now home with her girls and writing, writing, writing. Jolie was the co-regional advisor of the Western Washington chapter of SCBWI from 2006-2009. All these things combined have led her to require a good cup of coffee (more than one a day), a cute pair of shoes (no matter how much they hurt), and a great workout (even on the days she’s not teaching her own Bodypump class).You can read more at cuppajolie.blogspot.com/.

Secretary/Hospitality

Dana Sullivan
Dana, who prefers the title Scooby Snackmeister, provides snacks at our meetings and takes notes for the Advisory Committee, when reminded. After 16 years as creative director for Costco Wholesale, Dana quit to try his hand at steadier work: writing and illustrating children's books. Dana loves his new career and is reveling in that blissful stage when no demands are put on him by editors or publishers. Still, he is in search of both and will give them whatever they want. You can see some of his illustrations in the banners above the snack table, here in The Chinook, and at danastickylove.blogspot.com.

Social Coordinator

Brenda Winter Hansen
Brenda helps to bring SCBWI members together more often and make sure that our events are not all work and no play. Her loves for travel and stories have been inseparable for as long as she can remember. She grew up in the Midwest and after stints in the Pacific Northwest, Europe, and the East Coast, she is happy to call Seattle home. Although her educational background is photography and languages, it was only after finishing the Writing for Children extension program at the University of Washington that she realized writing for teens was her dream job.

Webmaster

Dana Arnim
Dana Arnim is an illustrator and the webmaster for SCBWI Western Washington. She creates websites by day and illustrates by night—or whenever she can! Her illustrations can be seen in THE TERRIBLE TENOR, by Bev Parnell, and on her website at www.danaarnim.com. She lives in Seattle with her husband, daughter and the requisite cats and dog (who are always good for procrastination and mind-clearing breaks).