Part of a series introducing the Mentors for the 2019-2020 SCBWI-WWA Mentorship Program. This post introduces a Picture Book Portfolop Mentor, Jing Jing Tsong. Applicants will receive information about acceptance into this program in early Fall, 2019. For more information about the mentorship program visit here: https://wwa.scbwi.org/2019-mentorship-program/.
Mentor: Jing Jing Tsong
Jing Jing Tsong’s illustrations marry traditional print making techniques and digital collage. Of her illustrations for Trees (by Verlie Hutchens, published by Simon and Schuster, March 2019), The School Library Journal writes, “The artwork is full of sensitivity and whimsy and highlights
the interconnectedness of all life; this is where the book truly shines.” Trees was recently featured in The New York Times Book Review article, “Enchanted Poetry Picture Books”. Her first picture book, A Bucket of Blessings (by Kabhir Sehgal and Surishtha Sehgal, published by
Simon and Schuster, April 2014) was a New York Times best selling Picture Book. website: Jing Jing Tsong instagram: @jingjingtsong facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jingjingandmichael/
Q: Why do you like to mentor aspiring writers?
I think it’s important to share experiences and see a successful mentor-mentee relationship as an active dialogue and exploration of creative process.
Q: What does being a successful published professional look like to you?
To me, being a successful published professional means, I am able to put out work that reflects and celebrates the world I want to live in.
Q: What can a mentee expect from your mentorship?
I offer a critical eye that is informed by my years of teaching graphic design, typography and working as a commercial, editorial and picture book illustrator. I believe in the power of constructive criticism with a healthy dose of personal cheerleading.
Q: What are you reading?
I have been in the children’s section of my local library immersing myself in new books and old favorites. I’ve also been reading How to Write an Autobiographical Novel, Essays by Alexander Chee and Red Birds by Mohammed Hanif and Raymond Carver’s Beginners (the original version of What We Talk About When We Talk About Love).
Q: What are you working on these days?
I am in the midst of exploring and developing several different picture book concepts. Concurrently, I am working on illustrations for a story that will be published by Lee & Low in Fall 2020.