Summer 2026 Intensive Picture Book Workshop

One of my writers emailed me over the weekend asking if I was teaching the Intensive Picture Book Workshop any more — so I brought it back for the summer.

I started teaching this workshop at Southern Methodist University in 1999, and it has gone through many iterations over the years. This version has 95 picture book lessons and SIX 30-minute Zoom meetings to develop the story arc of your fiction or nonfiction picture book as you write and revise in poetry or prose.

Q. What are the dates for the Summer 2026 Intensive Picture Book Workshop?
A. Enroll anytime between June 9 and July 10 for this self-paced workshop that ends on Saturday, August 29.


  • Are you writing a fiction picture book story?
  • Are you writing a picture book biography?
  • Are you writing a preschool concept book?
  • Are you writing an information book?
  • Are you writing poetry or prose?

There are lessons on the private site for EACH type of picture book, including rhyming picture books! Choose the lessons that match your manuscript.


In 2025, my writers published 172 books! (And most of them took this picture book workshop!)

To see a list of all my writers who published books, visit my former students page.
To see all of the Intensive Picture Book Workshop details, visit the workshops page.

Copyright © 2026 Anastasia Suen All Rights Reserved.

2026 New Visions Award

The New Visions Award page says:

“Established in 2012, the New Visions Award is given biennially to an unpublished writer of color or Native/Indigenous writer for a middle grade or young adult manuscript. The contest will be open this year, 2026, from April 21, 12:01 a.m. to June 30, 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time.

Novel and graphic novel manuscripts may be FICTION, NARRATIVE NON-FICTION, or WORKS IN VERSE for middle grade readers ages 8 to 12 and young adult readers ages 12 to 18.”

The awards page also says:

“New Visions Award winners receive a standard publication contract, including Lee & Low Books’s basic royalties and an advance in the amount of $15,000.

Winners are also given close publishing mentorship as they work to develop their book for publication.”

Check the Contest Rules Page for word count and submission information.

Copyright © 2026 Anastasia Suen All Rights Reserved.