PB Rising Stars
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pbrisingstars.bsky.social
PB Rising Stars
@pbrisingstars.bsky.social
We give experienced picture book creators the platform to pull up-and-coming, historically excluded creators up the turbulent publishing ladder.

www.pbrisingstars.com
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⭐ It's time!!! Our biggest announcement EVER is officially here.

*SOUND ON TO HEAR THE ANNOUNCEMENT*

If you want to debrief, discuss, and ask questions, join us TONIGHT, October 30th, at 8:00 PM Eastern Time on Zoom. Register here: us06web.zoom.us/meeting/regi...
Did you miss the live debriefing about our big announcement? No problem! We are answering some of your biggest questions about the FINAL year of #PBRisingStars!

Wondering what applicants can expect for the final year of PBRS? Watch the video below to hear!

#kidlit #kidlitchat #kidlitpostcard
November 4, 2025 at 8:29 PM
Reposted by PB Rising Stars
What a wild ride 2025 has been!
I'm thrilled to share my PBRS experience and honored to be a featured author for November with SCBWI Kansas Missouri Region sharing my experience as a PB Rising Stars mentee. @pbrisingstars.bsky.social

www.scbwi.org/regions/ksmo...
November 2, 2025 at 11:12 PM
Reposted by PB Rising Stars
I cannot say enough wonderful things about PBRS. Seriously, it is ✨life-changing✨. If you want to jump-start your PB career, make brilliant and incredible friends, and grow as a creator and person, you NEED to apply next year!!! #kidlit #kidlitart @pbrisingstars.bsky.social
⭐ It's time!!! Our biggest announcement EVER is officially here.

*SOUND ON TO HEAR THE ANNOUNCEMENT*

If you want to debrief, discuss, and ask questions, join us TONIGHT, October 30th, at 8:00 PM Eastern Time on Zoom. Register here: us06web.zoom.us/meeting/regi...
October 31, 2025 at 12:47 AM
⭐ It's time!!! Our biggest announcement EVER is officially here.

*SOUND ON TO HEAR THE ANNOUNCEMENT*

If you want to debrief, discuss, and ask questions, join us TONIGHT, October 30th, at 8:00 PM Eastern Time on Zoom. Register here: us06web.zoom.us/meeting/regi...
October 30, 2025 at 1:00 PM
✨3 days until our BIG announcement!!
We're pulling back the curtain on all things PBRS and giving hints leading up to the final reveal!

Read to see what 2022 mentee turned co-director @laylafallah.bsky.social has to say about what makes PBRS so special + a major hint for Thursday! #pbrisingstars
October 27, 2025 at 3:11 PM
Reposted by PB Rising Stars
⭐️ GIVEAWAY TIME! ⭐️
We’re just ONE WEEK from our big, history-making #PBRisingStars announcement, so let’s celebrate with 4 incredible picture books from past mentors! 📚✨

To enter:
1️⃣ Follow us on Bluesky
2️⃣ Like this post
3️⃣ Tag a friend (1 tag = 1 entry!)

Winner announced on 10/30 with our big news!
October 23, 2025 at 12:25 PM
⭐️ GIVEAWAY TIME! ⭐️
We’re just ONE WEEK from our big, history-making #PBRisingStars announcement, so let’s celebrate with 4 incredible picture books from past mentors! 📚✨

To enter:
1️⃣ Follow us on Bluesky
2️⃣ Like this post
3️⃣ Tag a friend (1 tag = 1 entry!)

Winner announced on 10/30 with our big news!
October 23, 2025 at 12:25 PM
Did you know that THREE of our past mentees have picture books available for preorder NOW? Let’s take a minute to celebrate the hard work of these incredible #PBRisingStars creators and support their goals by placing preorders or making library requests!

Preorder here: bookshop.org

#kidlit
October 22, 2025 at 2:17 PM
💫 We’re back on Bluesky and on October 30th, we're making our BIGGEST ANNOUNCEMENT EVER at #PBRisingStars! 💫

In 4 years, 78 mentors have helped 95 mentees grow their craft, confidence, & careers.

And soon… we’ll cross the ⭐️100 mentee⭐️ milestone!

But what's next?👀
www.pbrisingstars.com/subscribe
October 20, 2025 at 2:11 PM
Hey, everyone!

Quick announcement from the PBRS team:

We’ll be taking the summer off BlueSky, so if you want to stay up to date on all things PBRS, giveaways and other fun, be sure to follow us on IG and stay subscribed to our newsletter.

See you there!
June 24, 2025 at 5:36 PM
We’ve given you a BTS look at mentee selection, but what actually happens once they’ve been chosen?

It’s a two-week flurry of welcome packets, intro emails, bonding events & mentee orientation (which takes place TONIGHT! Eeeek!), all geared towards welcoming mentees to the #PBRS family. ⭐️
May 29, 2025 at 4:26 PM
Think choosing a mentee was easy for our mentors? Think again!

Hear what @nellcrossbeckerman.bsky.social had to say about how WOWed she was by the talent and storytelling in her apps, and use this as motivation as you keep writing and revising this summer!
#pbrisingstars #kidlit #kidlitmegafeed
May 27, 2025 at 6:09 PM
It's been ONE week since we announced our 2025 #pbrisingstars Mentees!

With 2,403 applications, Mentors had impossible decisions to make! Have you wondered what each mentor's process was like?!

Check out what Mentor Jackie Morera said about how she chose her mentee below👇🏾

#kitlitmegafeed #kidlit
May 23, 2025 at 4:49 PM
It's time to ASK @natashakhankazi.bsky.social anything!!!!

Today only until 9 PM Eastern Time, comment your questions and Natasha will pop in today to answer!!!

Questions about publishing? An artist interested in writing? Let us know below!!! #kidlit #kidlitart #askmeanything #pbrisingstars
May 19, 2025 at 2:08 PM
Please join us in supporting our co-director and dear friend, Trenise. Our hearts are breaking and we’re hoping to at least slightly ease the pain she and Travis are going through.
#Kidlit friends 💔 Please share this far and wide

Our dear friend, Trenise Sabin, was the victim of a major burglary over the weekend. She and her husband Travis have lost everything— from clothing and appliances to irreplaceable items from their recent wedding and the urn

gofund.me/ce50d993
May 19, 2025 at 12:05 AM
Reposted by PB Rising Stars
#Kidlit friends 💔 Please share this far and wide

Our dear friend, Trenise Sabin, was the victim of a major burglary over the weekend. She and her husband Travis have lost everything— from clothing and appliances to irreplaceable items from their recent wedding and the urn

gofund.me/ce50d993
May 18, 2025 at 9:11 PM
PRESENTING: the 2025 PB RISING STARS mentees, runners up, and honorable mentions! 🤩🤩🤩

We’re thrilled to work with our 28 new mentees, and we’re so proud of our RUs and HMs.

CONGRATS TO ALL!
⭐️⭐️⭐️
May 16, 2025 at 4:29 PM
Today’s the BIG DAY!!

Tonight, we’ll be announcing our 2025 #PBRisingStars mentees!

We’re so blown away by ALL of you who and are in awe of your talent. 🥹🥹🥹

Check out what Mentor Alliah L. Agostini said about reading all of your work, and we’ll see you soon! 👇🏾

#pbrisingstars #kidlit
May 15, 2025 at 6:27 PM
TOMORROW! TOMORROW! We announce mentees TOMORROW!!!

and GUESS WHAT, everyone?!

We have ONE 👏🏾 MORE 👏🏾 SUPRISE 👏🏾!

Make sure you’re there on time because we have one huge huge HUGE announcement, and you’re not gonna wanna miss this 👀😎

#kidlit #kidlitmegafeed
May 14, 2025 at 3:29 PM
TWO more days until the 2025 PBRS mentees are announced!

And this summer, mentees and mentors will get to learn craft from TWO of the best in the game — Jarrett and Jerome Pumphrey! 🤩🤩🤩
May 13, 2025 at 6:17 PM
Three more days until we announce 2025 #PBRisingStars mentees!

And did you know? Mentees get THREE things beyond 1:1 mentorship:
⭐️ Craft workshops with the pros
⭐️ Access to PBRS events
⭐️ A private mentee discord

Can’t wait to announce who’s joining the PBRS family in 3 days!

#kidlit
May 12, 2025 at 11:49 PM
Guess what?!

We’re officially ONE WEEK OUT from announcing the class of 2025 #PBRisingStars mentees and WE CANNOT WAIT!!! 🤩

Register now so YOU can be there live when your name is called! 🤞🏾

us06web.zoom.us/webinar/regi...

#pbrisingstars #kidlit #kidlitcommunity #amwriting #amillustrating
May 8, 2025 at 6:15 PM
Today we’re screaming THANK YOU to orgs like @scbwi.bsky.social, @kidlit411.bsky.social, @lasmusasbooks.bsky.social, @mindyalyseweiss.bsky.social & the #PBParty team, @subitclub.bsky.social, BCHQ and KidLit In Color for all the support they’ve given in helping us spread the word this year!
May 7, 2025 at 3:48 PM
#PBRisingStars mentor @jmorerabooks.bsky.social has a NEW BOOK dropping in EIGHT days, so let’s run those pre-order numbers up!

TOGETHER WE REMEMBER is an imaginative exploration of finding joy amidst grieving, and we can’t wait to read!

Pre-order your copy today: bookshop.org/p/books/toge...
May 5, 2025 at 3:41 PM
It’s #FunFriday around these parts, #PBRisingStars friends and family, so we want to play another game!

FINISH THE SENTENCE: The PB Rising Stars mentees are…

✍🏽 ✍🏽 ✍🏽

⭐️Comment below to complete the thought! 👇🏾⭐️

#kidlit #kidlitcommunity #picturebooks #kidlitmegafeed
May 2, 2025 at 6:20 PM