Making The Imagination Central With Matthew Burgess and Cátia Chien

First Draft Episode #282: Matthew Burgess and Cátia Chien

Matthew Burgess and Cátia Chien, artist and illustrator respectively, of picture book The Bear and the Moon. Matthew is a poet, picture book author, and Assistant Professor at Brooklyn College. Catia is a visual artist, illustrator, and founder of A Thousand Worlds, a picture book directory that connects readers to beautiful picture books written and illustrated by BIPOC authors and illustrators.

This episode is sponsored by Revision Season, the seven-week, virtual master class in novel revision led by award-winning author Elana K. Arnold. The Winter 2021 session runs January 17 – March 4, with Week Zero work arriving January 10. Check out more details about Reivsion Season and sign up or Apply for 5 scholarships being offered through We need Diverse Books at www.elanakarnold.com.

Links and Topics Mentioned In This Episode

Monica by Mauricio de Souza

Cátia’s interview on PBS NewsHour

Poet Frank O’Hara

Poet John Ashbery, whose collection Self-Portrait in a Convex Mirror won a Pulitzer Prize, among other accolades

Teachers and Writers Collaborative

Kate Sullivan, previously an editor at HMH and currently Senior Content Development Manager for New Leaf Literary & Media. She appears in the Track Changes podcast series (in Selling Your Book: Part 2 and Contracts).

ArtCenter, the school where Cátia studied art and design

Enormous Smallness: A Story of e e cummings by Matthew Burgess, illustrated by Kris Di Giacomo

Drawing on Walls: A Story of Keith Haring by Matthew Burgess, illustrated by Josh Cochran

Roald Dahl Boy (and its sequel, Going Solo)

Make Meatballs Sing: The Life and Art of Sister Corita King by Matthew Burgess, illustrated by Kara Kramer

Enchanted Lion Books

The Brooklyn Museum Children’s Book Fair

A Boy and a Jaguar, written by Alan Rabinowitz, illustrated by Cátia Chien

The Truro Bear by Mary Oliver (poem)

William Steig is the author and illustrator of the Caldecott-winning picture book Sylvester and the Magic Pebble, as well as Shrek!, Dominic, and Newberry Honor book Abel’s Island

Smudge, the moon bear

I want to hear from you!

Have a question about writing or creativity for Sarah Enni or her guests to answer? To leave a voicemail, call (818) 533-1998 or send an email to mailbag @ firstdraftpod dot com!

Subscribe To First Draft with Sarah Enni

Every Tuesday, I speak to storytellers like Veronica Roth, author of Divergent; National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature Jason Reynolds; Leigh Bardugo, author of Ninth House and the Grishaverse series; Creator of Sex and the City Candace Bushnell; YouTube empresario and author Hank Green; Actors, comedians and screenwriters Jessica St. Clair and Lennon Parham; author and host of NPR’s Pop Culture Happy Hour podcast Linda Holmes; Bestselling authors and co-hosts of the Call Your Girlfriend podcast, Ann Friedman and Aminatou Sow; Michael Dante  DiMartino, co-creator of Avatar: The Last Airbender; John August, screenwriter of Big Fish and co-host of the Sciptnotes podcast; or Rhett Miller, musician and frontman for The Old 97s. Together, we take deep dives on their careers and creative works.

Don’t miss an episode! Subscribe in Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Track Changes

If you’re looking for more information on how to get published, or the traditional publishing industry, check out the Track Changes podcast series, and sign up for the Track Changes weekly newsletter.

Support the Show

Love the show? Make a monthly or one-time donation at Paypal.me/FirstDraft.

Rate, Review, and Recommend

Take a moment to rate and review First Draft with Sarah Enni in Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen to podcasts. Your honest and positive review helps others discover the show -- so thank you!

Is there someone you think would love this podcast as much as you do? Just click the Share button at the bottom of this post!

Thanks again!