Youths Bringing Great Stories to Youths

By Michelle S. Lin

Early 2025, my illustrator collaborator, Ken Lamug, asked if I’d be interested in helping with an organization that he and a group of children’s authors founded. “KidLitGN is a free online pitch event where comic creators can pitch their children’s graphic novels to agents and editors” he explained.

Since writing stories has always been close to my heart, I said, “Yes.” Soon Ken put me in touch with another founder, Johnell Dewitt, and through her I learned that KidLitGN, which started in 2020, had been struggling to stay operational due to funding challenges and lack of manpower. (This is often the case with most volunteer-run service-oriented organizations.) Johnell said that they were all trying hard to keep the event going because many creators look forward to participating every year.

Knowing the situation, I asked my daughter, Abigale, 15-years-old at the time, if she’d be interested in helping as well. Abigale is an artist proficient in digital illustration and design, a skill that is useful for KidLitGN. She also loves all forms of visual storytelling. So, no surprise to me that Abigale said, “Yes!”

As a mother-and-daughter volunteer duo, we helped put up 2025’s KidLitGN pitch event while moving across the country so Abigale could attend an art-focused high school in California: The Orange County School of the Arts (OCSA).

While I packed boxes, Abigale learned to use WordPress and laid out articles for KidLitGN. That year, approximately 190 pitches were posted and over 50 of them received industry interest. Even though the event ended on a high note, Johnell said without an infusion of resources, 2026 would be KidLitGN’s last year.

Abigale and I felt sad hearing Johnell’s decision. KidLitGN provided creators a potential way into the publishing industry, and now that path was closing. The two of us brainstormed ideas to keep KidLitGN going.

We realized we needn’t look further. Abigale’s new school, OCSA, has resources in both areas: generations of talented students and funding to support meaningful programs like KidLitGN.

Abigale and I scheduled a meeting with Patrick Williams, the director of OCSA’s Martin and Cynthia Howard Design and Media (DM) Conservatory, who recognized a partnership between KidLitGN and OCSA could be mutually beneficial. He said, “Yes,” and brought onboard OCSA’s Creative Writing (CW) Conservatory Director, Josh Wood.

Suddenly all the stars aligned! Within a couple of months, KidLitGN found a future with OCSA!

Everyone was so excited that we announced this partnership via KidLitGN’s social media platforms and sent press releases to media outlets, and the publishing professionals embraced the happy news. We now have an industry advisor, Robyn Chapman, a senior editor at First Second, as well as more agents, editors and creators following us. The social media posts created by the student interns are amazing as you can see in this blog. The student interns will also interview creators, agents and editors as well as review graphic novels and write editorial features.

Another wonderful facet of the partnership is that KidLitGN now connects not only creators with industry professionals but also readers, the students. All three parties will engage in conversations about what’s being created, what the industry is buying and what readers want to read!

Not long ago, a podcaster, Barney Smith, of www.storycomic.com, interviewed Johnell, Patrick, Abigale and me. He asked what made me especially excited about KidLitGN x OCSA. I said that it is thrilling to see these young creatives take part in shaping the professional culture that they plan to be in when they’re ready. This opportunity also gave me lots of bonding time with my teenage daughter! That’s priceless to any parent!”

These days, I am still volunteering alongside Abigale, but she has peer volunteers and it’s been exciting to hear the voices and the ideas of their generation.

2026 is only the beginning!

If you’re interested in learning more about the event and what it offers, please visit www.kidlitgn.com