Brian Kirby

Celebrating 5 years of #KidLitArtPostcard w/ the theme of "You, as a kid.” Don’t worry, I managed to somersault over the mailbox, although I did mangle a fingernail! I’m Brian, rep’d by @kaitlynleann17.bsky.social at @bradfordlitfest.bsky.social - you can see what I’m up to at briankirbystudio.com.

“Alucard” always fools people, so Frankenstein thought he’d use the same playbook. #kidlit #halloween #frankenstein 🎃

The HALLOWEEN SPOOKTACULAR at Cleveland’s Severance Hall was delightful as always this year. I loved hearing Carl Stalling in a symphony hall.

Despite the significant investments ploughed into artificial intelligence it has provided “zero payoff” to corporate America outside of technology, according to Apollo's Chief Economist Torsten Slok. Read more: bloom.bg/3UO2c30 📷: Victor J. Blue/Bloomberg

I need to watch some Hammer movies before Halloween gets here. 🎃🧛‍♂️

What Debbie said!

Tonight’s movie!

v1.136 is live! Introducing: Profile links We want independent writers, artists, developers, and creators to be able to build and fund sustainable projects on Bluesky. Help your followers know how to support you by adding buttons for Patreon, Ko-fi, your newsletter or website, and more.

We’re hiring another literary agent to join Team PSLA! The position is flexible, remote work opportunity for candidates with one or more years of publishing experience. For full details, check out our web page! https://www.psliterary.com/opportunities/

Be on alert, everyone. #bigfoot

More character design in Procreate for a villain who has a sinister plot for world domination and an obsession with fish flakes. #kidlit

Alarm about declining interest in reading is perpetual. But the chief executive of Barnes & Noble thinks a different future is at hand. www.newyorker.com/magazine/202...

I've updated my website with the latest books that have published. I wonder if I need to start hiding pages, this page is getting longgg 😅 #kidlit

Authors and illustrators, it seems that scammers are escalating their publishing-related scams. Someone messaged me earlier today asking if I had been on a Zoom call with them an hour before. That was a shock, because it definitely wasn't me.

The googly eye trees are blossoming all around town. 👀🪾

IT'S THE GREAT PUMPKIN, CHARLIE BROWN is streaming free on Apple TV this weekend to celebrate its 60th anniversary. #TVSky #Halloween

Public libraries are becoming so popular even the bears have started trying to get cards. www.instagram.com/reel/DeftV9x...

As I said in my reply - Guidelines for ethical Gen AI usage is like guidelines for how the Paris museum art thieves can use the stolen art. It’s still stolen to begin with, doesn’t matter how they use it afterwards, and doesn’t change the fact they are thieves. You’re just condoning it now.

Howdy #PortfolioDay, I’m Brooke! I’m an author/illustrator and graphic novelist who loves making goofball stories for goofball kids. If you want expressive characters and fun, absurd humor, I’m your girl! I’m rep’d by Marissa Brown at Pippin Properties. brookebaum.com #kidlit #kidlitart

It’s #PortfolioDay! - I'm Brian Kirby, children's book illustrator and author. Looking for new projects 👀! Visit briankirbystudio.com for more info. Rep'd by @kaitlynleann17.bsky.social at @bradfordagents.bsky.social 🎨

Hello portfolio day! I am Nicola, a picturebook illustrator & author in the UK I love surreal, funny stories! My full portfolio is here: NicolaSchofield.com get in touch with my rep @sallymkim.bsky.social at @andreabrownlit.bsky.social if you'd like to work together #kidlitart #pb #portfolioday

My town does an annual Haunted Trails event in the walking paths around the lake, with middle and high schooler scare actors jumping out of the fantastically lit woods at kids. It’s a free event for residents and always a home run, even with some drizzling rain last night. Loved it! 🎃 #halloween

Halloween 🎃 book giveaway! Win a copy of @bshum79.bsky.social Anzu the Great Listener + Things That Go Bump in the Day (illus. by @charlenedraws.bsky.social )! Enter on Insta: tinyurl.com/mu3sd88n #kidlit #booksky #edusky #librarians

More than two dozen workers at three major publishing houses—HarperCollins, Simon & Schuster, and Hachette—tell WIRED that LLMs are being used for publicity, cover art, back cover copy, and emails, as some execs push junior staff to champion the tech. Read the full story: buff.ly/p0ymGmN

NEW: Staff at HarperCollins, Simon & Schuster, and Hachette told @adamm0rgan.bsky.social AI is infiltrating their workplaces, from generating cover art and back cover copy, to publicity materials, to rejection emails, as execs tell junior staff to "champion" the tech. www.wired.com/story/book-p...

Looking for replacement nibs for my Apple Pencil and thought I’d throw it out there to see if anyone has suggestions for a particular nib that they swear by…? #kidlit #procreate #illustration

More character design in Procreate for a totally normal tuxedo cat that is not trying to uncover your sinister plot for world domination. #kidlit

Doing some character design in Procreate for a tuxedo cat that craves adventure. #kidlit 🤿🫧

I am offering educators free 15-20min readings of HUG? (KidsCan Press) for I READ CANADIAN day on Nov 4. My availability is currently 11am-1pm (12-1230pm is booked). Email me to book a slot! For more info pls see ireadcanadian.com/day/ #edusky #skybrarians #IReadCanadianDay #CanKidLit

Amazing! More jiangshi next week! #driveinmob

Hear author Troy Wilson's 10 friendly facts about his new picture book Still Friends! This sweet story is about an unlikely friendship between a dog and a statue. blog.orcabook.com/troy-wilsons...

Today over on Threads many writers had a freakout because rumors were going around that publishing is imploding (it's not; Threads just loves drama). But I posted info on a bunch of publishing newsletters that provide actual info for people who want to stay informed, so I'll share those here.

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Canada is refusing to issue ISBNs to books primarily generated with AI. This illustrates both the urgency of the problem of the growing flood of slop books, and also the toothlessness of addressing it on the honor system without there also being consequences for lying

Bluesky uses Klipy (not Tenor or Giphy) for its gifs. I have some available for use at: klipy.com/profile/debb...

How I arrived on Bluesky:

Two things : do you have a best or worst #authorvisit experience as a writer, teacher, librarian or kid? Also, I totally recommend @debbieohi.com 's #SchoolVisit "handbook" #kidlitchat

I used to be at my kids’ school quite often to help out, with intervention sessions and multiple other activities, but after the pandemic, they have far fewer opportunities and every visitor needs to go to the admin offices to get fingerprinted and a background check. #kidlitchat

It seems that at least our district is doing far fewer events in the last few years. 😔 #kidlitchat

TOPIC: Let's talk school visits - getting 'em, planning 'em, doing 'em - and other presentations, too, from book fairs to anywhere else. What do you charge for? What do you do swag for? How do you tune a presentation? And what else?! #kidlitchat

Writers: do you miss having colleagues? Join us tonight for #kidlitchat #writers ##kidlit #educators

#kidlitchat is almost here! Today at 9pm Eastern/6pm Pacific, we #kidlit folk shall gather here on Bluesky and chat, as the prophecy foretells. Or cuz we want to. I don’t know for sure. But I do know I hope you join us! See you soon….

Celebrating Charlene and this #bookbirthday! Congrats! ❤️

This year’s #BannedBooksWeek coincides with ALA’s official 150th anniversary. To mark the occasion, ALA has released a list of the 150 most challenged books documented from 1990, when ALA's Office for Intellectual Freedom began tracking book challenges, through 2025. ala150.org/150books

"Only when readers of all ages become active, only when readers are willing to stand up to the censors, will the censors get the message that they cannot frighten us." — Judy Blume #BannedBooksWeek

ChatGPT is adding real cartoonists’ signatures to fake New Yorker cartoons buff.ly/YJ1mAiP

Highlighting one of my favorite spooky season picture books - I admire so much about it, and any picture book author struggling with a high word count could do themselves a favor by studying the economy of words in this gem. The illustrations don’t need a single extra word to support them. #kidlit