More About Brittany J. Thurman (She/Her)

Brittany J. Thurman is an award-winning author of books for kids. She writes picture books and middle grade novels for children to visualize their aspirations and recognize there is no limit to any dream. Her titles include Fly, illustrated by Anna Cunha and Fearless: Boulevard of Dreams, co-written with Mandy Gonzalez, both published by Simon and Schuster.

Fly received the 2023 Golden Kite Award for Picture Book Text, was featured at the 2022 National Book Festival in Washington, DC, selected to represent the state of Kentucky for the Library of Congress, ‘Great Reads from Great Places’, adapted with musical accompaniment by the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, plus more.

Brittany holds a Master of Fine Arts in Dramatic Writing from Carnegie Mellon University. Her plays have been produced in Aspen, CO and on New York City’s Theater Row. She is a graduate of Kingston University, London, England, where she studied theater theory. Brittany is also a former children’s library specialist and art museum educator. In both roles, she created high-quality literacy and art programs, selecting books that represent the world around us for children birth-school age.

Brittany lives in her hometown of Louisville, Kentucky, where she holds tight to her elders, her roots, and her childhood home. When she isn't writing, you can catch her walking along Louisville’s waterfront, traveling, admiring art and spending plenty of time with her elders.

Brittany’s current picture books include:

FLY, written by Brittany J. Thurman and illustrated by Ann Cunha is a 2023 Golden Kite Award Winner.

Brittany’s upcoming picture books include:

FOREVER AND ALWAYS, written by Brittany J. Thurman and illustrated by Shamar Knight-Justice (Greenwillow, 2024), Come Catch a Dream (Greenwillow/Harpercollins), and The First Library: The True Story of the First Library by and For Black America, illustrated by Cozbi Cabrera (Clarion/Harpercollins, 2025).

You can find her online at:

www.brittanythurman.com

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Brittany’s strengths include…

Developing voice within picture book manuscripts, honing dialogue of characters, shaping what is said into authentic and natural conversation, revamping the structure of a story, finding and fine-tuning the heart within a story, cutting what is holding a manuscript from reaching its full potential, character development, querying and query letters.

What Brittany is looking for…

When Brittany began writing for children, she had a vision, being a full-time author would become her career.

Brittany is looking for a mentee who shares a similar goal and recognizes there may be mountains along the way, but nothing is impossible.

She is looking for a mentee to focus on 1-2 manuscripts over the duration of the mentorship. She would love to read manuscripts with lyrical, poetic (non-rhyming) language.

Brittany would love to connect with a mentee who has a passion for the arts, early childhood development, literacy, and is interested in learning about the business side of publishing- from querying agents, editors, and what comes next.

A Note from Brittany:

“The best advice given to me remains, ‘read everything’. Read at least 100 books in the genre you are writing, and read outside of your genre, as well. The more you read, the more you will gain understanding of how picture books work- from voice to POV, characters, setting, structure and more. On top of this, if possible, read to children. Reading to children allowed for me to gain a deeper understanding of how picture books work for a child picture book age, and how + why children react to what they read.”

Brittany’s Picture Books

FLY, written by Brittany J. Thurman and illustrated by Ann Cunha is a 2023 Golden Kite Award Winner. OUT NOW!

Upcoming Picture Books:

FOREVER AND ALWAYS, written by Brittany J. Thurman and illustrated by Shamar Knight-Justice, will be published in 2024 by Greenwillow.

If Brittany created a Visual Wish List, it would be made up of…

*Unless otherwise stated, the below serves as a wish list only. Each mentor is excited about the opportunity to find a manuscript they can’t stop thinking about. Please apply if you think you’d be a good fit.