The Storytellers Foundation
Jackie Garcia-Morales & Theresa Maria Villarreal
Upcoming Events
Learn how to sustain your author and book brands from seasoned voices in the field in our live Storytellers Summit featuring masterclasses and networking sessions.
Our Mission
The Storytellers Foundation is home to The Big Bang Notable Book List and The Storyteller’s Shelf Podcast, whose 2025 debut season earned us the honors of being ranked by MillionPodcasts as one of the best podcasts for chilren’s literature, a top listened to new podcast of the year by Spotify, and in the top 100 in our category.
We are champions of children’s literature from board books through young adult! Join us, hosts Jackie Garcia-Morales and Theresa Maria Villarreal, as we:
- explore the art of storytelling and how to write well,
- demystify publishing for creatives and aspiring professionals; and
- guide our listeners through the ever-evolving literary landscape.
We’ve had the pleasure of speaking guests who have big names and larger hearts like Lowis Lowry, Kwame Mbalia, Eric Litwin, Max Beaudry, Mary Kole, and more.
We welcome emerging and established authors, illustrators, publishing career hopefuls, and avid readers who are curating their book hoard as educators, caregivers, and good, old-fashioned bookw orms.
Tune in, learn, and become part of our story.
Questions? Send us an email!
Summit Series
The Storytellers Summit Series, established in January 2026, brings authors and illustrators together to hear from experts to broaden their success toolkits as creatives.
Educational Library
Our publishing education is created from the generous guest speakers at our summits, allowing a concrete resources for authors to replay on demand.
Podcast
The Storyteller’s Shelf Podcast, ranked in the top 100 kidlit podcasts, features conversations with publishing professionals and creatives to demystify publishing.
Book Awards
The Big Bang Notable Book List highlights remarkable books created for young audiences and celebrates the creators whose work helps shape the future of children’s literature.
Catherine Laudone
Tyiana Combs
Esther Hernandez
Carl Lennertz
Jason Low
Meg Medina
Kate Fletcher
CANDLEWICK PRESS
Philip C. Stead
Pat Zietlow Miller
Megan MacDonald
Tom Angleberger
Rachael Welsh
Derek Amarillas
Tom Bancroft
Meet Our Original Guests
Kwame Mbalia
Kwame is a husband, father, scientist, and publisher of Freedom Fire — an imprint from Disney-Hyperion featuring stories of Black resilience and joy. His debut middle grade novel, Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky, was awarded a Coretta Scott King Author Honor.
Lois Lowry
Lois Lowry is a renowned American author known for children’s and young adult literature, particularly for her thought-provoking themes in The Giver and historical fiction Number the Stars. She is known for winning the prestigious Newbery Medal twice, in 1990 and 1994, for her work.
Max Beaudry
Max is an Emmy Award-winning writer and producer of tv, film, and books. He has developed projects for Disney, Nickelodeon, Netflix, DreamWorks, Imagine Entertainment, and more. His graphic novel Aw, Nuts! debuted with Papercutz in 2025.
Testimonials
“If you’re on the path to publishing or marketing a book, I highly recommend tuning in – each episode is packed with valuable insights to help guide you along the way.”
LINDA RADKE, Publisher & CEO of Story Monsters, LLC
“I felt as if we could talk for another hour! Their love for middle-grade shines through — and also their love for bringing dynamic, rich stories to young readers.”
