Jessixa Bagley is an acclaimed children’s book author and illustrator. Her work often features animals and emotional experiences inspired by her childhood. Her debut picture book, Boats for Papa, received a SCBWI Golden Kite Award, Washington State Book Award, and was an ALA Notable. Her picture book Laundry Day, received a 2018 Ezra Jack Keats Honor Award. She is the author of the middle grade graphic novels Duel (winner of the 2024 Washington State Book Award), Dear Jackie, and the upcoming Frankie’s Summer in April 2027, all illustrated by her husband Aaron Bagley.
Jessixa is also author-illustrator of the graphic novel series, Jazzy the Witch. Her work has been featured in numerous publications including The New York Times and she is a frequent contributor to Illustoria Magazine. Jessixa is an honored recipient of a 2026 Ezra Jack Keats/Kerlan Memorial Fellowship. When not making books, Jessixa travels domestically and internationally to speak and teach children’s book writing and illustration. She lives in Seattle, WA with her husband and her son.
School Visit Graphic Novel Presentations (45min in length)
Making Graphic Novels About Your Life
Writing from a personal place can be the best place to start when looking for content. It can be challenging to write about your life but knowing the right places to bring in fiction can help make it fun! In this talk, Jessixa will talk read a portion of her debut middle grade graphic novel, Duel, and talk about the personal origins of the book (her history of fighting with her sister, the passing of her father, her past as a fencer), her process for writing a graphic novel, and how she collaborated with her husband, Aaron Bagley, who illustrated the book! *Can be tailored for 2 nd through 8th *
Melding Ideas
Stories can come from your imagination and your own life. In Jessixa’s middle grade graphic novel Dear Jackie, she brought in elements from her childhood and those of her husband/collaborator, Aaron Bagley. In this presentation Jessixa will will read a portion of Dear Jackie and talk about how you can take ideas from a variety of places (especially your own experiences) and put them into a story to make something uniquely its own! This presentation includes and interactive writing demo where Jessixa’s make a short comic with help from the audience. Melding Ideas can be a solo presentation OR with Aaron Bagley depending upon availability. It can also be adjusted into a writing/illustrating workshop. *Can be tailored for 3rd through 8th *
Fun With Emotions
There are so many ways to feel and capturing your feelings through our characters is sometimes the best (and most fun) way to process them! In this presentation, Jessixa will talk about how she made her hit middle grade graphic novel series, Jazzy the Witch. She will also walk young readers on different ways to show a character’s emotions through a drawing demo with her character Jazzy! This can be tailored as a presentation where the kids either observe or draw along and also formatted as a workshop. *Can be tailored for 1st through 5th *
School Visit Presentations (30-45min in length)
We Are All Big and Small
The universe is endlessly large and it’s easy to feel small, but we all have our own big place in it! Jessixa will read her calm and dreamy picture book The Back of the Universe that takes readers from the twinkling edges of the universe into their own cozy beds. She’ll show her inspiration and show the firsthand process for making the book. Jessixa will also take the kids on a drawing exercise to get them thinking about different perspectives by zooming from something big into something small. For 1st grade, this presentation can be adjusted into a drawing activity for the kids to do along with Jessixa. *Best for Pre K-1st *
You’ve Got a Friend In Me
It’s a wonderful thing to be different! We all have our own likes, dislikes, hobbies, things we are good at…but those differences can sometimes make you feel alone too. Jessixa reads from her acclaimed author/illustrated picture book Daisy about a little warthog who is made to feel different by some of her classmates but learns that there are friends out there who understand her and see her for who she is. Jessixa will talk about making the book and how her own experiences inspired the story. Included in the presentation is a drawing demo on how to draw Daisy! Jessixa will includes a drawing activity sheet for kids to draw their own special magical fort inspired by Daisy’s fort from the book! *Can be tailored for K through 5 th *
So Many Choices!
We are surrounded by things to choose from! What to wear, what to eat for breakfast, and how to have fun! Jessixa reads from her illustrated picture book When I Wake Up, written by Seth Fishman. The story is like a modern Choose Your Own Adventure story that can be read all together OR each of the four separate storylines can be read on their own to explore what the main character could do with their day. Jessixa will show some book process details and she interpreted the author’s text in fun and personal ways. Presentation includes an interactive drawing activity where the students lead her to explore what someone could do with their day. *Can be tailored for K through 5 th *
Where Does Inspiration Come from?
When we create, we make things that speak to our souls. We might be inspired by our family, our favorite song, or perhaps a beloved pet! Jessixa reads from her book Maurice which is all about connecting to our artistic muse. She talks about the process of following her heart when making the Maurice and of course her real-life inspiration for the book! Jessixa will do a drawing demonstration that leads the kids to connect with their own personal inspirations. *Can be tailored for K through 5 th *
Courage Hats!
It can be hard to have courage sometimes, even when it’s courage to make a new friend. Jessixa reads from her illustrated book Courage Hats, written by acclaimed author Kate Hoefler. Jessixa will not only talk about how she illustrates a book, but how she found courage to illustrate the book in a bold new way for herself that pushed her own boundaries of illustration! Presentation includes either a drawing demo of the characters OR Jessixa can show the kids how to make their own courage hats with simple supplies like paper bags, scissors, markers and tape! (This can be an interactive activity where the kids participate along the way. The hat making can also be an after or before visit activity.) *Best Pre-K through 2 nd *
Drawing From Animals
Animals might not be people- but they can have just as much personality! Acclaimed author/illustrator Jessixa reads from her picture book Before I Leave and talks about how she develops her heartfelt animal characters from fun research and sketching. The presentation includes a draw-a-long demo that teaches readers how to break down drawing a character. Every student will leave learning some fun animal facts and how to draw the characters from her book. Presentation includes a fun take home activity sheet. *Best Pre-K through 2 nd *
Big Friends/Big Feelings
We all have big feelings. But sometimes those big feelings are hard to talk about. Jessixa reads her acclaimed picture book Henry and Bea and discusses the theme of how supporting a friend through something hard can be done in different ways. Jessixa talks about the real-life origins of her story and her book making process. Presentation also includes a drawing demo. (This book talk is great for 4-5th grade as it talks about feelings and the loss of a pet.) *Can be tailored for 2 nd through 5 th *
Presentations and Keynote Speeches:
Both Sides of the Picture Book
Being both an author and an illustrator of picture books is fun and enriching from both sides. Each aspect has its own set of steps but both come together to create a unified piece of work. In this presentation, Jessixa goes through her process from inspiration to finished product as both a writer and an illustrator and shows how these sides intersect.
Unknowing Watercolor
While Jessixa has a degree in painting, she is a self-taught watercolorist. So being a professional illustrator has somewhat involved her creating her own painting process. In this presentation, she walks you through the “right” steps of watercolor painting by showing you the “wrong” way in which she paints. This can be a hands-on presentation where you paint together.
The Picture Book Process Through Collaboration
When you make a book, you will have a lot of input from your editor. In this presentation, Jessixa go into the details of her picture book process and takes you step by step through how she collaborated with her editor, Neal Porter, on her picture book BOATS FOR PAPA.
It Takes a Village to Make a Picture Book
When starting out in the publishing, sometimes authors and illustrators don’t realize how much involvement agents, editors, and art directors have in the process. In this presentation, Jessixa explains all of the players involved in making a picture book and how they all work together. Knowing who is on your team for creating a book is a key part of getting a book made successfully. She also reveals some “insider input” that will help shed light on how best to navigate the professional relationships you need to cultivate while building your career.
Writing For Illustrators
Writing isn’t necessarily an automatic ability that illustrators have (or think they have), but we all have stories to tell. In publishing, you might have more opportunities as an illustrator if you write as well as illustrate. For this presentation, Jessixa shares the process of how she writes in tandem with illustrating and provides helpful exercises to get through writing blocks and explain the professional benefits of finding your writing voice.
The Value of Authenticity
This keynote speech is about Jessixa’s personal journey as a picture book author/illustrator. She talks about the ups and downs of the early days of being pre-published and how her nine-year road to getting published only started to open up once she started to put more of myself into my work. (30 minutes)
Testimonials
“Jessixa Bagley is a one of a kind speaker. She is hilarious, knowledgeable, well-prepared, and FUN! Jessixa is that rare person who knows a lot about her field, and can also teach extremely well. She is deeply passionate about her craft, and nonchalant about the depths of her abilities. Her fresh delivery style keeps things light, while she lays out the heavy facts about the publishing world. Kidlit conferences can sometimes be overwhelming with stories of rejection, and self-doubt. Jessixa reminds all of us that it’s easier to learn if we have fun along the way. I can only imagine how amazing she would be in front of a school of kids!” — Amy Kenney, SCBWI
“Jessixa’s visit with my Pratt Children’s Book class was an eye-opening, inspirational treat for my students. They were completely engrossed as she shared her step-by-step process and fascinated by all of the research that went into creating each book. My often reticent students hounded her with questions, pored over every sample that she brought and, best of all, took away so much information that they referenced Jessixa’s presentation repeatedly over the rest of the semester. Her visit was truly a mini-course on how-to produce an engaging picture book.” — Professor Pat Cummings, Pratt Institute
Read our interview with Jessixa Bagley
Website
Availability and Honorariums
Please contact Carmen Oliver for rates and availability.
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