Billy DiMichele

The Scholastic Art & Writing Awards: From the classroom to Carnegie Hall

July 21st, 2025  |  34 mins 14 secs

alliance for young artists & writers, anyango mpinga, carnegie hall, chris wisniewski, karlotta frier, new york life award, nia cao, scholastic art & writing awards

For over 100 years, teens from throughout the country have participated in a storied American tradition – the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards. Originally conceived in 1923 as a way to celebrate student artists at a time when most awards focused on athletic achievements, the Awards have gone on to become the nation’s longest-running scholarship and recognition program for creative teens and have served as the launching pad for some of the most well-known and respected artists and writers of the last century, including the likes of Robert Redford, Sylvia Plath, Richard Avedon, Andy Warhol, Joyce Carol Oates, John Updike, Zac Posen and Amanda Gorman.

In today’s episode, host Billy DiMichele is joined by Chris Wisniewski, Executive Director of the Alliance for Young Artists & Writers, Karlotta Frier and Anyango Mpinga, two professional artists and national jurors for the 2025 Scholastic Awards, and Nia Cao, a teen writer and recipient of the 2025 New York Life Award, a sponsored Scholastic Award that recognizes outstanding works dealing with grief. Each of these interviews will explore a particular component of the Scholastic Art & Writing Award—from a work first being submitted through to a national winner taking a bow on the incomparable stage of Carnegie Hall.

Listen to hear more about what makes a program like the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards so special, so enduring, and so necessary.

Branches and the magic of early chapter books

June 3rd, 2025  |  35 mins 27 secs

bernard mensah, branches, early chapter books, katie carella, kwame's magic quest, summer reading, trade

In today’s episode, former elementary school teacher and current Editorial Director of Scholastic’s Acorn early readers and Branches early chapter books lines, Katie Carella, is back in the studio with guest-host Billy DiMichele to talk about this magical moment in a child’s literacy journey. And joining the podcast for the first time is Bernard Mensah, author of beloved Branches series Kwame’s Magic Quest.

Realize the Dream: A Conversation with Martin Luther King III, Arndrea King, and Andrea Davis Pinkney

April 3rd, 2025  |  35 mins 12 secs

andrea davis pinkney, arndrea waters king, coretta scott king, martin luther king iii, martin luther king jr., realize the dream, rtd, scholastic, we dream a world, yolanda renee king

In today’s episode, Martin Luther King III, Arndrea Waters King, and Andrea Davis Pinkney join guest-host Billy DiMichele for a compelling conversation about Realize the Dream!

We Spy, You Spy, I Spy Love: A Conversation with Walter Wick and Dave & Dan Marzollo on the Latest I Spy Installment

March 7th, 2025  |  30 mins 21 secs

dan and dave marzollo, dan marzollo, dave marzollo, i spy, i spy love, jean marzollo, let’s find out!, walter wick

In today's episode, guest host Billy DiMichele is joined by Walter, Dan, and Dave to discuss the newest installment in the I Spy series, I Spy Love.

New Year, New Scares: Goosebumps Kicks Off 2025 with Thrills, Chills and a Vanishing Act

January 16th, 2025  |  26 mins 39 secs

disney+, goosebumps, goosebumps: the vanishing, house of shivers, hulu, jayden bartels, r.l. stine, scholastic entertainment, sei

In today’s episode, guest-host Billy DiMichele is joined by the master of horror himself, R.L. Stine, to talk all things funny and scary, while later in the program, we get to hear from Jayden Bartels, one of the stars of Disney+’s newly released Goosebumps: The Vanishing

EVA-DORABLE: Rebecca Elliott Talks a Decade of the Owl Diaries, Eva the Owlet, and more!

December 20th, 2024  |  26 mins 34 secs

acorns and branches, anniversary, apple tv+, eva the owlet, owl diaries, rebecca elliott, unicorn diaries

In today’s episode, author and illustrator, Rebecca Elliott joins guest-host Billy DiMichele to talk about the milestone, the success of her hugely popular books, and the animated Apple TV+ series Eva the Owlet, which recently announced its return for a second season and the release of a very special holiday episode.