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This is the second time in a week that Sarah Stevenson has had to write about herself, a fact which makes her feel terrifically self-centered. The first time was a letter introducing her debut novel to teen readers for YALSA's galley program, a task which was both incredibly cool and very intimidating. Her YA novel The Latte Rebellion will be published in January, meaning she'll be eligible for the 2011 Cybils, which makes her a little sad because next year she'll have to step aside after three years as blog editor. You might be able to find her hiding out in an unrelated, conflict-of-interest-free Cybils category like Graphic Novels or Fantasy/Sci-Fi. For now, though, she'll be helping supply you with reviews, blogger profiles and other items of interest here on the Cybils blog. You never know what weird stuff she might say, so keep checking back.

--Sarah Stevenson, Finding Wonderland and Aquafortis

Jackie Parker got the reading gene from her mother, a librarian, who had gotten it from her father, who was, by most accounts, a bit of a renaissance man. Jackie didn't become voracious until fourth grade when Stacy Youngs and she had an unspoken and puzzling rivalry regarding who could read the new Babysitter's Club book the fastest each month. Since Mrs. Youngs wouldn't let Stacy touch a book until it had been protected by an adhesive plastic cover, and Jackie's mother better understood the temporary nature of paperback series purchased at Target, Jackie almost always won. After years of living in the spare bathroom closet, all 117 copies of Jackie's BSC books were donated to an elementary school circa 2003; however, now a teen librarian herself, she's been very happy to see the graphic novel and prequel rebirth of her 9-year-old self's favorite series.

--Jackie Parker, Sno-Isle Teens and Interactive Reader

As the daughter of teachers turned artisans, Pam grew up saturated with the values of education and art. The literature she added herself, surviving long weekends on the craft show circuit with her precious books. Exposed to many styles and forms of art, her own talent tapered off at doodling - and the occasional clay dragon. Many years later, she rediscovered children's books working at the public library, and as a blogger for MotherReader and PBS Booklights. It seems fitting that her childhood years would evolve to this role as the Cybils organizer for Fiction Picture Books, where she combines her love of learning, literature, and art.

--Pam Coughlan, MotherReader

You know you are a kidlit blogger for life when someone (adult book person) asks you what you read over the summer and you pause... pause... (pause more)... because you are wracking your brain trying to think of the last Important Grown Up Book you read. But it's really hard. So you give up and name the last book your husband read. Or else Mockingjay. That one freaks them out. Conversation over.

Good thing there’s a place for us kidlitophiles to talk books with people who get it. I’m excited to be back for another year as category organizer for Middle Grade Fiction. I’m a teacher / blogger / baker / dreamer. I’ve been blogging at Shelf Elf for three years. I also write reviews for Guys Lit Wire and work with the fabulous readergirlz community as one of the postergirlz. Let the celebration of kids’ books begin!

--Kerry Millar, Shelf Elf

Jone's love of non-fiction picture books began early in life. She was three years old when she proudly showed her mother's illustrated nurse textbooks to her grandmother to explain where babies really come from. She went on to number her books in her personal library and participated in every summer library program possible, foreshadowing her career as an elementary library media specialist.

Jone drove her parents crazy by reading the encyclopedias and then reporting symptoms of potential diseases to them.

Jone loves nonfiction picture books and poetry books. Today she regularly participates in Non-fiction Monday and Poetry Friday on her blog Check It Out.

--Jone MacCulloch, Check It Out

Kelly has always been an avid reader, the kind who generates their own force field that keeps out conversation, explosions and such while engrossed in a book. She can walk while reading, including manoeuvring up and down stairs, but she cannot keep track of time, remember things like meals and bedtimes, or engage in civilized conversation. In fourth grade, Kelly melted a plastic lamp shade (and narrowly avoided starting a fire) while reading covertly after bedtime. Kids: do not cover your lamps with a quilt in order to form a reading tent. You have been warned.

--Kelly Fineman, Writing and Ruminating

Sheila Ruth learned to read peering at the pages of Analog Science Fact & Fiction and F&SF magazines over her father’s shoulder. By fourth grade she was reading the stories of Isaac Asimov, Arthur C. Clarke, Andre Norton, and Robert Heinlein (except for a few naughty ones her parents wouldn’t let her read). In fifth grade, a teacher put a copy of Lord of the Rings into her hands, and it was love at first sight. Throughout her adult years, she continued to read fantasy and science fiction, mostly preferring big, deep, and complex books with sociological themes and rich world-building. Like many other adults, she was struck by the lightning bolt called Harry Potter when she started reading it along with her son. Combining an interest in children’s and young adult books with her lifelong love of SFF, Sheila enjoys helping young people to discover the new worlds and new ideas that have always fascinated her.

--Sheila Ruth, Wands and Worlds

Gina fell in love with books very early on. Once she discovered the local library, it was all over. By the time she'd reached 6th grade the local librarian knew her so well, she'd have a stack almost as tall as the quiet girl that would come in every day and leave almost stumbling over with her pile of books. She was rarely without a book in hand, and would get so lost in a story that her mother would threaten to destroy all books if she didn't come do chores--a threat which would somehow penetrate into those fabulous worlds of Tolkien, Cameron, Shakespeare and get her to run and wash the dishes.

Her fierce protectiveness towards real, honest-to-God books--not e-books--is stronger than ever. Librarians are her heroes. Her love affair with books has continued, spills out and envelops everyone around her till they are almost as fascinated and in love with books as she is. Her proudest moment was when her previously "I hate reading" daughter-in-law was driving by a movie billboard and asked, "Can you find me the book that movie was based on? I want to read it." She lives in a house she's restoring with a book-loving friend and books are in every room.

--Gina Ruiz, AmoXcalli

Liz Jones is a fan of visual storytelling who began accumulating picture books for her children at least a decade before they were born. She'd never read a graphic novel before volunteering with the Cybils back in 2007, as graphics are in short supply in her area. She was awestruck at the range and depth of the genre when the review copies started rolling in. Now she shamelessly plugs graphics (and the Cybils) in her jobs as a therapist for troubled kids and as a children's lit prof, and hopes that someday she may write/draw a graphic of her own. Her children pounce on incoming review copies, devour the contents, and shamelessly plug graphics to their friends, teachers, librarians, and random strangers in bookstores.

--Liz Jones, Lizjonesbooks

As a child, Jen Robinson pretty much always had a book in her hand. Yes, even when she was swimming out to a raft in the middle of a lake (holding the book up high with one hand). Yes, even when she was climbing trees (with three younger brothers and sisters, she had to take quiet spots where she could find them). As she grew older, she found herself compelled to put books into other children's hands, so that they could share her own joyful experience. Because walking around the streets handing out children's books to strangers turned out to be impractical, she was fortunate to discover blogging. Now she tries to put books into kids' hands indirectly, by making book recommendations to parents and teachers and spreading the word about the Cybils. These days she mostly puts the books themselves into the hands of her five month old daughter, nicknamed Baby Bookworm.

--Jen Robinson, Jen Robinson's Book Page & PBS Booklights

As a child, Jen Robinson pretty much always had a book in her hand. Yes, even when she was swimming out to a raft in the middle of a lake (holding the book up high with one hand). Yes, even when she was climbing trees (with three younger brothers and sisters, she had to take quiet spots where she could find them). As she grew older, she found herself compelled to put books into other children's hands, so that they could share her own joyful experience. Because walking around the streets handing out children's books to strangers turned out to be impractical, she was fortunate to discover blogging. Now she tries to put books into kids' hands indirectly, by making book recommendations to parents and teachers and spreading the word about the Cybils. These days she mostly puts the books themselves into the hands of her five month old daughter, nicknamed Baby Bookworm.

--Jen Robinson, Jen Robinson's Book Page & PBS Booklights

In the upcoming weeks, I am lucky to be able to interview both an area sculptor and a Christian rock band that's on a nationwide tour raising funds for Haiti earthquake victims. Both artists expressed thanks for giving them the opportunity to promote their work.

When reading art profiles, I often finish with an empty feeling, like the writer barely skimmed the surface and wrote a bare-bones article that doesn't make me want to learn more about the artist or his/her/their work.

I refuse to write fluff.

I want to produce more than a puff piece that barely skims the surface. I want to write an in-depth profile of this artist and group of musicians and showcase both the work ethic and product, as well as the human interest side of the story.

Since I write regularly for a regional publications, I've had the opportunity to interview many artists. During these interviews, I've sharpened my approach to writing the artist profile. Here are my tips for finding the real story, instead of producing a bunch of fluff:

• Research, research, research. Accuracy should be a top priority for the arts profile writer. Dig into the artist's background, look at previous projects, and familiarize yourself with upcoming launches. Don't simply check out the artist's personal website. Go beyond! Check out databases that cater to a particular art genre, a publisher's website or artistic organizations. Read older articles about the artist you're profiling. You'll be amazed at the new questions you come up with!
• Make your list, check it twice. Then, interview. I like to come up with a list of simple questions based on background. These basic facts are the first points I go over during the interview. Then, I have a list of 15 to 20 questions that focus on the current project and past work. Look for a pattern and you'll usually find a common thread that runs through their work. Still, some questions may require deep thought. Sometimes, a basic question draws the best responses simply because the answer seems so obvious, but after consideration, the artist digs to find the answer. I once interviewed an author who, at 60-something, hadn't thought about why her main characters aged along with the author. "Write what you know," summarized her response.
• Search for secondary sources. After interviewing the artist, I like to talk to others involved in the new project. This tactic gives me a new, fresh perspective, and usually, it covers new material not covered in the interview. Plus, I often get fantastic sidebar material.

Remember, the artist profile doesn't have to amount to fluff. Rather, it should engage readers and give them an up close and personal view of what motivates the artist while motivating the reader to discover more about the subject.

What artists profiles have you read that stand out in your mind? What made them unique?

by LuAnn Schindler. Follow LuAnn on Twitter @luannschindler or visit her website to read more of her work http://luannschindler.com .

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Today we meet Sheila Ruth, organizer for the Fantasy and Sci-Fi category, with a bio that comes courtesy of her son David:

Sheila Ruth has loved books for a long time, and has been involved with them in many different ways. She is the president of a publishing company known as Imaginator Press, and of a book lovers' site called Wands and Worlds, where she reviews books, and with her son, manages a thriving community of YA book fans. She has also been with the Cybils since their beginning, as the Fantasy and Science Fiction Category Organizer as well as the Publisher Liaison.

In addition to her many book-related commitments, Sheila somehow finds time to work on countless other projects, including several genealogy websites, and homeschooling her son.

Among books, many of her favorites are Young Adult--she says that they’re not just for the young, they're for the young at heart. She publishes many of her reviews for these books on her blog.

Today we meet Sarah Stevenson, Editor for the Cybils blog:

I'm a freelance writer, fiction writer and artist, as well as co-founder (with writer and Cybils SFF panelist Tanita S. Davis) of the YA literature blog Finding Wonderland: The WritingYA Weblog, founded in 2005. I also help out with the group blog Guys Lit Wire and participate in online literary events such as the Blog Blast Tours. I usually blog as aquafortis or a. fortis, and this year I've even been seen on Twitter from time to time.

I've been involved in the Cybils for the past three years, initially as a member of the Graphic Novels Nominating Committee in 2006, then as Organizer for the Graphic Novels category of the 2007 Cybils, both of which I enjoyed very much. Last year I was on the YA judging committee and started helping out with the blog--which helps keep me abreast of all the many exciting developments in the process. This year I'm back again as editor and also as a GN judge, and I couldn't be more excited.

Today we meet Kelly Fineman, organizer of the Poetry category:

Dear Madam,

It is with some trepidation that I respond to your request for a biography of Mrs Kelly Fineman, as one is not often asked for such details about the life of another--and in such a public forum! Mrs Fineman is, I believe, an authoress, and I know her to be making inquiries into my life for purposes of preparing a biography, although why one would wish to write about my life--and in poetry, no less!--remains a bit of a mystery to me.

/s/ Jane Austen

Hello.

Here’s what we can tell you about Kelly: she has been known to make us wait as long as a day after we’ve asked for her attention. Also, she and that Austen lady (hello, lady!) tried to keep us locked in a back storeroom last week; we didn’t mind so much once they tossed in a six-pack, but still. Also, Kelly has been known to skip off to write poetry when you least expect it. And don’t get us started on all that reading!

/s/ Standing and Sideways Trouble, Gnomes

Today we meet the organizer for our Non-Fiction Picture Books category, Jone MacCulloch:

"Too many books, too little time" is a favorite quote of mine. And yet, as an elementary library media specialist, I have to know something about all books regardless of genre. Lucky me, last year, when I requested the poetry category for Cybils (which I love, love, love) it was full up. I was asked to be on the Non-Fiction Picture Books panel instead. I discovered that I really love this category just as much. The quality and interest in non-fiction books for children of all ages has grown tremendously over the last few years.

I am thrilled to be the organizer of the NFPB category, even though I have big shoes to fill. I have lots to learn but am excited to see what 2009 brings in this category.

I keep two blogs, one for school called Check It Out and one for my personal writing, Deo Writer. I am learning to Twitter. When not teaching or on the computer, I can be found outside, camera in hand. My grandgirls make me laugh along with my husband and two doxies.

Today we meet Pamela Coughlan, category organizer for Fiction Picture Books:

I am the mother of two girls, ages ten and thirteen, and a voracious reader. Hence the Mother and Reader part of my blog name. At MotherReader, I review children's literature from board books to Young Adult - when I'm in the mood to review anything at all - but my heart is in picture books. I also blog as part of the Booklights team at PBS Parents.

Along with my occasional forays into running a national conference like KidlitCon09, I participate in many of the community aspects of blogging in kids lit, including the Carnivals of Children's Literature, Poetry Friday, and my own 48 Hour Book Challenge. I'm also the director and occasional updater of the site KidLitosphere Central. I spend entirely too much time online.

In my real life I worked as a children's information specialist for nine years in a public library, but am now sitting out the recession with a stack of ARC's, a notebook of ideas, and a laptop computer. We'll see what happens. I'm also a Girl Scout leader, Lost fan, movie lover, Northern Virginian, and humor aficionado.

Today we meet Kerry Millar, who returns this year as our category organizer for Middle Grade Fiction:

Hello to all Cybilites! I'm thrilled to be back for my third year with the Cybils and my second year as the category organizer and one of the judges for Middle Grade Fiction. This year I'm spending my working days with a gaggle of nine-year olds, teaching Grade 4, so I'll be test-driving many of the nominated titles with my very own captive audience.

Before teaching, I was part pastry chef, part children's bookseller (a.k.a. the dreamiest job-combo known to man), and went to sleep every night full of sweets and stories. I launched Shelf Elf more than two years ago, and I blog there about everything kidlit related. I also write reviews for Guys Lit Wire and work with the fabulous readergirlz community as one of the postergirlz. Basically, I'm always trying to find new ways to squeeze my life full of as many books as possible.

When I'm in between books, I can be found scratching my dog's ears, saving pennies to pay library fines and drinking very strong coffee.

Today we're happy to welcome back Anastasia Suen, category organizer for Easy Readers and Short Chapter Books:

As an author, consultant, and teacher for children and adults, I wear many hats. With my author hat, I've written 115 books for children and adults. I've worn my teacher hat in elementary school (for Kindergarten, first, fifth and sixth grades) as well as college (for children's literature and writing.) With my consultant hat, I work on textbook programs, evaluate reading levels, and create learning activities.

I am often asked why I have so many blogs. Well, I have one for each of my hats! I blog about my own books at Book of the Week. I blog about books and activities for children learning to read at 5 Great Books and Literacy Links. I blog about using picture books to help K-8 students learn to write at Picture Book of the Day. I blog about the Children's Book Biz for my adult writing students. And at Pencil Talk, I post a student poem each day of Poetry Month in April.

This year we're expanding the Cybils Easy Reader category to include short chapter books. Last year, we discovered many gems that were too long for easy readers and too short for middle grade, so we're giving these "bridge" books a list of their own.

Today we're happy to welcome back Anastasia Suen, category organizer for Easy Readers and Short Chapter Books:

As an author, consultant, and teacher for children and adults, I wear many hats. With my author hat, I've written 115 books for children and adults. I've worn my teacher hat in elementary school (for Kindergarten, first, fifth and sixth grades) as well as college (for children's literature and writing.) With my consultant hat, I work on textbook programs, evaluate reading levels, and create learning activities.

I am often asked why I have so many blogs. Well, I have one for each of my hats! I blog about my own books at Book of the Week. I blog about books and activities for children learning to read at 5 Great Books and Literacy Links. I blog about using picture books to help K-8 students learn to write at Picture Book of the Day. I blog about the Children's Book Biz for my adult writing students. And at Pencil Talk, I post a student poem each day of Poetry Month in April.

This year we're expanding the Cybils Easy Reader category to include short chapter books. Last year, we discovered many gems that were too long for easy readers and too short for middle grade, so we're giving these "bridge" books a list of their own.

Happy Monday! Please join us in a warm welcome for new Middle-Grade/Young Adult Nonfiction category organizer Susan Thomsen:

Fall is one of my favorite times of the year, with leaves crunching under my feet, apples to be picked, and the resplendent glory of the Cybils nominations! That's where so many good new books come to my attention. Just one example: in 2008, through this process, I "discovered" an easy reader, Houndsley and Catina and the Quiet Time, which quickly became a personal favorite and a book I was eager to share with some first-grade reading buddies.

This year I'm organizing the committees for the Middle Grade and Young Adult Nonfiction award, and I can't wait to see which nominees become the ones I jump up and down for.

I've been writing about children's books at my blog, Chicken Spaghetti, since 2005. I've worked at magazines, written about theater, Elvis, and coffee, among other subjects, and tried to squeeze a wiggly toddler into a snowsuit. That toddler is somehow now 10, and I live in Connecticut with him and his dad and a small menagerie of pets, including two opinionated chickens.

Today we meet Liz Jones, our organizer for the Graphic Novels category:

I am a children's writer and illustrator, a cyberschool writing teacher and a professor of children's literature at the University of Pittsburgh's Greensburg campus. I chalk up my drawing skills to years of doodling in the margins of notebooks. These days, my work usually appears in my blog at http://lizjonesbooks.livejournal.com, where I also do occasional book reviews and author/illustrator interviews. I have published work in Highlights, Dragonfly Spirit ezine, and Leap Greetings. My favorite genres include middle grades, picture books and graphic novels. My current project is a hybrid illustrated novel structured around a poem by Wallace Stevens.

I've been an enthusiastic member of the Cybils graphic novel nominating committee since 2007. Until this spring, I had no access to either a good library or a good bookstore, so the review copies that trickled in during the awards process really expanded my horizons! I've been so impressed with the quality of the GNs that have been nominated over the years, and I can't wait to see what this year will bring.

We're happy to welcome back Jackie Parker as category organizer for YA Fiction. In honor of her upcoming nuptials, we present her bio as seen through the eyes...well, pen...well, keyboard...of her fiancé Kyle Robinson. Read on to find out more:

Jackie Parker blogs regularly on her YA book review website, interactivereader.blogspot.com. The name, Interactive Reader, comes from the physical and audible responses she emits when reading an engaging book. This includes sudden cries of "NO!" when a good character does something stupid and hitting her fiancé in the shoulder with happiness when an evil character gets his or her comeuppance. Her fiancé has since learned to sit a safe distance away at all times.

Jackie is also a poster girl for readergirlz.com where she recommends books, and as a teen librarian in the Seattle area, Jackie engages with actual teens in the wild by putting on several programs a month for local young adults. Recently, she served her teens baby octopus and preserved duck eggs among other things as part of a library fear factor, and no one threw up! Jackie is excited to be taking part in her 4th year in Cybils and her third year as the YA category organizer.

The panels of Round I and II judges are rapidly taking shape, and we'll be announcing those soon! In the meantime, we're going to start introducing the Cybils '09 organizing team. Today, we meet Jen Robinson, our hardworking Literacy Evangelist:

I'm Jen Robinson, and I've been blogging for nearly 4 years at Jen Robinson's Book Page. My blog is dedicated to helping parents, teachers, and librarians encourage kids to enjoy books. I publish mostly book reviews (picture books through young adult) and literacy and reading news. I also contribute one post a week to the new PBS Parents children's book blog, Booklights.

My blog is a part-time effort, something that I do because I think that it's important that all kids have the opportunity to grow up loving books. In my "day job", I have a Ph.D. in Industrial Engineering and co-own a small software firm that works with computer chip manufacturers. I'm originally from Lexington, MA, and I live now in San Jose, CA. I remain a dedicated Red Sox fan.

I've been involved with the Cybils administrative team since the first year, and have also been a judge for the easy reader, middle grade fiction, and young adult fiction categories. This is my second year as Literacy Evangelist for the Cybils, which basically means that I'm a cheerleader for the Cybils, spreading the word about our winning titles inside and outside of the Kidlitosphere.

Having been part of the Graphic Novels category myself in previous years, I can attest that it's always an adventure discussing what makes a quality nominee, and sometimes, what makes a graphic novel a graphic novel! Thanks to GN category organizer Snow Wildsmith of Good Comics for Kids, we're getting a sneak peek into what the nominating and judging panelists really think--read on to find out who prefers Bone, who likes American Born Chinese, and who wishes they had the superpower to turn invisible!

What do you think makes a great graphic novel for kids and teens? Is it the art, the story, both? What are some examples of great kids and teen graphic novels?

Paula Willey (Pink Me): The best graphic novels feel like movies--you are watching and listening (reading) at the same time, without feeling a) talked at or b) lost in a confused swirl of images. I think it takes an unbelievable amount of skill to write a script for a graphic novel. Pace is important, and movement, and setting--more so in graphic novels than in all-text novels.

I look at it like this: if I am recalling a scene in a graphic novel, and I can't remember whether the narrative was spelled out explicitly in the text, or acted out in the art... that is a successful graphic novel. 

David Elzey (The Excelsior File): For kids, the thing that makes a graphic novel great is that it opens up the language of the comics medium; it builds on the story-picture interaction that begins with picture books, and adds a new layer to the experience. Sara Varon's Robot Dreams does this well, inviting the reader to fill in the emotional dialog between the dog, the robot, and their desire for friendship. Then, of course, one cannot dismiss Tintin for the rollicking adventure of it all.

For teens, I'm looking at story first, then art, because if the story's not there then it's often nothing more than a prop for illustrations. The Cultural Trinity--Spiegelman's Maus, Satrapi's Persepolis, and Yang's American Born Chinese--are probably required reading by now for teens, but I think Tezuka's eight-volume Buddha is brilliant.

Gail Gauthier (Original Content): My impression of graphic novels that I really liked (American Born Chinese and the first volume of Buddha, both of which David mentioned) is that the images take the place of the narrative. They truly are showing us the setting and the action. So that's how I've been defining a good graphic novel, myself. I'm looking for that to happen and not for the images to act as illustrations that don't carry a lot of the weight of the story. 

Liz Jones (Liz Jones Books): From my perspective, an excellent story, regardless of age or genre, has two things--a thought-provoking tale to tell and an engaging style that sucks the reader in and doesn't let go. I want to still be thinking about the characters and events a week after I've read the book--that's what tells me I've read something really good.

In graphic novels, the writer/illustrator has more options for presentation than someone writing a straight YA or midgrade novel would. The thing I love most about graphic novels is this flexibility in story presentation. From Babymouse to Bone to Persepolis, there's a graphic style for almost any topic and age of reader.

Betsy Bird (A Fuse #8 Production): When I look at a graphic novel I like to examine how well the story works within the comic format. Does the artist use a lot of different shifts in perspective? How are their storytelling skills? Do they rely on pretty art to make up for mediocre writing, or is the writing equal with the visual elements? A great GN is a mix of both the literary and the artistic, creating a whole new product.

A great example of this might be The Arrival by Shaun Tan. Now there's a book that couldn't be anything OTHER than a graphic novel. Give it even one line of dialogue and it falls apart like confetti.

Stacy Dillon (Booktopia): For the younger folks, accessibility is key, and I think that the artwork is the first hook for them. Babymouse is wildly popular with the younger kids at my school. The bright colors and cute factor of the Magic Trixie books have them flying off the shelf as well. There are many younger readers who only read the pictures in the GNs, even though they are capable of reading the text.

My favorite for the older of the younger is the Amelia Rules series. The storytelling is smart, and the artwork is truly funny. For YAs, the story is essential. Books like Blankets, American Born Chinese, Shutterbug Follies wouldn't be half as good without amazing storytelling.

Sam Musher (Parenthetical): One thing I want to add is that comics can be akin to television, in the best possible way. Since the story depends so much on images, comics feel more cinematic than novels. And because of the shorter length and publishing schedule of serial comics, they can have the same episodic feel as a great TV show like Buffy, in which stories can be enjoyed individually, but plot and characters build and deepen over time. Jeff Smith's Bone and Brian K. Vaughan's Runaways are excellent examples of this. Serial dramas are so popular with teens (and adults!), and good comics can tap into that same appeal.

In the spirit of superhero comics, if you could have any superpower what would it be?

Liz: My favorite has always been Buckaroo Banzai. He got to do everything he wanted to--the physicist, the physician, the musician, the pilot, the adventurer. I want to be him when I grow up.

Betsy: I'd like a weird one. The power to speak to people with the voice that they hear when they're reading a book. You know how when you read a book the words read in your head in a voice other than your own? That would be my power.

Sam: I want to be able to talk to public transportation. "Hey, train! Wait up!" "Is there a bus coming soon, or should I walk?" Sure, that's kind of a lame superpower, but it would improve my life significantly. And more importantly, it avoids the whole saving-the-world-from-supervillains angst of your more traditional superheroes. I mean, who would my arch-nemesis be? Hummer Man?

Stacy: The ability to be invisible! I am a bit of a nosy person, and being able to gather information on the sly is very appealing!

David: I'm not big on heroes or hero worship--I sort of think the concept is detrimental to a society's well-being--so I guess in that spirit I would ask for the power to inflict Patience and Open-Mindedness on self-righteous evildoers. Don't imagine that I wouldn't have to stand in the mirror every now and then and give myself a dose of my own medicine. As a superhero, I mean.

Paula: As for superpowers--see, nobody realizes what a burden superpowers are until they have some. I try to keep mine a secret, but if I had one more, I would like to be able to emit that sonic thing that makes mosquitos and rodents flee the locality. Rats in the compost--eeeurghh.

Many thanks to Snow and the Graphic Novels nominating and judging panelists for educating us as well as letting us in on their secret superpower wishes!

--Sarah Stevenson, Deputy Editor