The Illustrators Café

Panel

Elena Pasoli, Director, Bologna Children's Book Fair; Sara Wang, CEO, Sìdee Cultural Communication; Ao Ran, Deputy Executive Director, China Audio-video and Digital Publishing Association (China); Cathy Olmedillas, Founder and creative director of Studio Anorak, publisher of the magazines Happy Mags for Kids Anorak Magazine, DOT and the new CHEW (Spain); Li Jianping, Dean of the School of Animation at the Beijing Film Academy, Vice-Director of the Committee for the Teaching of Animation and Digital Media at the Ministry of Education, Secretary General of the Animation Art Committee of the Chinese Artists Association and Vice-President of the China Children’s Film Association (China); Long Niannan, Senior art teacher at the China National Children’s Center, expert in art education for children and painter (China); Marcella Terrusi, Researcher and lecturer in the field of childhood culture, history of children’s literature and international children’s publishing, University of Bologna (Italy); Mireia Trius, Co-founder, Zahorí Books (Spain); Tan Fengxia, Professor of children’s literature, School of Literature at Nanjing Normal University (China).

Panel

Tom Walker, Publishing Director, The Folio Society; Zack Rock, previous winner; Sophia Schoepfer, editor, The Folio Society.

Panel

Basarat Kazim, President, IBBY; Carolina Ballester, Executive Director, IBBY; Marloes Robijn, President, IBBY Netherlands; Leigh Turina, Project Leader, Toronto Public Library; Cristina Puerta, Head, UNESCO Publishing; Josiane Polidori, 2nd Vice President, IBBY Canada; Tucker Stone, Past President, USBBY, Valerie Coghlan, President, Bookbird Inc.; Shereen Kreidieh, President, 2026 Hans Christian Andersen Award Jury.

Panel

Rachel Martin, Global Director Sustainability, Elsevier; Leonardo Aldegheri, President, Grafiche AZ; Anne Bergman Tahon, Director, Federation of European Publishers; Mary E. Glenn, Chief, Sales and Marketing Section UN Publications, Department of Global Communications United Nations; Helena Mansell-Stopher, Founder and CEO, Products of Change; Iroo Joo, Korean Publishers Association; Gvantsa Jobava, International Publishers Association; Nicolas Roche, BIEF - Bureau international de l'Edition francaise.

Panel

Jeff Kinney, author and cartoonist; Davide Calì, author, illustrator and cartoonist.

Panel

Greta Alice, illustrator, Lithuania; Lucia Carlini, illustrator, Italy; Pamela Samel, illustrator, Estonia.

Panel

Triin Soone, Director, Estonian Children's Literature Centre; Dr. Katja Wiebe, editor for Eastern European Children's and Youth Literature; Justinas Vancevičius, Acting Head of the Children's and Youth Literature Center, Martynas Mažvydas National Library of Lithuania.

Panel

Llona Martson, Chief Editor, Täheke; Muriel Rathje, Chief Editor, Gecko; Petra Novikova, Communication Manager, Raketa.

Panel

Regina Lukk Toompere, illustrator; Davide Calì, writer; Valentina Mai, publisher, Kite Edizioni; Takako Totsuka-Mizuno, Green Seed Book.

Panel

Åsa Bergman, Head of Office, ALMA; Kajsa Ravin, Director General, Swedish Arts Council; Jan Björklund, Ambassador of Sweden to Italy; Katarina Eriksson Barajas, Jury member, ALMA; Per Gustafsson, Jury member, ALMA; Mårten Sandén, Jury member, ALMA.

Panel

Elena Pasoli, Director, Bologna Children’s Book Fair; Jan Björklund, Ambassador to Sweden in Italy; Johan Palmberg, The Astrid Lindgren Company, great-grandchild of Astrid Lindgren.

Writers, illustrators, winners at ALMA, scholars, translators, editors in chief, publishers: Beatrice Alemagna, Pierdomenico Baccalario, Alice Bigli, Moa Brunnberg, Laura Cangemi, Kitty Crowther, Donatella Di Pietrantonio, Martina Forti, Nicola Galli Laforest, Grazia Gotti, Vivian Lamarque, Emilia Lodigiani, Isol, Leonard Marcus, Mariagrazia Mazzitelli, Samanta K. Milton Knowles, Bart Moeyaert, Barbara Schiaffino, Marcella Terrusi, Simona Vinci.

Panel

Paul Cox, autore, illustratore, graphic designer.

Panel

Henrique Moreira, illustrator.

Panel

Donna Chai, General Manager, BolognaFiere China, China Shanghai International Children’s Book Fair; Mariaelena Schiavo, Special Projects Manager, Bologna Children’s Book Fair; Yukiko Hiromatsu, Picture Book author, critic, independent curator, juror of 2024 Golden Pinwheel Young Illustrators Competition; Heimi, illustrator, winner of 2024 Golden Pinwheel Young Illustrators Competition Grand Award; Daniele Morganti, illustrator, winner of 2024 Golden Pinwheel Young Illustrators Competition Special Mention

Panel

Kiyoko Matsuoka, Director, Itabashi Art Museum; Steven Guarnaccia, illustrator, designer, Associate Professor of Illustration at Parsons School of Design; Ai Komagata, One Stroke; Francesco Saviola, Mutty; Antonella Dalla Rosa, La Baracca - Testoni.

Panel

Walter Fochesato, studioso di letteratura per l’infanzia e storia dell’illustrazione, Vicedirettore del mensile Andersen; Chris Haughton, illustratore, autore, Irlanda; Neal Porter, editore, Neal Porter Books, Imprint Holiday House, USA; Felicita Sala, illustratrice, Italia; Gema Sirvent, Fondatrice, Editorial Libre Albedrío.

Panel

Leonard Marcus, storico della letteratura per ragazzi, critico, autore.

Panel

Sydney Smith, illustrator, Canada; Marcella Terrusi, Professor, University of Bologna.

Panel

Susie Morgernstern, scrittrice; Beatrice Masini, scrittrice; Sylvie Vassallo and Nathalie Donikian, Salon du Livre et de la Presse Jeunesse en Seine-Saint-Denis.

Panel

Heena Baek, autrice e illustratrice.