In this episode of the SCBWI Podcast, we are joined by Eugene Yelchin!

Eugene Yelchin is a graduate of the Academy of Theater Arts in St. Petersburg, Russia where he designed sets and costumes for stage productions until his immigration to the United States. 

In Los Angeles, CA, he earned his graduate degree from the USC School of Cinematic Arts after which, he went on to direct television commercials and illustrate advertising campaigns (designing the original polar bears for Coca Cola). His first character designs were for the animated movie Rango, which won the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature, as well as Annie Award for Character Design. 

While illustrating for editorial publications, creating character design for animation, and directing commercials, Yelchin were also painting. His paintings were shown in nine solo and dozens group exhibitions, and today, they are in important art collections in the US, Europe, Australia, and Japan.

In 2006 at the Society of Children’s Books Writers and Illustrators conference in New York, Yelchin received Tomie DePaola Illustration Award and began writing and illustrating books for children. 

Since then, Yelchin received numerous awards for his books. Among them are Newbery Honor (Breaking Stalin’s Nose), National Book Award Finalist (The Assassination of Brangwain Spurge co-authored with M.T. Anderson), Sydney Taylor Award (The Genius Under the Table), National Jewish Book Award (The Rooster Prince of Breslov), Golden Kite Award (The Haunting of Falcon House), Crystal Kite Award (Won Ton: A Cat Tale Told in Haiku), and many more.

Buy The Genius Under the Table: Growing Up Behind the Iron Curtain here:

https://bookshop.org/a/19191/9781536215526

and check out the rest of his books here:
https://www.eugeneyelchin.com/books

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