I’m Josh Monken, children’s lit author, father, science communicator, and podcaster, joined by Brenna Jeanneret, children’s lit author, mother, avid climber and outdoorsperson, and podcaster!

This is the podcast You May Contribute a Verse, where we talk to kidlit creators, share their stories, and learn from their journey.

Some things are worth waiting for. Our conversation touches on that in more ways than one. Today’s guest is Giuseppe Castellano, founder of the Illustration Department, a multifaceted enterprise focusing on encouraging and developing illustrators around the world through online learning and mentorship in a variety of areas.

Giuseppe also hosts the Illustration Department podcast, so you know he’s bringing the professionalism goods to this conversation. And he’s got the bona fides, credentialed in illustration and working as an art director for Penguin and Simon and Schuster for close to fifteen years.

Giuseppe and I have been working toward this conversation for two years, and I am overjoyed to finally share it. Short content advisory: the three of us discuss Giuseppe’s battle with severe depression and the struggle to keep on going and keep on flowing down that river toward better days, despite the despair, rejection, hardship, and other obstacles we encounter along the way.

Find out more about Giuseppe, The Illustration Department, and the ID podcast at one link: illustrationdept.com.