NOWRUZ MOBARAK/HAPPY NEW YEAR!
Welcome spring with award-winning Iranian American illustrator
Susie Ghahremani
The truth is, you likely already know Susie Ghahremani’s award-winning books and art, even if you don’t know her by name! Her author-illustrator debut STACK THE CATS delighted young readers and was named a Kirkus Reviews Best Book of Year. Her work spans children’s picture books and adult books, gift items in popular boutiques and even tee shirts for your favorite band! 
A highly seasoned illustrator, Susie has grown from a SCBWI Mentorship recipient to a We Need Diverse Books mentor in her own right (recognize the tiger image from their recent fundraiser?!). Susie’s work creates connection through whimsy and joy.
Born and raised in Chicago to Iranian parents, with their support, Susie broke with tradition, pursuing her BFA in Illustration at the Rhode Island School of Design, where she later returned to teach! She now runs an illustrated stationery and gift brand Boygirlparty®, an online shop featuring more than 500 products that is one of Etsy’s all-time bestsellers; the brand is also popular at independent boutiques and galleries as well as retailers including Urban Outfitters, Anthropologie, and Nordstrom.
Susie is also an editorial illustrator with clients including The New York Times, Target, T-Mobile, Bank of America, Nickelodeon Magazine, Parents Magazine, Martha Stewart Kids, Scholastic Storyworks magazine, SCBWI and many, many more. 
Her ability to render fine, detailed work, meeting even the tightest of deadlines on time, has made her a beloved and reliable repeat artistic partner for publishers and companies alike.
Susie’s early foray into publishing began with an extensive Chronicle gift line including her TREETOPS journal, which sold over 100,000 copies and became one of Barnes & Noble’s bestselling journals of all time. She provided spot illustrations and cover art for adult books before she evolved into illustrating for children. Today, she has a supportive following of bookstores and boutiques nationwide, and she holds the singular honor of being four-time ambassador of the San Diego Book Crawl celebrating Independent Bookstore Day.
Susie’s highly technical training meets a variety of influences, including the natural world, patterns and handmade crafts. She frequently experiments with color, and paints in gouache, often working on wood panels of all sizes to create a textured look like that in her acclaimed WHAT WILL HATCH? and WHAT WILL GROW? (both authored by Jennifer Ward).
Her popular gallery shows spotlight her ability to create at even the most miniature of scales, rendering hundreds of details often in just inches of space.
Susie has written and illustrated a number of picture books over the years, joining recommended reading lists including Texas Library Association and an invitation to the Society of Illustrators exhibit (for WHAT WILL GROW?). She illustrated SHE WANTED TO BE HAUNTED by Marcus Ewert, and was also commissioned by the Yosemite Conservancy to illustrate a childlike John Muir for two books set to his own words. 

Susie’s newest picture book will be the first to touch on her Iranian heritage: MEMORY GARDEN (Godwin Books/Macmillan) is a multigenerational tale that uses a girl’s adventures in the garden with her grandmother to paint a larger picture of immigration and change. More coming soon!

Looking ahead, new dream projects for Susie would include books that:

Inspire a love of the outdoors and environmental stewardship (she is a nature fanatic, frequent camper, animal lover and volunteer and more!) 

  • Celebrate animals of all sorts- from odd leafy sea dragons to feathered friends

  • Empower kids to write letters/connect through drawing and writing 

  • Explore connection through creating things together (crafting, making, cooking, etc.)

  • Teach mindfulness

  • Are musical- she is a recording artist and multi-instrumentalist

  • Are silly – or encourage fun!

  • Exhibit sibling dynamics and being a middle child

  • Feature aunties or are about the families we make for ourselves

  • Help kids understand introversion, social awkwardness, and other social challenges

  • Have Middle Eastern or Iranian characters or themes

Susie would love to be considered for projects ranging from picture book illustration to spot illustrations or line drawings, covers, hand lettering, and more. She’s done it all- and plans to keep doing it!
When she’s not illustrating her heart out, Susie can be found camping, collecting records, handwriting letters or sketching with her growing collection of fountain pens, tidepooling, playing music, or showering one of her 11 nieces and nephews (!!!!) with love and attention. Susie lives and works in San Diego with her husband, many finches, and a feisty black cat.
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We look forward to finding new and creative ways to bring more of her illustration work to bookshelves near you!

For more information, please visit Boygirlparty.com/illo and contact lead agent Lilly Ghahremani lilly@fullcircleliterary.com or 858.824.9269 ext. 4
We look forward to working with you!
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About Full Circle Literary

Full Circle Literary is a literary agency representing children's books from toddler to teen, and creative nonfiction for all ages. We work with both award-winning veteran and debut writers and artists and our team has a knack for discovering and developing new and diverse talent. For more information about all of our Full Circle Literary illustrators, please visit our website and follow us on Instagram/Twitter @fullcirclelit.
Full Circle Literary
3268 Governor Drive
San Diego CA 92122
Copyright 2022 Full Circle Literary. Copyright artwork 2022 by Susie Ghahremani.
All rights reserved.
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