Profile picture with giant origami star wand

I am a member of SCBWI and 12×12, a 2023 and 2022 #PBRisingStars mentor, a 2023 and 2022 #PBParty Judge (and Ninja Rockstar!) and 2021 #PBParty Finalist, and was selected out of over 50 applicants for a 2019 #PBChat mentorship with Pam Calvert. As a former science fair competitor, Juilliard Pre-College piano alumni, Townsend Harris High School alumni, statistics major at Columbia University, and avid researcher for both consumer and business market needs, my goal now is to craft picture books that spark kids’ interest in STEAM and creative thinking.


Born and raised in New York, I've also worked various jobs abroad in New Delhi, Paris, and Tokyo, and now reside in the Seattle area with my husband and two sons. I often stay up late into the night puzzling away with wordplay and working on quirky ideas.

Represented by Alyssa Eisner Henkin of Birch Path Literary.

Little did I know my massive glasses would resemble those worn by a lot of today’s spectacled PB characters! Recipient of the Ezra Jack Keats Bookmaking Competition Memorial Award in 1988 and 1990 (the latter book Sandra’s New Sister pictured at top, hand-written, illustrated, and if-I-recall-right white-floral-wallpaper cover bound with duct tape).

Throwback picture as a child next to handmade book and award medals
PBChat Mentorship announcement with quote by Pam Calvert: "I remembered Sylvia's manuscripts from last year, and they'd impressed me. But since then, her work has not only improved but she now has an arsenal of REALLY cute, intelligent, and totally impressive picture books that I can't wait to work on with her. I think she has an amazing story voice and she can even meld her Asian background with STEM elements. If you can do something excellent in a different way, that's a winning combination!"
Member of SCBWI
12x12 Official Participant

(2022, 2023)

(2022, 2023)

PBParty 2021 Finalist
2021 Storystorm Participant
2019 PBChat Mentee
TwitterInstagramLinkedInLink