SLUSH PILE CHALLENGE Kate Higney

 

 

 

Kate Higney, winner of the April 2025 Slush Pile Challenge, tells us why she entered the competition and about her experience of having feedback from Carolyn May McGlone, of May Literary Agency.

 

 

Kate won this challenge set by Carolyn May McGlone of May Literary Agency:

 

 

Carolyn’s challenge: “I would like to see a piece of fiction inspired by something real from your childhood - this could be an event, a person or even just a feeling or memory. Picture book, middle grade or YA texts all welcome, as long as they are part of a finished piece of work. I’m looking for texts that are uniquely YOU.

 

Please submit one document containing:

 

• A short description of the idea/inspiration behind the text

 

• A short bio

 

• For picture books: Full text, approx 400-700 words, in 12 spreads

 

• For MG/YA: The first chapter and a brief synopsis”

 

 

Carolyn stated: “I was heartened by the diversity of entries to this Slushpile Challenge, which is exactly what I hoped for in setting a challenge inspired by something unique to you. I was looking for writing that was original and heartfelt. It threw up everything from a hilarious rhyming romp through a game of pooh sticks, to teenagers discovering they have been living with secret identities. And that truly is why I chose to set this particular challenge - to make you think about how your writing can stand out from the crowd.

 

In the winning entry – The Quiet Brave Astronaut by Kate Higney – I was impressed by the connection between the text itself and the author biography. They felt seamlessly connected in a way that sung to me of authenticity, of a text that needed to be written by that author. This to me works so much better than a “hook” - if you are writing from the heart, it shows.

 

Its gentle manner reminded me of some much-loved picture books, such as The Boy Who Dreamed Dragons by Caryl Lewis and Carmen Saldana and I Am Quiet by Andie Powers and Betsy Petersen. It is the kind of text I would like to see more space made for in the current market - quiet and thoughtful, allowing the child reader to pause and reflect on who they are and who they might want to be. The lyrical phrasing (e.g. “It soared skyward, spilling golden light, unfurling like a silent firework”) was comforting and beautiful to read - perfect for that magical shared reading-together time that I’m sure this book would inspire.”

 

 

Kate:

 

“I nearly didn’t send it!

 

My story felt too personal, too quiet — the kind I wasn’t sure anyone else would connect with. But I wrote it anyway, because it felt true.

 

The April 2025 Slush Pile Challenge asked for a picture book that came from the heart. I thought, well — this one does. And it won’t win, so I won’t have to talk about it. So I pressed send.

 

Then the email arrived, and I had to read the subject line three times. Surely they were announcing someone else?

 

I ran downstairs and asked my son to check.

 

'You’ve won a pile of slush!' he laughed.

 

'No, I’ve won time with Carolyn McGlone of the May Literary Agency!' I danced around the kitchen as he escaped in embarrassment. I was over the moon.

 

I read Carolyn’s words with not a little emotion. Did she really call my writing 'comforting and beautiful to read?'

 

The story began with a sketch: a quiet child, a dog, and a feeling. I wrote in fragments. Some lines glowed, others fell flat. The story just didn’t work. I often wondered if I was a writer at all. In frustration, I tucked it into a dark wooden drawer with the others.

 

Eventually, I decided I needed more help. I took the Golden Egg Picture Book course, where Jo Collins gave me kind, sharp feedback — and I even came runner-up in a pitch contest. I joined a brilliant critique group, whose generosity and warmth helped us all keep going.

 

At the SCBWI Picture Book Retreat, we talked about stories that felt true. I remembered being a child on a cold night at a fireworks display — hands clamped over ears, overwhelmed. I drew fireworks around the quiet child — I had a beginning!

 

By the sea with my son, I wrote. Mornings on the dunes, running beside waves like silver ribbons. Evenings under a sky of salt and stars - watching the moon reflected, quiet, beautiful, and still. I tried to catch those moments and shape them into words. Finally, I had the end of my story.

 

Still, I almost didn’t send it in.

 

So many of us write in quiet spaces, in stolen time. We work alone, doubting ourselves, unsure whether anyone will ever hear us. But sometimes, with a little timing, a little courage, and a lot of persistence — someone does. And when they do, it feels like being launched into space.

 

Carolyn’s feedback was extraordinary. She saw not just the story, but the way I write and the way I feel the world. It gave me something I didn’t even know I needed — a bit of hope.

 

She even read two more of my stories — well beyond what was expected. I’m now revising with a fresh sense of purpose. She also encouraged me to illustrate my writing, to become more lyrical, and to lean fully into my own voice. Her words lit the path more clearly. She was warm, generous, insightful — and deeply encouraging.

 

Thank you, Carolyn.

 

And thank you, Elaine and the SCBWI BI Words & Pictures team, for creating a space that gives writers a reason to keep going.

 

And if, like me, you almost left your story in the drawer — maybe give it a chance. Press send and let it fly!"

 

 

 

Photo and picture: Kate Higney

 

 

A special thanks to Carolyn of May Literary Agency for setting the competition, judging it and providing such valuable feedback to Kate.

 

 

 

Elaine Cline has been a SCBWI member for over ten years and loves to write picture books, middle-grade and teen books. She lives by the sea and has one adorable dog. Elaine is a member of the Words & Pictures editorial team, managing The Slush Pile Challenge.

 

X (formerly Twitter): @elaineccline

 

Bluesky: @elaineccline.bsky.social