Almira Astudillo Gilles
SCBWI members in Manila meet visiting SCBWI author from Illinois
(Right) Philippine RA Beaulah Pedregosa Taguiwalo and Almira with her book Willie Wins.
SCBWI members in Manila met visiting SCBWI writer from Illinois Almira Astudillo Gilles last January 6, 2003. The group shared stories and enjoyed each other's books while eating shrimp siomai and vegetarian cua pao and drinking mango shakes and green tea at the Asian restaurant called East in Rustans, Makati City.
Born and raised in the Philippines, Almira graduated with a degree in Psychology from then Maryknoll College in Loyola Heights, Quezon City. She eventually moved to the United States to pursue her Ph. D. in Social Science. Now based in Palatine, Illinois, Almira is active in the SCBWI Illinois chapter and speaks highly of Illinois RA Esther Hershenhorn. Almira told the group that she was also happy to meet another Philippine SCBWI member Penny Reyes Velasco when she (Penny) was in Chicago on a book promotion tour.
To emphasize the happy confluence of events, Beaulah reminded the group that exactly one year ago on January 6, 2002 SCBWI also hosted a small gathering to meet visiting author Jo Kittinger, then ARA for SCBWI Southern Breeze. The meeting ended with Almira receiving gift copies of children's books which were either written or illustrated by her hosts.
Published by New York based Lee & Low
Books, Inc., Willie Wins is Almira Gilles' first
book for children. It was illustrated by Carl
Angel, a Filipino-American who grew up in
Honolulu, Hawaii and now lives in Oakland,
California.
Almira said that when she decided to quit
teaching college management courses
in order to focus on writing full time, one of
the first things she did was join the SCBWI
and become part of a critique group. She
says she feels lucky that her book Willie
Wins was published within a year after she
sent it to the publisher. She says she has
other manuscripts in the pipeline and
hopes to see them published soon.
To know more about Almira go to
www.scbwi-illinois.org/Gilles.html
There is a National Education Association
(NEA) interview of Almira at
www.nea.org/readacross/multi/aagilles.html
To know more about Willie Wins and
Lee & Low Books, Inc. go to
www.leeandlow.com/books/willie2.html
