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Brian LaRossa

@brianlarossa.com
15K followers 666 following 13K posts

Executive Art Director for Scholastic’s hardcover picture book group. Adjunct Professor at Pratt Institute and CCNY. Speaker for SCBWI. Writer represented by @liznealon.bsky.social. 523rd Bluesky account. NYC. He/Him. www.brianlarossa.com. 💙❤️

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Brian LaRossa @brianlarossa.com · 29/09/2026
I think I might be doing a better job of teaching typography this semester? Maybe. 3rd time's the charm? Starting out with rapid fire one week assignments that build on each other before we get into multi-week projects.
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Victoria Strauss @victoriastrauss.com · 28/09/2026
Be careful, friends—this scam is everywhere writerbeware.blog/2026/03/27/w...
writerbeware.blog
Watch Out For This Scam Impersonating Editors at Major Publishing Houses - Writer Beware
I’ve recently gotten a slew of reports of emails purporting to be from editors at Big 5 and other large publishers, in which the supposed editor expresses interest in the writer’s work and asks whethe...
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People‘s Graphic Design Archive @peoplesgdarchive.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
New York City Ballet poster, designed by Edward Gorey in 1974 “Author + illustrator Gorey created posters for the gift shop, including this eye-catching lithograph of pointe shoes ascending from 1–5 position.” (Cooper Hewitt) Archived by @marinabyocean #PeoplesGDArchive #GDArchive
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Brian LaRossa @brianlarossa.com · 27/09/2026
Decided to read Don Quixote for the first time…
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People‘s Graphic Design Archive @peoplesgdarchive.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
“NOW” poster from Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, 1964 with photograph by Danny Lyon #PeoplesGDArchive #GDArchive
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Pavel @spavel.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
Made @brianlarossa.com's pizza yesterday, except instead of two pies it's one grandma pie because I don't have q pizza stone. 10 minutes pre-bake with just the dough and another 12 with the toppings got it to the perfect doneness.
Rectangular pizza the size of the entire cutting board it's on. Toppings are kielbasa, mushrooms, red peppers, and parmesan cheese. Slice of grandma pizza on a white plate.
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Brian LaRossa @brianlarossa.com · 27/09/2026
“Visual elevator music.” Is spot on.
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Brian LaRossa @brianlarossa.com · 27/09/2026
💙❤️ www.nytimes.com/interactive/...
nytimes.com
Opinion | A.I. Shortcuts Are Ruining How We Think (Gift Article)
Anything worth remembering came from a person who did not know where she or he was going until arriving.
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Brian LaRossa @brianlarossa.com · 27/09/2026
Just measured my son on the wall where we record such things. According to the “math” he is taller than me. I refuse to record this… I REFUSE!!!
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Brian LaRossa @brianlarossa.com · 25/09/2026
💙❤️
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Charlene Chua @charlenedraws.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
I wonder if they have similar comments for images, coz well, clearly they also did it for images.
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Brian LaRossa @brianlarossa.com · 22/09/2026
Hey #kidlit, let’s say… I published a picture book and offered a portfolio review to any illustrator who showed me a receipt proving that they preordered 5 copies along with a promise to wrap and gift 4 of them… would that be weird? Or cool? Like if cool. Scold if weird.
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Brian LaRossa @brianlarossa.com · 22/09/2026
Hey #kidlit, let’s say… I published a picture book and offered a portfolio review to any illustrator who showed me a receipt proving that they preordered 5 copies along with a promise to wrap and gift 4 of them… would that be weird? Or cool? Like if cool. Scold if weird.
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Brian LaRossa @brianlarossa.com · 22/09/2026
Will be teaching advanced illustration at CCNY in the Spring.✨
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Brian LaRossa @brianlarossa.com · 20/09/2026
Strangely, people are often surprised when I point out that there are only 3 aspect ratios that a book can be: portrait, square, and landscape. The other day I surveyed the aspect ratios of ALA award winning picture books: the vast majority were portrait.
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Brian LaRossa @brianlarossa.com · 19/09/2026
Automatically?! 🤯💙❤️
Vehicle Motion Cues
On
Off
Automatically in Vehicle
Settings
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Brian LaRossa @brianlarossa.com · 19/09/2026
💙❤️
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Brian LaRossa @brianlarossa.com · 19/09/2026
These are so lovely.
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Brian LaRossa @brianlarossa.com · 19/09/2026
“Getting answers from a bot can create ‘the illusion of learning’ for students who reach for A.I. ‘at the first hint of struggle,’ the M.I.T. committee wrote in its August report.” www.nytimes.com/2026/09/15/u...
nytimes.com
An M.I.T. Report Warns A.I. Is Causing ‘Cognitive Surrender.’ Universities Are in a Bind. (Gift Article)
As A.I. upends education, university leaders have been all over the map about how to respond. It can be very confusing for students.
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Mike Boylan-Kolchin @mbkplus.bsky.social · 19/09/2026
Still punk as fuck, I whisper to myself as I get into bed at 8:50pm
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Brian LaRossa @brianlarossa.com · 18/09/2026
Since 2020 I’ve been aggressively writing fiction for adults finishing 4 novels. People are constantly telling me I should try writing a picture book. I’ve always resisted. Welp, my agent @liznealon.bsky.social finally convinced me to give it a try and guess what #kidlit… I liked it. 💙❤️
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Brian LaRossa @brianlarossa.com · 18/09/2026
Since 2020 I’ve been aggressively writing fiction for adults finishing 4 novels. People are constantly telling me I should try writing a picture book. I’ve always resisted. Welp, my agent @liznealon.bsky.social finally convinced me to give it a try and guess what #kidlit… I liked it. 💙❤️
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Brian LaRossa @brianlarossa.com · 17/09/2026
Heading to serve as faculty for a SCBWI Carolinas event this weekend. 💙❤️ #kidlit
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Brian LaRossa @brianlarossa.com · 15/09/2026
we’re waking up with bell biv devoe’s first album over here don’t @ me
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Brian LaRossa @brianlarossa.com · 14/09/2026
Let me tell you, as the AI era continues to intensify, making the future harder to imagine than it ever has been, it is also becoming harder to teach.
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Brian LaRossa @brianlarossa.com · 10/09/2026
First day of public school in NYC. One of my favorite days of the year. The social energy in the city goes from 4 to 11 overnight. Let’s goooooo! 💙❤️
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Brian LaRossa @brianlarossa.com · 09/09/2026
Now that the Apple Watch will record and transcribe everyone’s conversations all the time ugh who will be first to market with a watch that does the only two things I need a watch to do: 1. Tell time. 2. Scramble Apple Watch Recordings
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Brian LaRossa @brianlarossa.com · 09/09/2026
Mike D’s new album is 🔥
The cover of Mike D’s New album, “Thank You”.
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Maurice Meilleur @mauricemeilleur.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
Find yourself someone who loves you as much as the New Yorker wants you to re-activate your unlimited access
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People‘s Graphic Design Archive @peoplesgdarchive.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
Invitation for “Black Artists in the New York Scene,” 1974 illustrated by Dindga McCannon #PeoplesGDArchive #GDArchive
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Brian LaRossa @brianlarossa.com · 09/09/2026
This summer I learned to 1) solve a Rubik’s cube 2) finger whistle. And thus the great conjunction has been enacted.
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Brian LaRossa @brianlarossa.com · 08/09/2026
Thinking lately about how sensing change or opportunity on the horizon can make me impatient, and how that impatience can lead me to force things. Trying to remember that patience isn’t passivity.
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Dr. Lucky Tran @luckytran.com · 08/09/2026
One of the things I hate most about AI is that now I first approach a lot of art with suspicion instead of awe
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Debbie Millman @debbiemillman.bsky.social · 05/09/2026
TONIGHT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
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Paul Ford @ftrain.com · 05/09/2026
Bluesky provides a mobile web view that runs great on my four-year-old phone and never pushes me to download an app. That is special and appreciated and I hope it continues.
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Brian LaRossa @brianlarossa.com · 04/09/2026
Okay! I used a random number generator and notified the winner. Thank you to everyone who took time out of their day to reply! I did take a close look at everyone’s art. Keep going and growing! 💙❤️
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Brian LaRossa @brianlarossa.com · 03/09/2026
Hey illustrators, How about this, to celebrate the 1st #kidlitartpostcard of the fall season (Labor Day is so late this year!) I’m going to offer a free 1 hour portfolio review + coaching session via Zoom. To enter share 1 image from your portfolio below and a winner will be chosen at random. 💙❤️
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Andrei Robu @andreirobu.com · 15/11/2024
I’ve created a type foundry starter list if you’re looking for more people to follow. go.bsky.app/CvnALNW
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Andrei Robu @andreirobu.com · 31/08/2026
Hey, I just released a new typeface called Atrio. It's a friendly, characterful sans serif inspired by the optimistic spirit of early modernist lettering. typeverything.com/atrio
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Brian LaRossa @brianlarossa.com · 03/09/2026
Hey illustrators, How about this, to celebrate the 1st #kidlitartpostcard of the fall season (Labor Day is so late this year!) I’m going to offer a free 1 hour portfolio review + coaching session via Zoom. To enter share 1 image from your portfolio below and a winner will be chosen at random. 💙❤️
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Jime Wimmer @prettylines.bsky.social · 01/09/2026
It’s official! Dorothy in Oz is now live on Kickstarter! Please have a full peek behind the creative curtain. I’d be so honored if you gave it a share! 💚🌈💚 Visit the link to learn more! www.kickstarter.com/projects/wimmerstudios/dorothy-in-oz #childrensbooks #scbwi #kidlit #kidlitart #oz #baum
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Brian LaRossa @brianlarossa.com · 03/09/2026
💙❤️
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Nate Piekos of Blambot @blambot.bsky.social · 02/09/2026
Progress on the official Alex Toth font. I'm just about ready to port the Regular version over to Fontlab. Toth's lettering changed throughout the years, but I could get the best samples from the 1970s, so that's what I chose as reference.
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Brian LaRossa @brianlarossa.com · 02/09/2026
Friendly reminder that tomorrow is #kidlitartpostcard day! I will be scrolling. Take care to use the correct hashtag and use key words so your work can be found in the future! 💙❤️
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Katy Manck, MLS SLMSC @booksyalove.bsky.social · 02/09/2026
I love to repost #kidlitartpostcard posts - but ONLY if they include alt-text for visually impaired users' screen-readers & also backup when low bandwidth won't render the image.... Go to Settings > accessibility to toggle on a reminder.
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Brian LaRossa @brianlarossa.com · 02/09/2026
Friendly reminder that tomorrow is #kidlitartpostcard day! I will be scrolling. Take care to use the correct hashtag and use key words so your work can be found in the future! 💙❤️
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Brian LaRossa @brianlarossa.com · 02/09/2026
Last week I kicked off my 2nd semester of teaching typography at Pratt. In the spring I said I wouldn't teach a 2-course load again. I said it was too much in combination with a family, demanding full time job, and a writing practice that matters to me. But I couldn't resist. I love teaching.
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Brian LaRossa @brianlarossa.com · 02/09/2026
Last night I kicked off my 14th semester of teaching critical writing in the design department at The City College of New York. brianlarossa.medium.com/why-it-matte...
brianlarossa.medium.com
Why it Matters to Me if Designers Read and Write
Note: this essay may also be found on Design Observer. I read the following statement during a five-minute spotlight slot at this year’s…
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Brian LaRossa @brianlarossa.com · 02/09/2026
This summer AI tools made the leap from design assets to design applications. The beta version of InDesign now has a conversational AI agent. Copyright law doesn’t protect designers. The entire professional ecosystem of graphic design is being pushed toward these tools with tremendous force. 🫠
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Brian LaRossa @brianlarossa.com · 01/09/2026
What did I miss?
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