Welcome to Staff Spotlight! Get to know the dedicated staff at the Alliance for Young Artists & Writers, who work year-round to support the success of the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards.

This month, we’re highlighting Coordinator, Regional Programs, Emir Webster!

Describe your role at the Alliance for Young Artists & Writers.

As the Coordinator, Regional Programs, I manage the largest of the Scholastic Award regions, Region-at-Large, which encompasses multiple sub regions all over the U.S, U.S territories, military bases, and most of Canada!

What is your favorite part about working at the Alliance?

Seeing the creative works of such a wide variety of young creatives, and working with a dedicated adjudication partner network to judge those works.

What is your favorite book of all time, and what makes it so special to you?

I love this question because it reminded me of some of my favorites when I was younger.

The Hunger Games original trilogy: I actually read the first book when it was launched . . . not a fan of the movies!

Feed by M.T Anderson is a cyberpunk dystopian novel that feels very relevant today.

Black Water by Joyce Carol Coates. Bodega Dreams by Ernesto Quinonez.

My current favorites are the Amina al-Sirafi series by Shannon Chakraborty and House of the Beast by Michelle Wong. I typically like a darker or dystopian story, but have been trying fantasy as of late.

What is your favorite artwork of all time, and what makes it so special to you?

Too many to name!

What are your hobbies outside of work?

Video games definitely, especially ones with well developed stories and a lot to explore!

Favorite snack or drink while working?

I love a Dunkin matcha: oat milk, cold foam, vanilla bean syrup!

Favorite song or album at the moment?

Time of the Season by The Zombies. Emerald City sequence from The Wiz.

A Scholastic Awards alum who inspires you and why?

Tschabalala Self: I love the way she uses different materials and stylizations as a way of reclaiming self.

Share a photo of your choice and tell us the story behind it!

The photo on the left is from my recent vacation to Japan. This was from one of my many walks around the neighborhood in Tokyo. As many of the staff know, I love a gif. So of course, I had to illustrate and animate a gif for this spotlight!

If you could visit any museum in the world, where would you go and why?

The Studio Ghibli Museum in Japan. I’m a big fan of anime and animation and the Studio Ghibli films are the peak.