About Rebekah

Rebekah Lowell is an author/illustrator with a curiosity for the natural world. Growing up homeschooled in a house built by her father, surrounded by a field of wildflowers, provided the space she needed to draw and make up stories. In 2004, Rebekah earned her BFA in Illustration from The Rhode Island School of Design and in 2019 she earned her MFA in Children’s Literature and Illustration from Hollins University. Her artwork has won the Maine Duck Stamp contest three times and is collected throughout the US and Canada. Her middle grade novel in verse, THE ROAD TO AFTER, received the 2019 Susan P. Bloom Award and will be published with Nancy Paulsen Books/Penguin Random House in the spring of 2022. She is also a Children’s Librarian at the McArthur Public Library in her hometown of Biddeford, Maine where she lives with her husband, her daughters, and their cats. As a survivor of domestic abuse, Rebekah uses her art as recovery. When not in her studio, you can find her filling bird feeders, raising butterflies, and wandering outside with her family, passing on the same wild Maine childhood that she had. Literary Representation: Wendi Gu at Sanford J. Greenburger Associates. For all book-related inquiries, please contact Wendi at wgu@sjga.com.

Artist Statement

“As children, we have a sense of wonder that often fades as we grow, but my passion is to keep that youthful spirit of discovery alive through the process of observing and creating. My heart continues to be amazed by the natural world we live in and I want to share this through the words and images of my work. By teaching others to love nature, we encourage empathy, and in that we are saving the world.” -Rebekah Lowell

EDUCATION

MFA in Children's Literature and Illustration, Hollins University, 2019

BFA in Illustration, Rhode Island School of Design, 2004

AWARDS

Susan P. Bloom Discovery Award, 2019

Gold Scholarship, 12 x 12 Challenge, 2018

NESCBWI Ruth Landers Glass Scholarship, 2017

NESCBWI 4 x 4 Author/Illustrator Mentorship Program with Brian Lies, 2017

Margaret Kates Award in Art, 1st place, Franceilia Butler Conference, Hollins University, 2017

Ruth Sanderson Award, Illustrator's Spotlight, 1st place, Francelia Butler Conference, Hollins University, 2017

Maine Duck Stamp, 1st place, 2017

Maine Duck Stamp, 2nd place, 2016