John Picacio
@johnpicacio.bsky.social
Co-author & illustrator of THE INVISIBLE PARADE, w/ Leigh Bardugo (2025). 2026 Pura Belpré Honor Book Winner. 3x Hugo Award Winner. 5x Locus Award Winner. Inkpot Award Winner. Cover Artist. International Man of Lotería. He/him.
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John Picacio
@johnpicacio.bsky.social
· Feb 7
THREAD! MY FIRST BOOK ANNOUNCEMENT! 👀🧵✊🏽➡️
There aren't many things better than reading a new Leigh Bardugo book -- but I've discovered something that is. Getting to CO-WRITE one with her. 1/
Love this. Thank you! 🙏🏽👊🏽
Four different fourth grade classes were riveted by The Invisible Parade this week. Its long for a read aloud, but they were with me there for every page. app.thestorygraph.com/books/3a02eb... #booksky
The Invisible Parade by John Picacio, Leigh Bardugo
Everyone in the neighborhood was getting ready for the party. Everyone knew somebody on the guest...
app.thestorygraph.com
February 4, 2026 at 4:34 PM
Love this. Thank you! 🙏🏽👊🏽
🧵 Horror Folx: @comptonwrites.bsky.social’s new novel DEAD FIRST releases next Tuesday & you’re invited to his Book Birthday Party @ @nowherebookshop.bsky.social. Even if you don’t live in the 210, preorder signed 1st-edition hardcovers from Nowhere. They ship! nowherebookshop.com/book/9780593... 1/
February 4, 2026 at 1:58 PM
🧵 Horror Folx: @comptonwrites.bsky.social’s new novel DEAD FIRST releases next Tuesday & you’re invited to his Book Birthday Party @ @nowherebookshop.bsky.social. Even if you don’t live in the 210, preorder signed 1st-edition hardcovers from Nowhere. They ship! nowherebookshop.com/book/9780593... 1/
Reposted by John Picacio
I have space available in my editing calendar, and I'd love to fill these spots. I do developmental editing of novels and novellas. More info and contact link here: www.kathowardbooks.com/editing
February 3, 2026 at 3:31 PM
I have space available in my editing calendar, and I'd love to fill these spots. I do developmental editing of novels and novellas. More info and contact link here: www.kathowardbooks.com/editing
The 2025 Locus Magazine Recommended Reading List released this weekend — and THE INVISIBLE PARADE is amongst the selected in “Illustrated and Art Books”. Congrats to all! Locus Awards voting begins now — deadline April 1st. 👀 Voting open to all: poll.voting.locusmag.com cc: @lbschool.bsky.social
February 3, 2026 at 2:20 PM
The 2025 Locus Magazine Recommended Reading List released this weekend — and THE INVISIBLE PARADE is amongst the selected in “Illustrated and Art Books”. Congrats to all! Locus Awards voting begins now — deadline April 1st. 👀 Voting open to all: poll.voting.locusmag.com cc: @lbschool.bsky.social
Reposted by John Picacio
This weekend!
I’m Artist Guest of Honor at this weekend’s #AggieCon in #CollegeStation along with Author GoH @marthawells.com. Here’s where to find me. There will be Lotería. ✊🏽 And there will be a limited supply of signed copies of THE INVISIBLE PARADE at the @austinbooks.bsky.social booth!
January 29, 2026 at 3:39 PM
This weekend!
I’m Artist Guest of Honor at this weekend’s #AggieCon in #CollegeStation along with Author GoH @marthawells.com. Here’s where to find me. There will be Lotería. ✊🏽 And there will be a limited supply of signed copies of THE INVISIBLE PARADE at the @austinbooks.bsky.social booth!
January 29, 2026 at 3:24 AM
I’m Artist Guest of Honor at this weekend’s #AggieCon in #CollegeStation along with Author GoH @marthawells.com. Here’s where to find me. There will be Lotería. ✊🏽 And there will be a limited supply of signed copies of THE INVISIBLE PARADE at the @austinbooks.bsky.social booth!
Reposted by John Picacio
Site's back up, #booksky! I would have shared earlier, but I wanted to make my own purchase first in case it went down. I'm not even sorry.
Remember the other day when I was saluting my friend Greg Ketter, owner of Minneapolis’ DreamHaven Books? This is him the following day. Greg will never say this, so I will — now is a great time to buy books from DreamHaven. Support Americans who stand up vs. 🧊. dreamhavenbooks.com
January 27, 2026 at 8:36 PM
Site's back up, #booksky! I would have shared earlier, but I wanted to make my own purchase first in case it went down. I'm not even sorry.
Reposted by John Picacio
I just tried to phone in a book order to DreamHaven & spoke to Greg, he's swamped with orders (book people are THE BEST) but the website's still down. If you're local and web-savvy and available to work with them to address the shop's web woes, give them a call—they could use some help!
Remember the other day when I was saluting my friend Greg Ketter, owner of Minneapolis’ DreamHaven Books? This is him the following day. Greg will never say this, so I will — now is a great time to buy books from DreamHaven. Support Americans who stand up vs. 🧊. dreamhavenbooks.com
January 27, 2026 at 5:50 PM
I just tried to phone in a book order to DreamHaven & spoke to Greg, he's swamped with orders (book people are THE BEST) but the website's still down. If you're local and web-savvy and available to work with them to address the shop's web woes, give them a call—they could use some help!
Thank you for sharing, @christl.bsky.social. The story isn’t just about Greg, but all of you who have reached out to him and DreamHaven Books. If you’ve been trying to order books from them, or you did order this weekend — watch this and feel good. ✊🏽
January 27, 2026 at 1:42 PM
Thank you for sharing, @christl.bsky.social. The story isn’t just about Greg, but all of you who have reached out to him and DreamHaven Books. If you’ve been trying to order books from them, or you did order this weekend — watch this and feel good. ✊🏽
Reposted by John Picacio
Today I’m helping out at my job from 20+ years ago, helping Greg & the DreamHaven crew ship books across the country to folks who inundated their webstore after seeing him on TV.
Website is still down, but later try DreamHavenbooks.com for all your sci-fi, horror, fantasy, film, & comics needs!
Website is still down, but later try DreamHavenbooks.com for all your sci-fi, horror, fantasy, film, & comics needs!
January 26, 2026 at 7:19 PM
Today I’m helping out at my job from 20+ years ago, helping Greg & the DreamHaven crew ship books across the country to folks who inundated their webstore after seeing him on TV.
Website is still down, but later try DreamHavenbooks.com for all your sci-fi, horror, fantasy, film, & comics needs!
Website is still down, but later try DreamHavenbooks.com for all your sci-fi, horror, fantasy, film, & comics needs!
Grateful! 🙌🏽 Sharing this with my co-author Leigh Bardugo. Congratulations to all of today’s @amlibraryassoc.bsky.social YMA Awards and my fellow #PuraBelpre Recipients! #Caldecott #ALA #YMA
Congratulations to @johnpicacio.bsky.social, Pura Belpré Illustration Award Honoree for THE INVISIBLE PARADE!
January 26, 2026 at 5:08 PM
Grateful! 🙌🏽 Sharing this with my co-author Leigh Bardugo. Congratulations to all of today’s @amlibraryassoc.bsky.social YMA Awards and my fellow #PuraBelpre Recipients! #Caldecott #ALA #YMA
Spoke to Greg Ketter, owner of DreamHaven Books, just now. He’s grateful for all the book orders & knows the store’s site is struggling w/ the demand. Employees coming Monday to reboot the site & pack orders. There are so many that it may take a few extra days so please be patient & keep fighting. ✊🏽
January 26, 2026 at 1:27 AM
Spoke to Greg Ketter, owner of DreamHaven Books, just now. He’s grateful for all the book orders & knows the store’s site is struggling w/ the demand. Employees coming Monday to reboot the site & pack orders. There are so many that it may take a few extra days so please be patient & keep fighting. ✊🏽
Remember the other day when I was saluting my friend Greg Ketter, owner of Minneapolis’ DreamHaven Books? This is him the following day. Greg will never say this, so I will — now is a great time to buy books from DreamHaven. Support Americans who stand up vs. 🧊. dreamhavenbooks.com
January 25, 2026 at 5:32 PM
Remember the other day when I was saluting my friend Greg Ketter, owner of Minneapolis’ DreamHaven Books? This is him the following day. Greg will never say this, so I will — now is a great time to buy books from DreamHaven. Support Americans who stand up vs. 🧊. dreamhavenbooks.com
Reposted by John Picacio
Solidarity, particularly across race and class, is Kryptonite for authoritarian regimes. They can only thrive when their us v. them framing is adopted by society at large, and they join as active or passive collaborators with the regime. So the only response they have is to raise the cost of unity
They are telling us in unequivocal terms that if you show solidarity with immigrants who are in the literal crosshairs of Trump/MAGA, you're risking a death sentence.
newrepublic.com/article/2055...
newrepublic.com/article/2055...
January 24, 2026 at 11:57 PM
Solidarity, particularly across race and class, is Kryptonite for authoritarian regimes. They can only thrive when their us v. them framing is adopted by society at large, and they join as active or passive collaborators with the regime. So the only response they have is to raise the cost of unity
Reposted by John Picacio
The reason the Nazis were defeated was their own hubris & coordinated efforts on all fronts. Bearing witness on the ground is just as important as sharing the truth, as organizing, as resting, as calling out the lies. It all matters. Do not let up on any front.
January 24, 2026 at 11:38 PM
The reason the Nazis were defeated was their own hubris & coordinated efforts on all fronts. Bearing witness on the ground is just as important as sharing the truth, as organizing, as resting, as calling out the lies. It all matters. Do not let up on any front.
Reposted by John Picacio
I don’t want to hear anything from an elected official unless it’s a plan to defund the DHS and impeach Noem, Bovino, etc. No texts. No emails. No talk about the economy. Step up or step off.
January 24, 2026 at 7:23 PM
I don’t want to hear anything from an elected official unless it’s a plan to defund the DHS and impeach Noem, Bovino, etc. No texts. No emails. No talk about the economy. Step up or step off.
🧵 Saluting Minneapolis today, pushing back and standing up versus ICE. Whenever I think of Minneapolis, I think of Greg Ketter and DreamHaven Books. Like so many businesses, Greg made the decision to close his store today because people are fed up with the fascist oppression. 1/
January 23, 2026 at 5:39 PM
🧵 Saluting Minneapolis today, pushing back and standing up versus ICE. Whenever I think of Minneapolis, I think of Greg Ketter and DreamHaven Books. Like so many businesses, Greg made the decision to close his store today because people are fed up with the fascist oppression. 1/
Hey, #StephenKing fans: These two originals became available this weekend — artwork I created for a proposed limited edition of NEEDFUL THINGS. The one on the right sold fast. 🚀 Still time to score the Chapter One illustration! 👀 cc: @stephenkingcast.bsky.social johnpicacio.com/store/needfu...
January 18, 2026 at 3:57 PM
Hey, #StephenKing fans: These two originals became available this weekend — artwork I created for a proposed limited edition of NEEDFUL THINGS. The one on the right sold fast. 🚀 Still time to score the Chapter One illustration! 👀 cc: @stephenkingcast.bsky.social johnpicacio.com/store/needfu...
Proud to be amongst the books on this list. Thank you, @davidbowles.us. 🙏🏽✊🏽 #Booksky #TheInvisibleParade
Have you considered what books you need for your libraries in 2026? @davidbowles.us has ideas #damnthebans #youngreadersmatter #librarians #libraries
pearlsandrubys.slj.com/2026/01/15/k...
pearlsandrubys.slj.com/2026/01/15/k...
Key Books That Address This Moment
What are young readers living through right now, and which books are brave enough to meet them there?
pearlsandrubys.slj.com
January 17, 2026 at 2:06 PM
Proud to be amongst the books on this list. Thank you, @davidbowles.us. 🙏🏽✊🏽 #Booksky #TheInvisibleParade
Reposted by John Picacio
A-fucking-men.
Do not comply in advance.
Do not comply in advance.
I’m seeing posts from people (outside of MN) about how US citizens should carry their passports.
And let me say that *inside* MN, we are calmly responding to requests with: “No, I don’t have to show you any documentation.”
Because that’s how you protect everyone, regardless of immigration status.
And let me say that *inside* MN, we are calmly responding to requests with: “No, I don’t have to show you any documentation.”
Because that’s how you protect everyone, regardless of immigration status.
January 16, 2026 at 3:52 AM
A-fucking-men.
Do not comply in advance.
Do not comply in advance.
Appreciated, Stephen! 🙏🏽
8. The Invisible Parade
Leigh Bardugo & John Picacio
A fantastical foray into grief, tradition and the afterlife in this homage to the Day of the Dead. Stunning artwork!
Leigh Bardugo & John Picacio
A fantastical foray into grief, tradition and the afterlife in this homage to the Day of the Dead. Stunning artwork!
January 15, 2026 at 1:28 AM
Appreciated, Stephen! 🙏🏽
Brand-new interview with Leigh Bardugo and me about THE INVISIBLE PARADE, at ‘Totally Booked with Zibby’! Listen: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/l... cc: @lbschool.bsky.social #booksky #picturebooks #dayofthedead #diadelosmuertos #TheInvisibleParade
Leigh Bardugo and John Picacio, THE INVISIBLE PARADE
Podcast Episode · Totally Booked with Zibby · 01/12/2026 · 26m
podcasts.apple.com
January 12, 2026 at 8:58 PM
Brand-new interview with Leigh Bardugo and me about THE INVISIBLE PARADE, at ‘Totally Booked with Zibby’! Listen: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/l... cc: @lbschool.bsky.social #booksky #picturebooks #dayofthedead #diadelosmuertos #TheInvisibleParade
Terrible news. Heal well, Sheila. Best of luck to @emilyhockaday.bsky.social in the coming days. locusmag.com/2026/01/shei...
Asimov’s Editor Sheila Williams Hospitalized
The Must Read Books Team has shared that Sheila Williams, editor of Asimov’s, has been hospitalized after suffering a brain aneurysm. Asimov’s senior managing editor Emily Hockaday will…
locusmag.com
January 12, 2026 at 8:48 PM
Terrible news. Heal well, Sheila. Best of luck to @emilyhockaday.bsky.social in the coming days. locusmag.com/2026/01/shei...
Reposted by John Picacio
semi-regular reminder that ICE was only created in 2003
when you are asked to imagine a world without ICE, you're basically being asked to remember where you were when Lilo & Stitch came out
when you are asked to imagine a world without ICE, you're basically being asked to remember where you were when Lilo & Stitch came out
January 12, 2026 at 8:04 PM
semi-regular reminder that ICE was only created in 2003
when you are asked to imagine a world without ICE, you're basically being asked to remember where you were when Lilo & Stitch came out
when you are asked to imagine a world without ICE, you're basically being asked to remember where you were when Lilo & Stitch came out
Reposted by John Picacio
Another year of Eating the Fantastic is in the rearview mirror, so I've assembled a collage of the 28 guests with whom I chatted and chewed during 2025. I'm honored they trusted me with their voices, and hope you'll revisit some of last year's meals as I plan for the year ahead. pod.link/1083737796
January 4, 2026 at 10:51 PM
Another year of Eating the Fantastic is in the rearview mirror, so I've assembled a collage of the 28 guests with whom I chatted and chewed during 2025. I'm honored they trusted me with their voices, and hope you'll revisit some of last year's meals as I plan for the year ahead. pod.link/1083737796