Events, Opportunities, and Resources happening now and coming soon for the Tri-Regions and beyond

Tri-Region Members: Last call! Remember to share your Great News and Toot Your Horn! announcements no later than Friday, February 9, 2024, to appear in this month’s columns. All items submitted after February 9 will run next quarter. 

The C. Harrington Scholarship is accepting applications through February 17, 2024. Established in memory of Claudia Harrington—mentor, author, SCBWI-L.A. regional advisor, and friend—the scholarship awards one SCBWI-L.A. member free tuition to either the LA Region Writers Day (see March 9, below) or an Illustrator event of the current year, and includes a free editor critique or portfolio review. Claudia was the recipient of the Sue Alexander Service Award in 2015. Read more about Claudia and this special scholarship here.

The Kate Dopirak Craft & Community Award provides tuition to the SCBWI Annual Summer Conference in Los Angeles to the author of a promising manuscript who is experiencing a financial barrier to attending. The award also includes a phone consultation with an agent and/or editor. Submissions for the 2024 award year are open to picture-book writers. Deadline to apply is 8 p.m. central time Tuesday, February 20, 2024. More information and a link to the submission form can be found here. 

Two Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Scholarships to the SCBWI SoCal Art Day event (see March 16, below) are offered for writers and/or illustrators whose finances prevent them from attending the conference AND who are from underserved communities, including but not limited to BIPOC, LGBTQIA+, and people with disabilities. Applications are due by Friday, February 23, 2024, at 10 p.m. 

Watch the kidlit Oscars! The Golden Kite Awards Ceremony unfolds live on Zoom on Friday, February 23, 2024. Free and open to the public. Register here to receive the link.

SoCal Meet-Up with Guest Speaker: Jennifer March Soloway, Senior Agent, Andrea Brown Agency. Topic: The Three Stages of Revision and Tips to Sharpen Prose. Sunday, February 25, 2024, from 1–2 p.m. The Zoom link is provided in the region’s bi-monthly email. If you’d like to be added to the email list, please contact Bev Plass at SoCal-RA@scbwi.org.

Join the Los Angeles region for its in-person Writers Day Conference, Bud to Blossom. How to Grow Stories and Nurture Creative Inspiration, at the Skirball Cultural Center on Saturday, March 9, 2024. An all-star faculty—including speakers Deborah Halverson, Henry Lien, Ariel Richardson, Liz Garton Scanlon, and Karol Ruth Silverstein—will nourish your creative spirit and encourage your stories to sprout and grow. Enjoy keynotes, breakouts, optional agent pitches and manuscript reviews, and an afternoon book signing. Patio lunch by the famous lily pond included. Event schedule, faculty profiles, and registration information here.

Would you like access to your very own mentor—someone who has published for your target category and/or genre? The SCBWI-Los Angeles 2024 Mentorship Contest prize is a six-month mentorship for illustrators (or author-illustrators) with author-illustrator Jaime Zollars. The mentorship is open to members in good standing of the SCBWI-L.A. or CenCal regions. Read more about Jaime and apply here. Entries must be received by 11:59 p.m. (Pacific time) on March 10, 2024. 

Attention picture book writers, illustrators, and graphic novelists: on March 16, come join SCBWI SoCal’s Art Day conference to improve your craft and get inspired by published children’s book professionals. Morning speakers and breakout faculty include: Susie Ghahremani, Kim Dwinell, Susi Schaefer, and Chuck Grieb. In the afternoon, enjoy a prompt-swap activity or free creative time. Enter the event’s contest by writing or illustrating something that fits the theme of Spring Renewal. You can find more information here.

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For more fantastic content, community, events, and other professional development opportunities, become a member today! Not sure if there is a chapter in your area? Check here.

All images provided by their respective regions. “Bud to Blossom” logo by Frans Vischer. Art Day logo by Carolyn Lê.