Be sure to reserve your spot for the 2024 SCBWI-LA Working Writers Retreat from September 27–29, 2024 at the Holy Spirit Retreat Center in Encino, CA! While there will be plenty of quiet time to revise at your leisure, you’ll also be in the company of peers and industry professionals who will provide feedback on your craft as they help you take your project to new heights! There are only a few spots left for this exclusive event, so sign up soon! 

Over the weekend, you’ll have access to tasty meals and snacks during your stay, a wine and cheese night, a karaoke party, as well as critique sessions led by industry professionals, all of which are included in the registration fees! Our incredible faculty members are absolutely looking forward to this year’s exclusive event and have shared a little bit about who they are as we get ready for the retreat! 

Melanie Figueroa is a literary agent at Root Literary and a member of the Association of American Literary Agents (AALA). She represents award-winning and bestselling authors of children’s literature and adult fiction. A Southern California native, she was born and raised in a multicultural, blended family, so she has a soft spot for books that shine a spotlight on the nuances of relationships, identity, and culture. 

Mary C. Moore is a literary agent with Aevitas Creative Management based in the Bay Area. She has represented the Nebula-nominated “The Unbroken” by C.L. Clark, and Indie Next and Book of the Month pick “The Keeper of Night” by Kylie Lee Baker. She loves working with writers to launch and develop their careers, primarily in middle grade, YA, and adult fiction. In her off time you can find her either in the garden or on the pickleball court.

Jenny Lopez is an Assistant Editor at Sourcebooks based in Chicago. She works primarily on middle grade through young adult novels and loves diverse and inclusive stories across all genres. On her down time you can find her exploring the city libraries or learning a new language.

Accomplished writer and illustrator Jim Averbeck has officially moved into his new role as agent with East/West Literary Agency. Jim is keen to find author/illustrators and writers with great stories to share, and the Los Angeles Working Writers Retreat is his first official SCBWI event in this new role! Jim’s specialty is editorial feedback. He has over a decade of experience mentoring authors to help make their stories irresistible to editors. His resume includes a long list of children’s creators who have achieved their goal to become published authors.

If you need more reasons to go, here’s what some past attendees said about their retreat experience:

“At the Working Writers Retreat, I read my pages to writers, agents, editors. I enjoyed lunchtime conversations about new projects. I pondered craft. I reveled in listening to fellow writers’ first pages. I felt like a writer again.” –Julie Edwards, “You Are a Writer (And Here’s Why You Should Apply for the Sue Alexander Grant!)“

“The grand finale of the retreat was in the morning, where we would all read the first pages of a manuscript in front of everyone in that auditorium where the weekend began. This daunting task would normally be incendiary fuel for Doubt…Two weeks later, I signed with my first-ever agent.” –Andy Greene, “SOCAL VOICES: A Conversation Among Andys”

“The retreat was transformative in so many ways. Writing can be a solitary process and finding other people who share our sensibilities, who support and encourage us, makes a huge difference.” –Katya Dove, “Working Writer’s Retreat 2018: Revisions, Connections, and Karaoke”

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