by Jessica Cooper
Calling all Los Angeles-area artists and writers! Come join the fun!
Goin’ On Safari with … Alexander Vidal
26 Wednesday Feb 2025
Author Archives: Judy Y Faulkner
Toot Your Horn!
19 Wednesday Feb 2025
Posted in Toot Your Horn!
Tags
chapter book, early reader, fantasy, Historical Reference, horror, MG, middle grade, mystery, nonfiction, nonfiction picture book, picture book, poetry, published, publishing, SCBWI community
SCBWI members’ publishing news is something to celebrate here at Kite Tales! Check out whose book is coming to a platform near you or around the world. Horn-tooting and digital high fives welcome in the comments!
Wayfinding 2025
29 Wednesday Jan 2025
Posted in Central Coast, Los Angeles, SoCal, Tri-Regional News
by Judy Faulkner
wayfinding | ˈwāˌfīndiNG | noun the process or activity of ascertaining one’s position and planning and following a route
No single blog post can put us firmly on our individual career paths, but this week’s post can help us discover our routes by putting us in closer touch with folks who will help us shape them. These colleagues, teachers, and friends are the members of our own SCBWI community. For those new to the organization or the area, and for those who haven’t fully delved into the new website or aren’t yet familiar with the Kite Tales blog, here’s some 2025 wayfinding to help you get where you want.
Continue reading“Wild Things” Continues
22 Wednesday Jan 2025
Posted in Community Corner
Tags
art, Denver Art Museum, Events, exhibition, exhibitions, Illustration, Maurice Sendak, Nina Snyder
by Nina Snyder
Those lucky enough to have seen the traveling exhibition Wild Things: The Art of Maurice Sendak at the Skirball Cultural Center in Los Angeles this past summer know it’s a show worth seeking out. There’s still a chance to take it in, with a plane hop to Denver. Or hop online to view the virtual events and extras—one happening live this week, most available through the show’s run—created for this new iteration. Rocky Mountain SCBWI member Nina Snyder provides details.
Continue readingSpark New Ideas in the New Year
10 Friday Jan 2025
Posted in Central Coast, Illustrator's Perspective, Tips and Tools
by Jaime Zollars
Happy New Year!
I hope you all ended up on the nice list and took some time to rest and reflect before diving into goals for a new year. Have you made a list of resolutions?
I’ve always been quite a fan of lists. They hold so much promise. To-do lists, goal lists, recipe lists, gift lists, idea lists, bucket lists, reading lists—the list goes on. While I must admit that I’ve been known to transfer the unchecked items off any given list to its next incarnation (sometimes indefinitely), the simple practice of writing them can spark growth and creativity.
In the spirit of new ideas for the new year, here are four fun list-making exercises that may jump-start your creative streak in 2025:
Continue reading10 Inspiring Kite Tales Quotes from 2024
27 Friday Dec 2024
Tags
#AskanEditor, Alexis O'Neill, Andy Greene, April Halprin Wayland, authors, Cara J. Stevens, Christine Van Zandt, craft, illustrators, inspiration, Jaime Zollars, Joy Peskin, Julia Edwards, Kelly Pellico, Kim Wildman, Liz Garton Scanlon, Nell Cross Beckerman, Paige Vinten Taylor, Philana Marie Boles, publishing, publishing tips, quotes, Roya Asgari, SCBWI community, writing tips
It’s been a roller coaster of a year. But that means there’ve been ups as well as downs. Joy, growth, progress, breakthroughs, satisfaction. So, take a moment to peruse our traditional year-end inspirational quotes column, which this year includes a baker’s dozen. We need ’em! And we have them, thanks to all of you who have been kind enough to share your time, expertise, images, thoughts, words—and reasons for huzzahs—with all of us through Kite Tales. Now, let’s hop in the time machine together and take a look back at some of the highlights.
Continue readingHappy Holidays, Tri-Regions!
18 Wednesday Dec 2024
Posted in Central Coast, Community Corner, Los Angeles, SoCal
Season’s Greetings from your Tri-Regional teams!
Happy Holidays!
May the warmth and good cheer of the season spark your creativity.
From the CenCal Team
Wishing you the joys of creativity and the comfort of community this holiday season.
Warmly, the Los Angeles Regional Team
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.
Images created by: Kristin Marine (CenCal), Jessica Cooper (Los Angeles), and Briana Young (SoCal)
Be an SCBWI Mentor in 2025! But first … a word from our 2024 mentor
11 Wednesday Dec 2024
Posted in Contests & Grants, Los Angeles, Mentorship Contest
Tags
Illustration, Jaime Zollars, Kristin Marine, mentorship, publishing, SCBWI community, SCBWI members
by Jaime Zollars
When I saw last year’s call for SCBWI mentors, I was instantly motivated to apply. I credit the SCBWI with my first successes as an illustrator, and I miss teaching and mentoring college students (something I did for several years before going back to full-time freelance work). It seemed like an exciting opportunity to share some of the knowledge I’ve learned along the way and to give back to the organization.
Toot Your Horn!
27 Wednesday Nov 2024
Posted in Toot Your Horn!
Tags
chapter book, early reader, fantasy, Historical Reference, horror, MG, middle grade, mystery, nonfiction, nonfiction picture book, picture book, poetry, published, publishing, SCBWI community
SCBWI members’ publishing news is something to celebrate here at Kite Tales! Check out whose book is coming to a platform near you or around the world. Horn-tooting and digital high fives welcome in the comments!
Writing as a Fool’s Errand
13 Wednesday Nov 2024
Posted in Author's Perspective
by Kelly Pellico
I’ve spent 148,628* hours reading, studying, and writing picture book manuscripts. I’ve scoured library shelves and listened to an endless stream of craft advice through podcasts, webinars, classes, and conferences. And . . .
(Insert suspenseful page turn)
Continue reading
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