09 Wednesday Mar 2022
Posted in Contests & Grants, Mentorship Contest
by Brenda Scott Royce
SCBWI-L.A. is thrilled to announce the winner of the 2022 Nonfiction Mentorship Contest!
The competition was steep and the submissions enticingly diverse, making the decision a difficult one for mentor Joseph Taylor.
Continue reading15 Wednesday Dec 2021
Posted in Contests & Grants, Mentorship Contest
by Brenda Scott Royce
Writers: Do you have a great idea for a nonfiction project noodling in your brain? A work-in-progress that needs a little nurturing before being sent out into the world? If so, I implore you to consider applying for SCBWI-L.A.’s Nonfiction Mentorship Contest. This amazing opportunity pairs you with a dedicated, experienced mentor for a six-month period that can be absolutely career changing! Past SCBWI-L.A. mentees have landed agents and publishing deals.
The deadline for submissions is January 26 — so you can channel your New Year’s Resolution energy into preparing your submission.
Continue reading21 Wednesday Apr 2021
Posted in Contests & Grants, Mentorship Contest
Tags
contests, Edward Underhill, Joseph Taylor, mentorship, narrative nonfiction, Nicole Maggi, nonfiction, writing
by Edward Underhill
Editor’s update (6/1/21): The deadline for the SCBWI-L.A. 2021 Mentorship Contest has been extended to June 18, 2021! Get your entries in ASAP!
In March 2020, my partner had just moved her work home for the foreseeable future, my day job was suddenly paused while everyone scrambled to set up remote work, and Los Angeles was entering lockdown. With the roads suddenly quiet outside and more time on my hands, I decided to take a risk and submit my newly finished YA novel for the SCBWI-L.A. Mentorship Contest with mentor Nicole Maggi.
24 Wednesday Feb 2021
Posted in Contests & Grants, Mentorship Contest
Tags
Always The Almost, Edward Underhill, mentoring, mentors, mentorship, Nicole Maggi, SCBWI community, What They Don't Know
by Nicole Maggi
Last June, I handed in a major rewrite on a write-for-hire project, took a deep breath, and turned my attention to a new venture: the SCBWI-L.A. Mentorship. I had spent several weeks earlier in the spring selecting the recipient of the Mentorship, and I was excited to get to work with my mentee, pre-published author Edward Underhill.
Over the course of the summer, as the pandemic grew worse and the world darkened, and my own creative spark began to dim, working with Ed was a beautiful bright spot, like a brilliant star in a moonless sky. His novel, a joyous trans coming-of-age rom-com, was a true escape every time I opened the manuscript.
03 Wednesday Jun 2020
Posted in Contests & Grants, Mentorship Contest
by Nicole Maggi
Being a writer sometimes ruins me for being a reader. It’s a rare book these days that can supersede my hypercritical mind, so when I find myself so lulled in by a story that my picky brain stops whirring, I know I’m in for a good read.
Continue reading12 Wednesday Feb 2020
Posted in Contests & Grants, Mentorship Contest
by Cheryl Manning
The SCBWI Los Angeles region offers a plethora of events and contests for writers and illustrators throughout the year. I’ve been inspired and enlightened by many of them, but the Mentorship Contest stands out. Here are six reasons why my mentorship was so meaningful.
1. Favorite New Author
I was writing a middle grade novel and therefore reading mostly books in that genre. When I found out that YA author Catherine Linka had chosen to mentor me, I purchased her novels A Girl Called Fearless and A Girl Undone. Instead of prepping my manuscript to send off, I began reading Catherine’s first book and was sucked into Avie’s story of survival in search of freedom. Within one chapter, Catherine’s storytelling skills and authentic dialog had me hooked. By the end of her second book, I knew that I was the luckiest mentee on the planet. When I found out that her newest novel, What I Want You to See, was about to launch, I knew I’d be the first in line.
2. Memorable First Words
01 Friday Nov 2019
Tags
Bethany Barton, Emily Asaro, mentoring, mentors, mentorship, novel, PAL novelists, SCBWI events, SCBWI members, SCBWI Mentor Program, writing
by Karol Ruth Silverstein, SCBWI-L.A. Contest Coordinator
The SCBWI-L.A. Mentorship program alternates between picture book writers, illustrators and novelists. And this year, it’s the novelists’ turn again.
Many folks can attest to the value of having a mentor—but there’s tremendous value in being a mentor as well. From learning more about your own craft to reaffirming your love of storytelling to the simple satisfaction of giving back to the SCBWI-L.A. community, being a mentor can be incredibly rewarding.
We caught up with the SCBWI-L.A. 2019 Mentor Bethany Barton, currently mentoring author/illustrator Emily Asaro, and asked her the following:
KAROL RUTH SILVERSTEIN: What motivated you to be an SCBWI-L.A. mentor? Continue reading
15 Wednesday May 2019
Posted in Contests & Grants, Mentorship Contest
Tags
Bethany Barton, illustrator, mentor, mentoring, mentorship, picture books, SCBWI community, SCBWI members
By Bethany Barton, author/illustrator
Have you ever gotten a restaurant menu where everything looks so delicious, it’s nearly impossible to decide? That’s what it felt like going through the applications for SCBWI’s 2019 Mentorship contest! Too much good stuff!
First of all, I want to thank everyone who applied. It’s not always easy to share our artwork with the world, and so many of you were willing. I feel privileged to have gotten my eyes on what you create. I was blown away by the talent on display in every one of this year’s mentorship applicants. The passion for the craft of visual storytelling for children could be seen (and often felt!) in every image that popped into my inbox and I was oh-so-inspired to see the gifts you have to offer young readers. Please keep drawing, please keep painting, please keep telling stories with your images. You must. We didn’t work together this time, but I look forward to seeing your books on shelves, hearing about your successes, and high-fiving you at SCBWI events.
And now, without further ado, I’d love to introduce the world to my mentee: Continue reading
13 Wednesday Feb 2019
Posted in Contests & Grants, Mentorship Contest
Tags
illustrators, Jennifer Fitzgerald, mentoring, mentorships, Monica Mancillas, SCBWI community, SCBWI members, volunteering, volunteers
By Karol Ruth Silverstein, SCBWI-L.A. Contest Coordinator
SCBWI-L.A. PAL member Bethany Barton is the 2019 Mentor! This year’s mentorship contest is for illustrators and author/illustrators and we’ll be accepting applications from February 15 through March 22.
To encourage applicants, we thought we’d check in with last year’s mentees, Monica Mancillas and Jennifer Fitzgerald, to see how their mentorship experience went.
KAROL RUTH SILVERSTEIN: What did you hope to get out of the mentorship when you first applied?
JENNIFER FITZGERALD: I am just starting out writing for children, so initially I was looking for guidance in getting started. My biggest issue is time management. I’m a business owner and a parent, which means time to sit and think can be at a minimum. I needed someone to be accountable to, someone who I could trust to send me an email out of nowhere saying, “How’s it going? What are you working on right now? Send me something.” It made making time to write more real to me and I really needed that. Continue reading
12 Wednesday Dec 2018
Posted in Contests & Grants, Mentorship Contest
Tags
Andrea J. Loney, Catherine Linka, Kathy Kottaras, mentoring, mentors, mentorship, SCBWI events, SCBWI members, Wade Bradford
By Karol Ruth Silverstein, SCBWI-L.A. Contest Coordinator
For the past four years, SCBWI-L.A. has been offering mentorships to pre-published members, switching between writers and illustrators. It will be illustrators’ turn again in 2019, and that’s where out PAL illustrators come in!
As past mentors can tell you, the experience is incredibly rewarding. We asked some of them to share about why they decided to throw their hats in the ring and how they’ve benefitted themselves from being mentors.
Here’s what they had to say: Continue reading
Kite Tales 