01 Wednesday Mar 2017
Posted in Contests & Grants, SAG, Writers' Retreat
Tags
Amanda Hollander, authors, contest winners, contests, grants, Karen Lyn Jameson, Kes Trester, Melody Mansfield, Penelope Merrell, published, SCBWI events, SCBWI members
By Marcelle Greene
The 2017 Sue Alexander Grant contest opens today, offering one SCBWI-L.A. writer free tuition to the Working Writers Retreat. We asked five previous recipients of this prestigious award how winning impacted their writing careers. Continue reading
18 Wednesday Jan 2017
Posted in Contests & Grants, Mentorship Contest
Tags
By Marcelle Greene, SCBWI-L.A. Contest Coordinator
Having a published mentor who helps you improve your work could be the greatest gift you receive on your path to publication. Through its Mentor Program, SCBWI-L.A. has offered this gift to three members in the past two years, and is now running a contest for a 2017 illustration mentorship. (Entry deadline is 2-14-17.)
Winning the 2015 mentorship changed illustrator Matthew Rivera’s goals. “Writing my own stories to illustrate wasn’t something I considered before the mentorship,” Rivera says. But mentor Deborah Norse Lattimore encouraged him to do both. “I’m becoming a better writer and I’ve seen improvements in my artwork thanks to Deborah’s advice,” Rivera says. For example: “She suggested adding more movement to my scenes and to make the motion from left to right, so as to drive a page turn.” Continue reading
30 Friday Dec 2016
Posted in Contests & Grants, Los Angeles, Tri-Regional News, Writers Days
Puppy dogs and fairy queens, stars and wishes and unseen things . . . as a community of writers and illustrators, we have wondrous tales to spin and dazzling visuals to design. Our hope is that you find in this new year your strongest voice ever. For there are children waiting, children who need your stories of hope and love and adventure and triumph in their hands. Tell yourself, for them, that this is your year, and mean it.
All our best to all our Los Angeles SCBWI members from the Regional Team and Board
Upcoming Events
On Saturday, February 25, we’ll once again be at the beautiful Skirball Cultural Center for Writers and Illustrators Day, combining two favorite events into one great day. Morning keynote speakers, lunch, and a choice of two afternoon breakout sessions are included in the price of registration. Continue reading
28 Wednesday Dec 2016
Posted in Contests & Grants, Mentorship Contest
Long-time SCBWI member Carmel O’Mara-Horwitz submitted this year’s winning proposal to mentor an illustrator in the art of building a portfolio for the children’s book market. The contest to pick her mentee from among our Associate and Full members begins January 3, 2017.
The six-month mentorship, which runs May 1–Oct. 30, 2017, will help the chosen illustrator to evaluate and improve the art in their portfolio and to create a couple new pieces as necessary. O’Mara-Horwitz will focus the mentee’s learning on the following: Continue reading
09 Wednesday Nov 2016
Posted in Contests & Grants, Writers Days
Ever wonder what happens to the manuscripts that win first place in SCBWI-L.A.’s writing contests? We did. As the contest for Writers & Illustrators Day 2017 opens, we talked with our 2016 winners to find out how the award affected them and where their manuscripts are now.
All four of our winners talked about the huge boost in confidence that winning gave them. The award created courage to keep trying — writing, revising, querying, and learning. Continue reading
19 Wednesday Oct 2016
30 Friday Sep 2016
Posted in Mentorship Contest
Tags
authors, Catherine Linka, community, E. Katherine Kottaras, mentors, mentorship, SCBWI members, YA, young adult
One year ago authors E. Katherine Kottaras and Catherine Linka answered our call for published members interested in mentoring. Since May, they have been working with their chosen mentees. As we now request proposals from next year’s potential mentors, Kottaras and Linka reflect on their experience of advising aspiring writers. Continue reading
11 Wednesday May 2016
Posted in Contests & Grants, SASE Award, Writers Days
And the winner is . . . Beth Navarro!
Beth Navarro, Sally Jones Rogan, and Sarah Laurenson
At this year’s Writer’s Day, Sally Jones Rogan, LA’s Regional Advisor, presented the 2016 Sue Alexander Service and Encouragement Award. Here are her words:
“The Sue Alexander Service and Encouragement Award is presented to a regional volunteer who has shown exceptional dedication to SCBWI Los Angeles.
The Region is completely volunteer run, from the LitMingle coordinators to the website guru, to the Regional coordinators, and everyone in between who makes up our successful organization of more than 1,300 members. Continue reading
24 Sunday Jan 2016
Posted in Contests & Grants, SAG
By Marcelle Greene, LA Contest Coordinator
Sue Alexander
After three years of favoring novels, the judges for the region’s most prestigious annual contest have awarded the Sue Alexander Grant to a picture book:
Woodland Dreams by Karen Lyn Jameson
In rhythmic writing that is sparse and word perfect, Jameson develops a gentle repetitive call to a range of forest creatures to bed down for the night. The text is “more than a bedtime story,” judges say, “offering just enough flora and fauna to spike a young listener’s interest and to create wonderful illustration potential.” Following are the first two stanzas:
18 Wednesday Nov 2015
Posted in Contests & Grants, SAG, Writers' Retreat
On September 11-13, 2015, writers from all around the globe attended SCBWI’sAnnual Working Writers’ Retreat; this year in a secluded Encino, California, location. As usual, tickets for this event sold out quickly.
I met up with the 2015 Sue Alexander Award winner, Kes Trester, on that Friday. Most retreat attendees share simple rooms with another writer. Kes and I sat together outside her room. In the still-humid LA evening, Kes imparted insight about writing, the retreat, and how writers can apply for this coveted SCBWI award.
Kite Tales 