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
Category Archives: Tri-Regional News
Treasure Chest: February 2025
05 Wednesday Feb 2025
Tags
authors, Charlotte Huck, Comic Orange, Getty, Golden Kite Awards, Highlights Foundation, illustrators, indie-publishing, LA Arts Community Fire Relief Fund, Los Angeles Times Festival of Books, Los Angeles Zoo, middle grade, Next Generation Indie Book Awards, PAL, published, SCBWI Annual Winter Conference, SCBWI Art Day, SCBWI community, SCBWI events, SCBWI members, SCBWI Virtual Winter Conference, scholarship, Sketch Safari, tabling, volunteer, workshop, young adult
Events, Opportunities, and Resources happening now and coming soon for the Tri-Regions and beyond
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We are deeply saddened by the devastations that have impacted our artist friends as a result of the Palisades and Eaton fires. “The LA Arts Community Fire Relief Fund (the ‘Fund’) is a pooled fund led by the J. Paul Getty Trust with support from a coalition of major arts organizations and philanthropists.” If you are in need of financial support, applications must be submitted by Tuesday, February 18, 2025, at 5:00 p.m. Pacific Standard Time. For more information about eligibility, click the link here. If you would like to donate in support of the Fund, please go directly to the Getty’s website here.
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Registration for the SCBWI-LA Sketch Safari at The LA Zoo is now open! “Join illustrator Alexander Vidal and SCBWI peers for a fantastic, in-person illustration event at the Los Angeles Zoo” on Saturday, March 29, 2025, from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. “While this is a sketch event, writers are welcome to share the fun for story inspiration!” The cost of registration also includes admission to the zoo.
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The in-person 2025 SCBWI Winter Conference in New York City may have passed, but it is not too late to register for the SCBWI Virtual Winter Conference 2025! “Don’t miss this chance to boost your children’s book career! Join us online for exclusive industry panels, hands-on sessions diving deep into the craft of writing and illustrating children’s books, and valuable networking with fellow creators.” The online event will take place ONLINE from February 21–22, 2025. Register today!
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Register now for 2025 Art Day: Illustrators and Writers Connect, SCBWI SoCal! This one-day hands-on workshop will take place at the Laguna College of Art & Design on March 15, 2025, and feature several award-winning guest speakers! If you would like to register for written critiques, the deadline to sign up is February 13, 2025. Scholarship applications to attend Art Day 2025 are due February 27, 2025, by 10:00 p.m. Winners will be notified by March 1, 2025. For more information about the Art Day: Equity and Inclusion Scholarship, click here.
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 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 readingTreasure Chest: January 2025
03 Friday Jan 2025
Tags
12x12, authors, CenCal Writers Retreat, Charlotte Huck, Comic Orange, Critique Day, Great News, Highlights Foundation, illustrators, indie-publishing, mentorship, National Council of Teachers of English, NCTE, Next Generation Indie Book Awards, PAL, published, SCBWI Annual Winter Conference, SCBWI community, SCBWI events, SCBWI members, scholarship, theater, Theater Camp, Toot Your Horn!, virtual critique, workshop
Events, Opportunities, and Resources happening now and coming soon for the Tri-Regions and beyond
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Make sure you register for the in-person 2025 SCBWI Winter Conference in New York City and book your stay soon! “Special rates of $215 per night (plus tax) are available for attendees on single and double rooms. A limited number of rooms are available at this rate up until January 6, 2025.” Click here to learn more! For those who are unable to attend the in-person conference in New York City, the Virtual Winter Conference 2025 will be taking place February 21–22, 2025.
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Join us at the beautiful Laguna College of Art & Design on March 15, 2025 for 2025 Art Day: Illustrators and Writers Connect, SCBWI SoCal! This “one day hand-so workshop for illustrators, picture book writers, graphic novelists and author-illustrators” will include “presentations, interactive activities and off-site written critiques.” Registration is now open so click here to sign up!
OPEN NOW
Register for the 2025 SCBWI SoCal Tahquitz MG-YA Writers Retreat! This “four-day small-group intensive writer retreat” will take place from May 1, 2025 to May 4, 2025 in Idyllwild-Pine Cove. “You’ll be able to hone your craft and polish your manuscript with the guidance of industry professionals.” Spots are going very quickly so sign up today!
Happy 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.
Treasure Chest: December 2024
04 Wednesday Dec 2024
Tags
authors, CenCal Writers Retreat, illustrators, London Writers' Salon, PEN America, published, SCBWI Annual Winter Conference, SCBWI community, SCBWI events, SCBWI members, US Writers Aid Initiative
Events, Opportunities, and Resources happening now and coming soon for the Tri-Regions and beyond
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Register now for the 2025 SCBWI Winter Conference in New York City to grab your seat at an early bird rate! In addition to our inspiring keynotes and industry panelists, we will also be hosting Creative Labs for attendees, “offering an in-depth exploration of the business or craft of illustrating and writing children’s books.” Click here to learn more!
Treasure Chest: November 2024
06 Wednesday Nov 2024
Tags
authors, Charlotte and Wilbur Award for Compassion for Animals, Golden Kite Awards, illustrators, London Writers' Salon, NaNoWriMo, published, SCBWI Annual Winter Conference, SCBWI community, SCBWI events, SCBWI members, self-publishing, Spark Award, Walter Awards
Events, Opportunities, and Resources happening now and coming soon for the Tri-Regions and beyond
OPEN NOW
Registration for the 2025 SCBWI Winter Conference in New York City is now open! “This year’s event features must-attend keynotes from Newbery Medal–winning author Meg Medina, Caldecott Medal–winning illustrator Sophie Blackall, and Caldecott Honor–winning author/illustrator Peter Brown.” If you are unable to attend the in-person conference from January 31, 2025–February 2, 2025, the Virtual Winter Conference will take place February 21–22, 2025.
Fall is for Tri-Regional Conferences!
16 Wednesday Oct 2024
Tags
agents, art directors, authors, awards, Carlene Griffith, contest winners, contests, Deborah Warren, editors, Fall Harvest, Gail Buschman, Grace Tancre, Haana Yoo, illustrators, Jaime Zollars, Jenny Lopez, Jesper Widén, Jim Averbeck, Jodi Rizzotto, Judy Torres, Lori Anaya, Marie Chan, Mary C. Moore, Melanie Figueroa, MG, Nancy Brashear, Paulina Hill, picture book, portfolios, publishing, Ricardo Aguilar, SCBWI events, SCBWI members, Su Moon, Toni Guy, Trish Heully, working writers retreat, Writers & Illustrators Day, YA
by Judy Y Faulkner, Ann Rousseau Smith
Whether connecting creative dots, harvesting winning marketing techniques, or bringing home new accolades to put into query letters, Tri-Regions members have been crafting a fall season to remember. And we’re only three weeks in! Here are some highlights so far:
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