Events, Opportunities, and Resources happening now and coming soon for the Tri-Regions and beyond
ONGOING Join the SCBWI Illustration Community in October for 31 days of drawing fun as part of SCBWI Artober 2024! Throughout the month, get inspired with daily prompts to create new art while working in any medium you like. “The goal is to develop a daily practice of creating new art.” Be sure to share your work with the #scbwiArtober2024 hashtag on Instagram and Twitter (X).
On a good day, there was an Ode to a Bad Day. On a dry day, there was a conversation about The Smell of Wet Dog. On a hot day, there was a lifeline of hydration provided by the free and heavily subscribed cans of Liquid Death (aka canned water). Of course there was an SCBWI SoCal booth, where authors and illustrators from the SoCal and LA regions gathered, chatted with kids and their families, and signed books throughout the day. And there were SCBWI members everywhere: strolling the grounds; giving readings at the Children’s Book World and Book Soup booths, and at the Story Time tent; and providing information on AAPI topics under the tent adjacent to the event organizers. There were baby carriages and dogs, sun hats and sandals, drums beaten, guitars plucked, and voices singing. There were stories shared—of Volcanoes and The Quiet Forest, of monkeyshines by a Monkey King and the World of Myths, and adventurous journeys Bye Land, Bye Sea. There was Ice Cream Everywhere, Ramen for Everyone, even Latkes for Santa Claus. There was a reminder that Mooncakes Mean Family. All that, and there was plenty more still to be discovered in the stacks of freshly signed books heading for good homes. If you weren’t at the Los Angeles Kids Book Festival this year, plan to come next year. Whatever the weather, this event is hot!
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.
Photo of Three Authors and an Admirer by Eliana Offsay; other event photos by Judy Y Faulkner; event graphic by the Los Angeles Kids Book Festival
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!
Events, Opportunities, and Resources happening now and coming soon for the Tri-Regions and beyond
OPEN NOW Registration for the popular SCBWI Los Angeles Working Writers Retreat is now open! Join fellow writers from September 27–29, 2024, at the Holy Spirit Retreat Center in Encino “for a weekend of immersive writing, critique, revision and camaraderie.” This annual retreat will have plenty of quiet work spaces, social evenings, and even group critique sessions led by four publishing industry professionals! Spots are filling up very quickly!
Events, Opportunities, and Resources happening now and coming soon for the Tri-Regions and beyond
OPEN NOW Registration is open! Learn about craft and book publishing, connect with professionals in the industry, and mingle with creative people at the SCBWI SoCal Fall Harvest Writers and Illustrators Day! This full-day conference will take place in-person at the California State University Fullerton Titan Student Union OR online, on Saturday, October 5, 2024, from 8:30 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., and will include agents, an art director, local authors, and an illustrator. There will be critiques, portfolio reviews, pitches, and contests. Click here to register!
OPEN NOW Join SCBWI in celebrating World Kid Lit Month in September by submitting your book recommendations now! The Official SCBWI Blog is hosting a month-long celebration of “children’s and YA literature from around the world,” and your short book reviews are invited. There will be four blog posts, each focusing on a different continent: the Americas, Africa, Asia & Oceania, and Europe. For more information, click the link here. All submissions should be emailed to World Kit Lit (worldkidlit@gmail.com).
ONGOING Submit your book now for the SCBWI Impact & Legacy Fund (ILF) Russell Freedman Award or apply for a grant from The ILF Encouragement Fund! No SCBWI membership is required. However, you must be traditionally published. Submissions will close on September 15, 2024.
ONGOING Sign up for the SCBWI CenCal’s 2024 Writers and Illustrators Day! Regular pricing registration for SCBWI members is $137 and will remain open until all seats are filled. The event will be held in-person at the Camarillo Community Center on Saturday, September 21, 2024. There will be an additional “optional online Pitchfest via Zoom” on Sunday, September 22, 2024.
As the Olympic torch makes its way to the 2024 Paris Games, the Los Angeles region has its own torch story to tell—this one about the passing of a torch as one volunteer-led era segues into a new one. Here’s the news from our Regional Team leaders, in their own words:
Sally Jones Rogan, SCBWI-L.A. Regional Advisor, with a message and a reminder
A Letter from Sally Jones Rogan
Dear Los Angeles members,
Some weeks back, candidates were invited to apply for volunteer L.A. Regional Advisors. We are thrilled to announce that SCBWI Headquarters has appointed our very own Kim Wildman to step into the L.A. Regional Advisor role.
Many of you will already know Kim as our highly capable Assistant Regional Advisor (ARA, or as we aptly renamed the title, “Always Running Around”)! Kim has many years of experience as a Regional Team volunteer and is perfectly suited to spearhead events, present member opportunities, lead the regional volunteer team, and undertake the administrative duties and reporting required by SCBWI Headquarters.
Events, Opportunities, and Resources happening now and coming soon for the Tri-Regions and beyond
ONGOING There are lots of opportunities for PAL and self-published SCBWI members in the coming months! Snag one of the few remaining slots at the SCBWI’s Orange County Book Fair booth. The event takes place in Old Town Tustin on Saturday, July 13, 2024. Register here.
The Los Angeles Kids Book Festival has limited seats available for published SCBWI members and will take place in West Hollywood Park on Sunday, September 8, 2024, from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. For more information about registering, click here.
ONGOING Registration for the Virtual Summer Conference is still open! The online event will take place from August 1–August 4. Registration is $195 for premium members and $295 for non-members. There will be 50 jam-packed sessions to choose from on the topic of craft and the business of children’s book creation. Every attendee will have access to all content sessions for up to one month after the conference.
CONNECTING THE CREATIVE DOTS is Saturday, September 21, 2024, with an optional online pitchfest/portfolio review the following day, Sunday, September 22, for an additional fee. The first day is in-person at a new venue, the Pleasant Valley Recreation and Park District Auditorium, 1605 E. Burnley Street in Camarillo. Lunch is provided.
Events, Opportunities, and Resources happening now and coming soon for the Tri-Regions and beyond
ONGOING Registration for the Virtual Summer Conference is now open. The online event will take place from August 1–August 4. Early Bird Registration for members before June 21 is $175. There will be 50 jam-packed sessions to choose from on the topic of craft and the business of children’s book creation. Attendees will have access to all content sessions for up to one month after the conference.
The SCBWI Central-Coastal California Region offers free meet-ups known as Mingles, where writers and illustrators share knowledge, good news, fellowship, and improve their craft. Four of the Mingles are geared toward our writers, one for each of our four counties—Kern, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, and Ventura. We also have a Mingle for our illustrators, hosted by Jaime Zollars, CenCal’s Illustrator Coordinator.
