Category Archives: SoCal

Down On The Corner At The L.A. Times Festival of Books

14 Friday Apr 2023

Posted by in Industry Conferences, Industry News, Los Angeles, PAL, SoCal

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by R.S. Mellette

The L.A. Times Festival of Books is back in person—and as in prior years, friendly SCBWI members will be there to welcome you to the event.

Like James Brown said, it’s time to “Get up offa that thing.”

If you are reading this, chances are you are an SCBWI member, quite possibly in Southern California. That means you’re interested enough in writing and/or illustrating books that you’re willing to pay dues, go to mingles, take workshops, and generally give of your time and money to improve your craft. On Saturday and Sunday, April 22 and 23, you will have that opportunity at the largest book festival in the country, the Los Angeles Times Festival of Books.

Much of this event is FREE, and SCBWI will be there to make you feel welcome.

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Springing Forward with Kite Tales!

05 Wednesday Apr 2023

Posted by in Central Coast, Los Angeles, SoCal, Tri-Regional News

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by Judy Faulkner and Michelle Lin, Kite Tales Co-Managing Editors

The seasons are changing—at Kite Tales, too.

Jessica Chrysler and Noel Csermak, two stalwart SCBWI Tri-Region volunteers, have recently stepped away from their respective long-time roles as KT’s managing editor and proofreader. If you’ve enjoyed the blog in recent years (as we know so many of you have!), they are two major reasons why.

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Disability Inclusion 101: Five Tips for Writing Disability “Right”

18 Wednesday Jan 2023

Posted by in Author's Perspective, PAL, SoCal, Tips and Tools, Tri-Regional News

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by Karol Ruth Silverstein

Disability is everywhere, sometimes hidden, sometimes unmistakable. Disabled people make up the largest and most diverse minority group in the world. So—yes—disability should be abundant in our children’s literature as well. But is “bad” (i.e., inaccurate, inauthentic, insensitive) representation better than no representation at all?

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SCBWI SoCal Regional News, Second Quarter 2018

18 Wednesday Apr 2018

Posted by in SoCal, Tri-Regional News

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By Beverly Plass, Co-Assistant SoCal Regional Advisor

Into the Woods: May 4-6, 2018

Our weekend writer’s retreat sold out in one week! YA and middle-grade writers will gather in scenic Idyllwild to spruce up their manuscripts with the guidance of professionals. And what better theme for this year than “Into the Woods?” Attendees will participate in four critique-group sessions led by an editor, agent, or published author, hear speaker presentations on the craft of writing, and mingle during meals and a happy hour.

Our faculty includes: Continue reading →

SCBWI SoCal Regional News, 2nd Quarter 2017

12 Wednesday Apr 2017

Posted by in SoCal, Tri-Regional News

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By CenCal Regional Team

Tahquitz Pines Retreat Center

Spring Retreat

It’s spring in the SoCal region and our Spring Retreat: Finding Gold is coming up soon! We have a few spots left for the perfect writer’s getaway at the Tahquitz Pines Retreat Center nestled in the beautiful Idyllwild mountains. Come join us May 5-7, 2017 as we seek to “find gold” in our manuscripts during this intensive revision weekend. Designed for Middle Grade and Young Adult authors, the retreat will include writing time, revision time, and roundtable critiques in an intimate setting with an editor or an agent, an author, and a few of your colleagues. Staff in Attendance: Kate Sullivan, Delacorte Press; Erin Young, Dystel, Goderich, and Bourret LLC; Estelle Laure, YA author of This Raging Light and But Then I Came Back; Steve Bramucci, MG author of The Danger Gang & the Pirates of Borneo!  Hope to see you there! Register here. And read on for more awesome events you won’t want to miss!

Estelle Laure

Kate Sullivan

 

 

 

 

 

 

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SCBWI SoCal Regional News, 1st Quarter 2017

03 Friday Feb 2017

Posted by in SoCal, Tri-Regional News

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By SoCal Regional Team

tahquitz-pines-forestSCBWI SoCal has some great events coming up!

May 5-7, 2017 – SCBWI SoCal Spring Retreat 2017: Finding Gold

YA and middle-grade writers, now’s your chance to work on your novel with the support of professionals in a scenic mountain retreat. Our goals? We want you to find the gold in your manuscript and query letter and inspire you to polish your work until we all holler “Eureka!”  Attendees will participate in four critique-group sessions led by an editor, agent, and published author. You will hear speaker presentations on the craft of writing as well as valuable feedback on query letters and what makes them shine. Plus, you’ll get to mingle with the editor, agent, authors, and fellow Forty-Niner writers during happy hour. Continue reading →

SoCal Regional News, Second Quarter 2016

27 Wednesday Apr 2016

Posted by in SoCal, Tri-Regional News

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by Francesca Rusackas, Regional Advisor

Spring is always a time of energy and renewal. With that in mind, our wonderful Regional Illustrator Coordinator, Gina Capaldi, is coming up with plenty of opportunities for illustrators (and writers) to improve their skills and make connections.

Our 2015, exhibition, Imagine! The Art of Children’s Books Illustration, was a huge success and Gina is already at work on plans for 2017!

the door

The door

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SoCal Regional News

09 Wednesday Mar 2016

Posted by in SoCal, Tri-Regional News

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by Francesca Rusackas, Regional Advisor

Happy Spring! Here in the SoCalRegion we are all looking forward to our annual Spring Retreat at the South Coast Winery Resort and Spa in Temecula. It will be held May 20 – 22. The winery gardens should be in full bloom by then.images 2 JA conference photo 3 Deirdre Jones UnknownOur guest list includes: Stacy Cantor Abrams, Executive Editorial Director of Entangled Teen; Jenne Abramawitz, Senior Editor at Scholastic; Deirdre Jones, Associate Editor, Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, and Deborah Warren, Co-Founder of East West Literary Agency. Continue reading →

SoCal Regional News

02 Friday Oct 2015

Posted by in SoCal

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SoCal Logo

It’s hard to believe that autumn is here! That means that Editor’s Day 2015 is right around the corner. It will be held at the Titan Theater, California State University Fullerton (located inside the Titan Student Union) on Saturday, October 3.

Our wonderful editorial speakers include: Erica Finkel – Editor at Abrams Books, Taylor Norman – Assistant Editor at Chronicle Books, Becky Shapiro – Associate Editor at Scholastic Books, Jeffrey Salane – Editorial Director of Little Simon – Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing Division and Kristine Brogno – Children’s Design Director at Chronicle Books. They will be joined by our terrific local talent: Jennifer Grey Olson, Spotlight Author/Illustrator, Henry L. Herz, Spotlight Author and Rodolfo Montalvo, Spotlight Illustrator. The delightful Sara Sciuto of Fuse Literary Agency (formerly Foreword Literary) will be joining us for panels and pitches. Our speakers will be focusing on craft so if you plan to join us be prepared to take lots of notes!

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SoCal Regional News

08 Wednesday Jul 2015

Posted by in SoCal

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We hope everyone is enjoying summer, but it’s time to mark your calendars for our upcoming Editor’s Day on October 3, 2015 at Cal State University Fullerton!

Editor’s Day is packed with plenty of opportunities for our attendees, including Manuscript Critiques, Pitch Sessions, a pre-conference Friday night Illustrator’s art exhibit, First Pages Panel, Portfolio Displays, Promo and Tear Sheet Critiques, lunch with the editors, PAL Book displays, book signings, and book giveaways. Don’t miss out on this fabulous chance to connect with industry professionals!

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