Category Archives: Writers Days

Recap: Fall Harvest Writers and Illustrators Day

18 Wednesday Oct 2023

Posted by in Illustrators Day, SoCal, Writers Days

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by Beverly Plass, RA SCBWI SoCal

Keynote speakers (from left to right) Lucy Hamilburg, Savannah Brooks, and Courtney Stevenson stop by the photo booth.

SCBWI SoCal’s annual Fall Harvest Writers and Illustrators Day on October 7 was a big hit. The event featured speakers, critiques, pitches, first pages, contests, book signings, a portfolio table, a published book display, and a pop-up by San Marino Toy & Book Shoppe.

We started with a fun ice-breaker suggested by SCBWI member Kelly Powers—a snowball fight. People tossed balled up pieces of paper at each other—getting a lot of laughs. Afterward, each person opened their snowball to an ice-breaker question to engage with people near them. 

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SCBWI CenCal Writers’ Day Winners 2023!

20 Wednesday Sep 2023

Posted by in Central Coast, Tri-Regional News, Writers Days

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by Ann Rousseau Smith, SCBWI CenCal News Liaison

The SCBWI Central-Coastal Region held its in-person Writers’ Day on Saturday, September 9, at the Camarillo Public Library. After an inspiring day of speakers and camaraderie, a few honors were presented, with the winners receiving free entry to next year’s Writers’ Day.

Congratulations to all the participants in the writing contest, including the winners:

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SCBWI SoCal Fall Harvest Writers and Illustrators Day

12 Wednesday Jul 2023

Posted by in Community Corner, Illustrators Day, SoCal, Tri-Regional News, Writers Days

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by Beverly Plass, RA SoCal SCBWI

An amazing faculty will present to in-person and Zoom attendees of the SCBWI SoCal Fall Harvest conference, Saturday, October 7.

Join SCBWI SoCal at Cal State University Fullerton or on Zoom on October 7, to learn about craft and book publishing, connect with professionals in the industry, and mingle with other SCBWI attendees.

SoCal’s FALL HARVEST WRITERS AND ILLUSTRATORS DAY will take place Saturday, October 7, 2023, from 8:30 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. You can attend in-person at California State University, Fullerton OR participate via Zoom. Lunch is provided for in-person attendees.

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SCBWI CenCal Writer’s Day 2023

05 Wednesday Jul 2023

Posted by in Central Coast, Community Corner, Illustrators Day, Tri-Regional News, Writers Days

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by Ann Rousseau Smith, SCBWI CenCal News Liaison

The Camarillo Public Library will host CenCal’s 2023 Writer’s Day on September 9.

Join SCBWI CenCal for Writer’s Day 2023!

WRITER’S DAY: SPARK THE FIRE WITHIN is a two-day event this year. The first day is in-person at a new location, the Camarillo Library, on Saturday, September 9. Doors open at 8:45 am, coffee and pastries for early arrivers. Event begins at 9:30 am and ends at 3:30 pm. Lunch will be provided.

Day One includes writing contests, written critiques, first lines feedback, 4-corners critique meet-up, door prizes, book sales, and a tour of the Camarillo Library Children’s Room, aka the Pirate Ship.

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Writers Day 2022 Back in Person: Craft, Community, and Book-ish Costumes

30 Wednesday Nov 2022

Posted by in Author's Perspective, Writers Days

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By Natasha Khan Kazi

October 22, 2022, marked the return of Writers Day at the Skirball Cultural Center, hosted by SCBWI Los Angeles and CenCal. I was thrilled to be back in person with the SoCal kid lit community. With smiles, under our masks, we welcomed a day of craft, community, and book-ish costumes.

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SCBWI-L.A. Writers Day Contest: And the Winners Are…

02 Wednesday Nov 2022

Posted by in Contests & Grants, Writers Days

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by Brenda Scott Royce, Contest Coordinator

A highlight of Writers Day every year is the announcement of the winners of the writing contest. It’s not only exciting for the lucky ones called to the stage—hearing what the judges had to say about the stand-out manuscripts can also be instructive and inspiring for the rest of us. While cheering on our fellow writers, we just may hear something that sparks an idea for a revision or a whole new story.

Please join us in celebrating the 2022 Writers Day Contest runners-up and winners, who were announced at the SCBWI-L.A./CenCal Writers Day event on Saturday, October 23. Excerpts from the judges’ comments are included in the list of honorees below. If you’d like to contact any of the winners to request their manuscript or discuss publication, please let us know!

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Crossing Borders and Letting Go with Mitali Perkins

28 Wednesday Sep 2022

Posted by in Author's Perspective, Writers Days

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Joining us as keynote speaker for Writers Day 2022 is Mitali Perkins! An explorer of boundaries both physical and literary, she has written books for all ages of young readers, including You Bring the Distant Near (nominated for a National Book Award) and Rickshaw Girl (adapted into a film by Sleeperwave Productions) and the upcoming picture book, The Story of Us (Beaming Books, 2022). She seeks to make readers laugh and cry, all while opening their hearts to understanding the mysteries of the wider world.

Jessica Chrysler: Welcome Mitali, and thank you for taking the time to interview with Kite Tales! As an author of picture books, YA and nonfiction for adults, your work crosses categories as fluidly as you explore the theme of crossing borders. What inspires you in your work? And what gives you that spark to take on the next project?

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SCBWI CenCal Writers’ Contest Winners 2022!

12 Friday Aug 2022

Posted by in Central Coast, Tri-Regional News, Writers Days

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By Ann Rousseau Smith, SCBWI CenCal News Liaison

The SCBWI Central-Coastal Region held its Writers’ Day webinar, Perfect Your Pitch, on Sunday, July 10. Lynn Becker, author of Monsters in the Briny, and Lisa Kerr, author of Wake, Sleepy One: California Poppies and the Super Bloom, were our Spotlight Speakers, sharing their paths to publication. Agent Joyce Sweeney from The Seymour Agency offered advice on composing pitches and gave live feedback on a handful of pre-selected pitches.

A highlight of the event was the announcement of the winners of the writing contest.

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Just Do It! Enter the 2022 SCBWI-L.A. Writers Day Contest

13 Wednesday Jul 2022

Posted by in Contests & Grants, Writers Days

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by Brenda Scott Royce

Why do we enter writing contests? Prizes are awfully nice, and hearing your name announced as the winner is a definite thrill. But perhaps even more motivating is the validation that comes with recognition of your work. There’s nothing like learning that the speck of an idea you plucked from thin air and coaxed into shape over weeks, months, or maybe even years, actually has wings and can fly. 

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How Attending SCBWI-L.A. Writer’s Day Led to a Book Deal

06 Wednesday Apr 2022

Posted by in Author's Perspective, Writers Days

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by Charlotte Offsay

Unpublished and unagented, I attended SCBWI-L.A. Writer’s Day 2019 full of hope but never expecting that the events of the day would ultimately lead to a big five publishing contract. 

For the second year in a row, I attended as an aspiring picture book author, and this time around I knew what to expect. I arrived eager to soak in the wisdom of the day’s fabulous lineup of speakers and had submitted a picture book manuscript for critique by one of the event day faculty. The manuscript that I submitted was one that I had been working on for months, Gram’s Got the Magic Touch. Here is the pitch:

Gram’s leaving, and she’s taking her magic with her. Without it Rose’s baby brother Henry wails and life as Rose knows it is dooooomed. There’s only one solution, Rose needs magic powers too.

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