**Note: The SCBWI-L.A. Mentorship is a six-month program that alternates between various categories of writing and illustrating. In this post, our 2024 winner, illustrator Kristin Marine, shares her experience with the program and last year’s mentor, Jaime Zollars. The 2025 mentor will be announced at the end of the post.**
by Kristin Marine
I applied for the SCBWI-L.A. Mentorship Contest in 2024. I had a portfolio on my website, a few written stories, and a book dummy. I felt pretty good when I reached out to illustration agencies in search of representation, but I heard more than once that I wasn’t quite “ready.” I wasn’t sure what ready looked like, and I hoped a mentor might help me figure it out.
Events, Opportunities, and Resources happening now and coming soon for the Tri-Regions and beyond
UPDATE – EVENT NEXT WEEK! MARCH 25
Award-winning author Matthew Burgess, Caldecott Medalist Doug Salati, and three-time Caldecott Honoree Marla Frazee will join forces for Illustrating the Power of Poetry!, a conversation about collaboration, the power of poetry and the process of illustrating poems for children. This free event takes place on Tuesday, March 25, 2025, beginning at 7:00 p.m., at Once Upon a Time Bookstore, 2207 Honolulu Avenue, Montrose, CA 91020. After the conversation, the creators will be available to sign books. “This gathering would be beneficial to teachers, librarians and anyone who works with children to inspire their creativity.” For more information, visit Once Upon a Time.
OPEN NOW Join your friends and peers at the 2025 Art Day: Illustrators and Writers Connect, SCBWI SoCal! This one-day hands-on workshop runs from 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at the Laguna College of Art & Design on March 15, 2025. Our fun-filled day near the ocean will include warm-up exercises, “draw off and hands on activities,” as well as presentations from award-winning authors and illustrators.
OPEN NOW Sign up today for the SCBWI-LA Sketch Safari at The LA Zoo! Pack your drawing materials and wear your comfiest walking shoes as you trek the Los Angeles Zoo with illustrator Alexander Vidal on Saturday, March 29, 2025, from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. The cost of registration also includes admission to the zoo. “While this is a sketch event, writers are welcome to share the fun for story inspiration!” Although the event is only two hours long, folks are more than welcome to spend the rest of the day at the zoo!
SCBWI members’ publishing news is something to celebrate here at Kite Tales! Check out whose book is coming to a platform near you or around the world. Horn-tooting and digital high fives welcome in the comments!
SCBWI loves celebrating our members’ successes and noteworthy news, and there are many! Read on to find out who’s got something to shout about. Digital high-fives welcome in the comments!
Events, Opportunities, and Resources happening now and coming soon for the Tri-Regions and beyond
OPEN NOW 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.
OPEN NOW 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.
OPEN NOW 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!
OPEN NOW 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 | 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.
Those lucky enough to have seen the traveling exhibition Wild Things: The Art of Maurice Sendak at the Skirball Cultural Center in Los Angeles this past summer know it’s a show worth seeking out. There’s still a chance to take it in, with a plane hop to Denver. Or hop online to view the virtual events and extras—one happening live this week, most available through the show’s run—created for this new iteration. Rocky Mountain SCBWI member Nina Snyder provides details.
“Ask an Editor” is a forum wherein SCBWI members submit questions that are answered quarterly as part of our Kite Tales blog.
Hi Christine – I’ve been trying to land an agent for four years, but have had no success. Should I self-publish my book?
– Hana, Culver City
Hello Hana – It typically takes 3–5 years from when a manuscript is polished and querying begins until an author lands an agent or publisher, and there is no guarantee a manuscript will get picked up. I understand that’s a long time to wait on a chance.
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:
Kite Tales 