04 Wednesday May 2016
Posted in Central Coast, Tri-Regional News
by Ann Rousseau Smith, CenCal News Liaison
SCBWI CenCal’s Mentor Program
Congratulations to our 2016 Mentees
Picture Book: Laurie Daley, Doreen Maulhardt, and Susanne Whitehouse
Middle Grade: Cindy Marcus
Young Adult: Linda Hearn Continue reading
27 Wednesday Apr 2016
Posted in SoCal, Tri-Regional News
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
22 Friday Apr 2016
Posted in Industry News, Tips and Tools
Tags
authors, community, illustrator tips, illustrators, middle grade, news, nonfiction, picture book, published, publishing, SCBWI events, SCBWI members, volunteers, writer, YA
How do you get 150,000 dedicated book buyers to consider your book? How do you get 50 authors and/or illustrators together to sell their work to those 150,000 eager buyers? The answer is the Los Angeles SCBWI booth at the Los Angeles Times Festival of Books. Continue reading
20 Wednesday Apr 2016
Posted in Tips and Tools
Tags
authors, Comics, conferences, Graphic Novels, illustrator tips, illustrators, local, middle grade, networking, picture book, publishing, SCBWI members, Wonder Con, WonderCon, writer, writing tips, YA
Do the words “comic book convention” sound scary to you? Overwhelming? Completely irrelevant to you as a children’s book author or illustrator? Think again. Even if your work isn’t “in genre,” you can still learn a lot. If you want to know what kids are into right now, or your creative juices need a boost, there’s no better place to go than a Con.
This year Wonder Con, the smaller, gentler, but just as fun little sister of the San Diego Comic Con, was held in Los Angeles. In addition to sneak peaks of superhero movies, geektastic T.V. shows, and panels about everything from new anime to the real science in sci-fi, there were kids everywhere!
15 Friday Apr 2016
Posted in Editor's Perspective, Writers Days
HarperCollins Children’s Books editor Stephanie Stein works on a range of YA and middle grade fiction by authors including Kiera Cass (the Selection series), Erin Hunter (Warriors), and Cynthia Hand (The Last Time We Say Goodbye). As faculty for this year’s SCBWI Los Angeles Writer’s Day, Stephanie gave a compelling keynote address, “Writing Your Book (Not Someone Else’s)” and a breakout session on what to expect from an editor when you’re revising your work together. Kite Tales caught up with her after LAWD16 for a follow-up on defining your writer’s voice, why that’s essential to getting published, and why everyone’s path to publishing looks different.
13 Wednesday Apr 2016
Posted in Los Angeles, Tri-Regional News, Writers Days
by Sally Jones Rogan, Co-Regional Advisor, SCBWI – Los Angeles
Hello SCBWI –Los Angeles! If you attended our recent Writer’s Day at the Skirball Cultural Center, you will already know that Sarah Laurenson shared some rather “big” regional news. After many years as Co-Regional Advisor, first with Lee Wind and then with yours truly, Sarah has decided to step down for a well-earned rest!
Sally Jones Rogan (left) and Sarah Laurenson (right)
It was on Sarah and Lee’s watch that SCBWI obtained its nonprofit status. With that came more rules, regulations, more scrutiny—and many more RA volunteer hours needed than ever before. Sarah tackled all of these new challenges with aplomb and by the time I came onboard three years ago, there was a “system” in place for just about everything! Who knew that spreadsheets could be an art form?
08 Friday Apr 2016
Posted in Author's Perspective, Illustrator's Perspective
Tags
agents, authors, conferences, critiques, Debbie Ohi, Debbie Ridpath Ohi, how-to, illustrator tips, illustrators, Inky Girl, InkyGirl, middle grade, picture book, SCBWI events, SCBWI members, writing tips
Debbie Ridpath Ohi writes and illustrates books for young people in Toronto, Canada. Her first solo picture book, Where Are My Books?, debuted from Simon & Schuster Books For Young Readers in 2015. Her illustrations appear in picture books by Michael Ian Black and in Judy Blume chapter books and middle grade reissues, as well as many others. She gave a challenging and insightful keynote at this year’s SCBWI Los Angeles Writer’s Day as well as a “master class” on social media for authors. She was kind enough to do a follow-up interview with Kite Tales to share her perspective on being an introverted author, networking, and how to attract that magical publishing lightning.
06 Wednesday Apr 2016
Posted in Writers Days
Tags
Brenda Bowen, conferences, contest winners, Debbie Ridpath Ohi, Robin LaFevers, SCBWI events, SCBWI members, Stephanie Stein
by Christine Van Zandt
On March 12, 2016, writers from all walks of life attended this year’s daylong SCBWI-Los Angeles Writer’s Day at the beautiful Skirball Cultural Center. The comfortable seating was an ideal place to take in presentations by the four keynote speakers: Stephanie Stein, Brenda Bowen, Debbie Ridpath Ohi, and Robin LaFevers. As with other SCBWI events, Writer’s Day provided opportunity for education, motivation, and networking.
Writer’s Day 2016
01 Friday Apr 2016
Posted in Toot Your Horn!
Tags
Hillary Rodham Clinton: Some Girls Are Born to Lead, by Michelle Markel, illustrated by LeUyen Pham, Balzer & Bray/HarperCollins, ages 4-8, picture book, ISBN: 978-0062381224, released 01/05/2016. (image: Hillary.jpg)
30 Wednesday Mar 2016
Posted in Great News!
Tags
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!
Joan Bransfield Graham’s book The Poem That Will Not End: Fun with Poetic Forms and Voices was selected as a CRA Eureka! Silver Award winner for Excellence in Nonfiction. In October 2015 The National Geographic Book Of Nature Poetry, edited by J. Patrick Lewis, and Amazing Places, edited by Lee Bennett Hopkins, both featured poems by Joan.
Kite Tales 