06 Wednesday May 2015
Posted in Contests & Grants, SASE Award
And the winner is…. Claudia Harrington!
The Sue Alexander Service and Encouragement Award is given to a deserving member of SCBWI that honor his/her service to SCBWI. This award is a great honor as it embodies to spirit of Sue Alexander who was dedicated to giving back to SCBWI.
29 Wednesday Apr 2015
Posted in Central Coast
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Rev Your Poetry Power with Joan Bransfield Graham
Award-winning poet Joan Bransfield Graham is leading a poetry writing workshop on Saturday, May 16, in Westlake Village. Joan took a few moments to answer some questions about exploring poetic possibilities.
22 Wednesday Apr 2015
Posted in SoCal
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Spring Greetings from Francesca and Q,
It’s often said that good things come in threes. In the last two Kite Tales we’ve introduced you to two wonderful authors—Marcie Wessels and Elana Azose—who each found a home for their first published picture book through our SoCal Editor’s Day. The third author in this talented trio is Michael Mahin. Michael earned his Ph.D. in American Literature at Claremont Graduate School. He went on to become a professor at San Diego State, a budding screenwriter, and the lead guitarist in an ‘80s cover band called Neon Nation. Michael is a bundle of talent, and we were fortunate to have him speak at several of our events. It was at Editor’s Day that Michael added published picture book author to his long list of credits. Michael agreed to give us an update, and it seems that there is a new book on the way! Here’s what he had to say.
15 Wednesday Apr 2015
Posted in Author's Perspective
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I wrote a book called The Secret Hum of a Daisy, which is about twelve-year-old Grace who loses her mom unexpectedly and has to move away from friends she has come to love as family. Even worse, she must live with a grandmother who turned her back on Grace’s mama long ago. Grace is prickly, a bit of a troublemaker, and doesn’t know what to do with her pain.
08 Wednesday Apr 2015
Posted in Los Angeles
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SCBWI-L.A. blossomed with ‘firsts’ this Spring with the launching of a new Regional Mentorship Program with the fabulous Deborah Nourse Lattimore. Our first ever SCBWI-L.A. representation at the Los Angeles Times Festival of Books takes place April 18th/19th. Please visit our booth #834 and show your support for our signing authors and illustrators – this could be you next year!
01 Wednesday Apr 2015
Posted in Writers Days
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This year’s SCBWI-Los Angeles Writer’s Days event was held March 7 & 8 at the beautiful Skirball Cultural Center. The event was well attended without being overwhelming, with plenty of opportunities to network with fellow SCBWI members. Just as I have at the end other SCBWI events I’ve gone to, I left the Skirball this weekend feeling motivated and inspired.
(Mary Ann Fraser)
25 Wednesday Mar 2015
Posted in Poet's Perspective
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If you want to know me, there’s one simple rule: Talk to the hand. I do not say that as an expression of contempt or disinterest. Rather, I say it an invitation. A call to engage my heart and learn the truth of the man who lies beneath. For while my mouth is stopped with shyness and doubt, my fingers speak to the soul of who I really am.
18 Wednesday Mar 2015
Posted in Volunteer in the Spotlight
My journey as a member of the SCBWI began in 1993. I savored the bimonthly Bulletin and dreamed from afar. Once I started attending events and joined a critique group, I was asked to be the Critique Group Coordinator for the Ventura/Santa Barbara Region (which includes Kern and San Luis Obispo Counties), now known as the Central-Coastal California Region, which was led at that time by our illustrious Regional Advisor Alexis O’Neill.
When I first joined the SCBWI, my interest was in illustration. As my visual exploits floundered, I began my voyage into poetry as an introduction to writing. Poetry soon became my mode of expression.
11 Wednesday Mar 2015
Posted in Industry News
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One great thing about the Internet is that you can subscribe to newsletters from the sites you like to visit, for free. Once you subscribe, their newest issues show up automatically in your email. You can create folders in your email to file the issues as they appear, so you can look at them later. You don’t even have to remember the URL or remember to look at your favorites. They just send them to you.
If you are ever stuck for ideas, these newsletters seem to arrive just in time with the solution to your story problem, or to jog your memory for a new story.
04 Wednesday Mar 2015
Posted in LitMingles!
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Welcome to Schmooze Land!
Once upon a time there were two SCBWI schmoozers who had a dream: Renee Carter and Saundra Davis imagined a schmooze centrally located in Los Angeles where fellow children’s book authors, librarians, and children’s literature fans could gather. Here they would exchange ideas to conquer the dreaded enemy, writer’s block, discuss the questions that plague many authors (to plot or not to plot), and munch on cookies. After all, Renee and Saundra had grown while attending the Westside Schmooze under its wise and creative coordinators, Rita Crayon Huang and Lee Wind. They had flourished under the the spunky and ingenious next team of Karol Silverstein and Charlie Cohen. Surely there were other children’s lit writers who could benefit from an additional schmooze.
Kite Tales 