Treasure Chest: April 2024

03 Wednesday Apr 2024

Posted by Judy Y Faulkner in Los Angeles, SoCal, Treasure Chest, Tri-Regional News

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authors, Christine Van Zandt, Comic Orange, craft, illustrators, Los Angeles Times Festival of Books, middle grade, PAL events, publishing, SCBWI community, SCBWI events, SCBWI Impact & Legacy Fund, SCBWI members, SCBWI SoCal

Events, Opportunities, and Resources happening now and coming soon for the
Tri-Regions and beyond

On Thursday, April 11th at 4pm PT / 7pm ET, you’re invited to the Children’s Book Changemakers Special, presented by the SCBWI Impact and Legacy Fund. This exciting Zoom program is free to all (no SCBWI membership required) and features rare appearances from iconic children’s book thought leaders whose work has made a difference. More information or register today.

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Treasure Chest: March 2024

06 Wednesday Mar 2024

Posted by Judy Y Faulkner in Central Coast, Contests & Grants, Industry Conferences, Los Angeles, SoCal, Treasure Chest, Tri-Regional News, Writers Days

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authors, Comic Orange, contest, craft, illustrators, Los Angeles Times Festival of Books, publishing, SCBWI community, SCBWI events, SCBWI members, Writers Day

Events, Opportunities, and Resources happening now and coming soon for the
Tri-Regions and beyond

Burst into creative bloom this Saturday at Bud to Blossom. How to Grow Stories and Nurture Creative Inspiration, the in-person SCBWI-Los Angeles 2024 Writers Day conference being held at the Skirball Cultural Center on March 9, 2024. An all-star faculty—including speakers Deborah Halverson, Henry Lien, Ariel Richardson, Liz Garton Scanlon, and Karol Ruth Silverstein—will nourish your creative spirit and encourage your stories to sprout and grow. Enjoy keynotes, breakouts, an afternoon book signing, and a patio lunch by the famous lily pond. Event schedule and faculty profiles here. Online registration is now closed. Walk-ins welcome (cash or check only).

*March 9 is the date for the 2024 SCBWI-Los Angeles Writers Day.*

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Toot Your Horn!

21 Wednesday Feb 2024

Posted by Judy Y Faulkner in Toot Your Horn!

≈ 1 Comment

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biography, historical fiction, mystery, nonfiction picture book, picture book, poetry, published, publishing, SCBWI community, SCBWI members, YA Fantasy

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!

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Treasure Chest: February 2024

07 Wednesday Feb 2024

Posted by Judy Y Faulkner in Central Coast, Contests & Grants, Industry Conferences, Los Angeles, SoCal, Treasure Chest, Tri-Regional News, Writers Days

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authors, CenCal Writers Retreat, contest, craft, illustrators, publishing, SCBWI community, SCBWI events, SCBWI members, Writers Day

Events, Opportunities, and Resources happening now and coming soon for the Tri-Regions and beyond

Tri-Region Members: Last call! Remember to share your Great News and Toot Your Horn! announcements no later than Friday, February 9, 2024, to appear in this month’s columns. All items submitted after February 9 will run next quarter.

The C. Harrington Scholarship is accepting applications through February 17, 2024. Established in memory of Claudia Harrington—mentor, author, SCBWI-L.A. regional advisor, and friend—the scholarship awards one SCBWI-L.A. member free tuition to either the LA Region Writers Day (see March 9, below) or an Illustrator event of the current year, and includes a free editor critique or portfolio review. Claudia was the recipient of the Sue Alexander Service Award in 2015. Read more about Claudia and this special scholarship here.

*SCBWI-Los Angeles members may apply for the scholarship honoring the memory of volunteer, mentor, and author Claudia Harrington*.

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The Life Poetic: An Interview with April Halprin Wayland

31 Wednesday Jan 2024

Posted by Judy Y Faulkner in Author's Perspective, Poet's Perspective, Tips and Tools

≈ 5 Comments

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April Halprin Wayland, interview, Janet Wong, Myra Cohn LIvingston, Orange Marmalade, Paige Vinten Taylor, poetry, poets, Pomelo Books, publishing, Sylvia Vardell, TeachingAuthors.com, UCLA, writing, writing tips

by Paige Vinten Taylor

*Poet, picture book writer, and verse novelist April Halprin Wayland*

In her own words, April Halprin Wayland is “a writer, a mother, a wife, a speaker, a fiddle player, an organizer, a teacher, a poet, a doodler (see blog posts), a daughter, a sister, a performer, a storyteller, a peace activist, a traveler, a walker, a hiker, a meditator, an aqua farmer, a sun farmer, an animal lover, a cloud collector, a procrastinator, an infrequent twitterer, facebooker (sometimes) and instagramer. All!”

Paige Vinten Taylor: Welcome to Kite Tales, April. We’re so glad you’re here with us to talk everything poetry. Can we begin at the beginning? When did you first decide that you loved poetry?

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Ask an Editor: School Visits (Finding Gigs, What to Charge)

17 Wednesday Jan 2024

Posted by Christine Van Zandt HOT DOG! 2026 JLG gold-standard selection in Ask an Editor, Tips and Tools

≈ 4 Comments

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#AskanEditor, Alexis O'Neill, author-illustrators, authors, business, Christine Van Zandt, editor, illustrators, middle grade, nonfiction, picture book, publishing, school visits

“Ask an Editor” is a quarterly forum wherein SCBWI members submit questions that are answered as part of our Kite Tales blog.

Hi Alexis – I have three traditionally published nonfiction picture books and have heard that I can make money doing school visits. You seem to do a lot of them. How do I get my first school visit and what should I charge?

—KK, Los Angeles

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Illustrators: Let’s Talk about Agents!

10 Wednesday Jan 2024

Posted by Michelle Lin in Illustrator's Perspective, Tips and Tools

≈ 3 Comments

Tags

agents, illustrator tips, illustrators, Jaime Zollars, publishing, querying, writing, writing tips

By Jaime Zollars, Illustrator Coordinator, SCBWI CenCal

As the illustrator coordinator for the Central Coast, I’ve found that a topic of primary interest among member illustrators is agents, and the most pressing question is how to find one. If you are an illustrator seeking representation, my best advice is to consider whether or not you are ready, do your research, create an ordered list, reach out to artists represented by agents you plan to contact, double-check submissions criteria, solicit no more than a few agents at one time, and be prepared for another round of submissions if your first attempt is not what you hoped!

1. Is your work ready for an agent? You only have one chance for an agent to see your work for the first time. Consider whether your work is ready for an agent. Examine your work for consistency, craft, and presentation. Does your work have a developed look to it that has a unique identity? Does the work appear to be crafted professionally? Is the work available on a website that is carefully curated, easy to navigate, and professional? If you can say yes to all three questions, you may be ready to find your match.

Then you will likely wonder, “How do I find an agent?” This is the golden question, but there is a better question to ask.

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Treasure Chest: January 2024

03 Wednesday Jan 2024

Posted by Judy Y Faulkner in Central Coast, Contests & Grants, Industry Conferences, Los Angeles, SoCal, Tri-Regional News, Writers Days

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authors, CenCal Writers Retreat, contest, craft, illustrators, publishing, SCBWI community, SCBWI events, SCBWI members, Writers Day

Events, Opportunities, and Resources happening now and coming soon for the Tri-Regions and beyond

Event registration opening soon! From Bud to Blossom: How to Grow Stories and Nurture Creative Inspiration. Join SCBWI Los Angeles for the in-person “Bud to Blossom” Writers Day Conference, March 9, 2024, at the Skirball Cultural Center. An amazing faculty will nourish your creative spirit and encourage your stories to sprout and grow. Already have a flourishing manuscript? Then add an Agent Pitch to your event day! Enter the manuscript contest (see below) for a chance to win a free event plus a free 10-page manuscript review. Come meet fellow SCBWI Los Angeles and Tri-Region members and enjoy a delicious al fresco lunch beside the famous lily pond. See you there!

*Deadline extended!* Submissions are open now, and January 28, 2024, is the new deadline to enter your work into the SCBWI-L.A. Writers Day Contest. If you plan to attend the March 9, 2024, event (see Save the Date above), you can enter the contest now for the opportunity to receive a free written critique from a member of the event faculty PLUS free tuition to next year’s Writers Day (or equivalent event). The contest is open to all who register for Writers Day, and there’s no additional fee to enter. To quote Vincent X. Kirsch, one of last year’s contest winners, “You can do this!”

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10 Inspiring Kite Tales Quotes from 2023

27 Wednesday Dec 2023

Posted by Judy Y Faulkner in Agent's Perspective, Author's Perspective, Community Corner, Editor's Perspective, Illustrator's Perspective, Tips and Tools

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authors, Benson Shum, Brady Smith, Cara J. Stevens, Christine Van Zandt, Courtney Stevenson, craft, illustrators, Imelda Hinojosa, inspiration, Jackie Huang, Karol Ruth Silverstein, Kitty Felde, Laura Hunt, Laura Taylor Namey, Lucy Hamilburg, Molly Ruttan, Philana Marie Boles, publishing, publishing tips, quotes, Savannah Brooks, SCBWI community, Vincent X. Kirsch, writing tips

*The high-flying little girl in* *Laura Hunt’s illustration “Kite Night,” winner of this year’s SCBWI-L.A. Twitter Banner Contest, answered the question of whether it’s ever too late to follow your dreams.*

Editing Kite Tales has its perks. One is being among the first to see, hear, and be able to use the many uplifting ideas expressed by the blog’s kidlit guests during the year. Another is being one of the first to look back at year’s end and take inspiration anew. Here are some of my favorite 2023 moments gathered up in KT’s traditional list of 10 inspiring quotes. (Plus some extra inspo via the images.) Scroll through. Click through. Catch a thermal current and be uplifted. Thank you to everyone who brought words, pictures, and stories to the blog this year. Thank you to our readers! May you continue to soar in 2024.

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