Tag Archives: SCBWI Annual Summer Conference

Treasure Chest: August 2025

30 Wednesday Jul 2025

Posted by in Contests & Grants, Illustrators Day, PAL, SCBWI Summer Conference, Treasure Chest, Tri-Regional News, Writers Days

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

Check out more resources at the end of the post!

OPEN NOW
The SCBWI Virtual Summer Conference 2025 starts tomorrow! From July 31, 2025, to August 3, 2025, “dive into every aspect of the children’s book world, from writing and illustrating to translating, marketing, and self-publishing.” Attendees will have access to all 50+ sessions up until September 14, 2025. Click here to see the conference schedule and invest in your passion today!

Illustration by Liz Brizzi

OPEN NOW
Registration for SCBWI CenCal’s 2025 Writers & Illustrators Day – CATCHING THE CREATIVE WAVE is now open! On Saturday, September 20, 2025, at the Pleasant Valley Recreation and Park District Auditorium, 1605 E. Burnley St. in Camarillo, attendees will have a wonderful opportunity to connect with writers, illustrators, and agents. The day will be filled with prizes, photo opportunities, a writing contest, and a catered lunch. To learn more about what’s in store, click the link here.

OPEN NOW
Save your seat for the SCBWI SoCal 2025 Fall Harvest Writers and Illustrators Day! “Writers and illustrators are invited to a full day of speaker presentations, written critiques, pitches and mingling with fellow creatives!” This hybrid event will be held on October 4, 2025, at California State University Fullerton, Titan Student Union, AND via Zoom. Attendees will have access to the videos for 30 days following the event and receive submission guidelines from all our faculty.

Illustration by Farnaz Nadim

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Treasure Chest: July 2025

02 Wednesday Jul 2025

Posted by in Contests & Grants, Illustrators Day, PAL, SCBWI Summer Conference, Treasure Chest, Tri-Regional News, Writers Days

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

Check out more resources at the end of the post!

OPEN NOW
Be sure to grab your spot for the SCBWI Virtual Summer Conference 2025! “Put your art in front of industry pros in the career-launching Portfolio Showcase and get inspired by sessions tailored for” everyone at this four-day-long event! Folks who register will have access to all 50+ sessions up until September 14, 2025. Click here to see the conference schedule and register today!

Illustration by Liz Brizzi

OPEN NOW
Registration for the SCBWI SoCal 2025 Fall Harvest Writers and Illustrators Day is now open! “Writers and illustrators are invited to a full day of speaker presentations, written critiques, pitches and mingling with fellow creatives! We’ll have agents, an editor, an art director, published authors and an illustrator.” This hybrid event will be held on October 4, 2025, at California State University Fullerton, Titan Student Union, AND via Zoom. Click here to get more information and sign up today!

Illustration by Farnaz Nadim

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Treasure Chest: June 2025

04 Wednesday Jun 2025

Posted by in Contests & Grants, PAL, SCBWI Summer Conference, Treasure Chest, Tri-Regional News

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

Check out more resources at the end of the post!

OPEN NOW
Vote now for your favorite books from each of the 15 Crystal Kite divisions for the 2025 SCBWI Crystal Kite Awards! The Crystal Kite Awards are a “peer-given award to recognize great books published in 2024 from fifteen SCBWI regional divisions around the world.” The first round of voting will last until June 16, 2025, at 11:59 p.m. (UTC-7). The second round of voting starts June 17, 2025, at 8:00 a.m. and ends June 30, 2025, at 11:59 p.m. (UTC-7).

OPEN NOW
Registration for the SCBWI Virtual Summer Conference 2025 is now open! “Dive into every aspect of the children’s book world, from writing and illustrating and translating, marketing, and self-publishing” at this four-day-long event! Folks who register will have access to all 50+ sessions up until September 14, 2025. SCBWI members who sign up prior to June 25, 2025, will receive an early bird rate of $175. Nonmembers who sign up before June 25, 2025, will receive an early bird rate of $275. Click here to register today!

Illustration by Liz Brizzi

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Treasure Chest: August 2024

31 Wednesday Jul 2024

Posted by in Contests & Grants, Illustrators Day, Industry Conferences, SCBWI Summer Conference, Treasure Chest, Tri-Regional News, Writers Days, Writers' Retreat

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

OPEN NOW
Registration is open! Learn about craft and book publishing, connect with professionals in the industry, and mingle with creative people at the SCBWI SoCal Fall Harvest Writers and Illustrators Day! This full-day conference will take place in-person at the California State University Fullerton Titan Student Union OR online, on Saturday, October 5, 2024, from 8:30 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., and will include agents, an art director, local authors, and an illustrator. There will be critiques, portfolio reviews, pitches, and contests. Click here to register!

OPEN NOW
Join SCBWI in celebrating World Kid Lit Month in September by submitting your book recommendations now! The Official SCBWI Blog is hosting a month-long celebration of “children’s and YA literature from around the world,” and your short book reviews are invited. There will be four blog posts, each focusing on a different continent: the Americas, Africa, Asia & Oceania, and Europe. For more information, click the link here. All submissions should be emailed to World Kit Lit (worldkidlit@gmail.com).

ONGOING
Submit your book now for the SCBWI Impact & Legacy Fund (ILF) Russell Freedman Award or apply for a grant from The ILF Encouragement Fund! No SCBWI membership is required. However, you must be traditionally published. Submissions will close on September 15, 2024.

ONGOING
Sign up for the SCBWI CenCal’s 2024 Writers and Illustrators Day! Regular pricing registration for SCBWI members is $137 and will remain open until all seats are filled. The event will be held in-person at the Camarillo Community Center on Saturday, September 21, 2024. There will be an additional “optional online Pitchfest via Zoom” on Sunday, September 22, 2024.

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Treasure Chest: July 2024

03 Wednesday Jul 2024

Posted by in Contests & Grants, Illustrators Day, Industry Conferences, SCBWI Summer Conference, Treasure Chest, Tri-Regional News, Writers Days

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

ONGOING
There are lots of opportunities for PAL and self-published SCBWI members in the coming months! Snag one of the few remaining slots at the SCBWI’s Orange County Book Fair booth. The event takes place in Old Town Tustin on Saturday, July 13, 2024. Register here.

The Los Angeles Kids Book Festival has limited seats available for published SCBWI members and will take place in West Hollywood Park on Sunday, September 8, 2024, from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. For more information about registering, click here.

Additionally, if you are a published SoCal member and would like to be put on the waitlist for the SoCal booth at September’s Orange County Children’s Book Festival, email Bev Plass at: SoCal-RA@scbwi.org.

ONGOING
Registration for the Virtual Summer Conference is still open! The online event will take place from August 1–August 4. Registration is $195 for premium members and $295 for non-members. There will be 50 jam-packed sessions to choose from on the topic of craft and the business of children’s book creation. Every attendee will have access to all content sessions for up to one month after the conference.

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Treasure Chest: June 2024

05 Wednesday Jun 2024

Posted by in Contests & Grants, SCBWI Summer Conference, Treasure Chest, Tri-Regional News

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

ONGOING
Registration for the Virtual Summer Conference is now open. The online event will take place from August 1–August 4. Early Bird Registration for members before June 21 is $175. There will be 50 jam-packed sessions to choose from on the topic of craft and the business of children’s book creation. Attendees will have access to all content sessions for up to one month after the conference.

Continue reading →

Community Corner with Barbara A. Bagwell: How to Own the Name Writer

09 Wednesday Sep 2020

Posted by in Community Corner, Poet's Perspective, SCBWI Summer Conference

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When you dream something and envision it, goals drive you onwards.

At the encouragement of my childhood friend, I became an SCBWI member and attended the 2013 Los Angeles summer conference. Although I wrote marketing copy or non-fiction often at work, and had developed stories and poems for fun, I never considered myself a writer. In my misbelief, only English majors became authors. That was not me. I could not write like them.

Regardless, I attended the 2013 SCBWI Summer Conference.

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Attending the Annual Summer Conference For the First Time as a PAL Member

11 Wednesday Sep 2019

Posted by in Author's Perspective, SCBWI Summer Conference

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by Karol Ruth Silverstein

With my debut YA novel Cursed on bookstore shelves, there was no way I was going to miss SCBWI Annual Summer Conference this year. Attending as a published author for the first time was definitely a different experience.SummerCon'19-LA Region GroupKarolRuthSilverstein

Here are my 5 takeaways: Continue reading →

SCBWI Events, Book Festivals, and Conventions Happening in 2018

21 Wednesday Feb 2018

Posted by in Industry News, SCBWI Summer Conference, Tips and Tools, Writers Days

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Hone your craft and connect with other writers, illustrators, and children’s book industry professionals at this year’s book fests and events. Grab your calendars and mark these dates.

Here are the dates for SCBWI’s biggest events for 2018:

Writers-Illustrators-2017-2March 3
Writers Day
Skirball Cultural Center, Los Angeles
This is a full-day to immerse yourself in expert keynote speakers, manuscript critiques, and agent pitch sessions. This year’s event, themed “Time to Level Up!,” offers writers a choice of three different levels based on experience and goals.
Read PB Rippey’s writer’s perspective on 2017’s event. Last year’s event also included illustrators. Read Lynn Becker’s illustrator’s perspective.

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SCBWI Summer Conference 2017 Wrap Up: Attending the Pro Track for the First Time

09 Wednesday Aug 2017

Posted by in Author's Perspective, Industry Conferences, SCBWI Summer Conference

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By Helena Ku Rhee, Kite Tales Contributor

Lin-Oliver-Judy-Blume

Lin Oliver, left, and Judy Blume chatting it up during the Golden Kite Luncheon & Awards Presentation.

As in years prior, SCBWI’s annual summer conference was spectacular. We laughed, we cried, and at the end, we were inspired to rush home to create good art. A highlight for me was attending the pro track for the first time. With my debut book coming out in 2018, I knew I could benefit from sessions such as Rubin Pfeffer’s “Be Empowered, Publishing is Your Business” and Linda Sue Park’s marketing overview.

I was amazed to be sitting in the pro sessions with industry veterans. Hello, Laurie Halse Anderson! My first thought was: After publishing 20+ books, don’t these veterans already know everything? And my second thought was: If such luminaries are here, maybe I don’t belong! But later on, I discovered that artists in all phases of their careers were in attendance – from the pre-published to the many-times-published. I have to admit, before I got my first book deal, I didn’t think I was allowed in the pro track so I never even thought to attend. But I admired the forward thinking of the aspirants in the audience. Continue reading →