15 Wednesday Feb 2017
Posted in Great News!
Tags
authors, awards, illustrators, news, published, SCBWI members
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!
Living Fossils: Clues to the Past by Caroline Arnold, is a 2016 CRA Silver Eureka Award winner and on the NYPL Recommends: New Nonfiction for Kids List, Bibliofile July 15, 2016. Continue reading
01 Wednesday Feb 2017
Posted in Volunteer in the Spotlight
We love our volunteers at SCBWI and couldn’t exist without them! “Volunteer Spotlight” is a great way to get to know them for yourself and learn more about what they do and how you can volunteer too. Now meet Jessica Chrysler, the Los Angeles Region’s Social Media Coordinator.
When I joined the SCBWI in 2008, I had just graduated from art school. I had no idea how to get published and I hadn’t read the latest best-seller in middle grade, but I knew without a doubt that I wanted to create stories—books specifically. So I attended the South Bay Schmooze, and within the first two meetings, I became the co-coordinator. I was scared at first—I had no idea how this stuff worked—but soon I discovered that I was in the same place as most of the members in our area. Time to roll up my sleeves and jump into some research! Continue reading
20 Friday Jan 2017
Posted in Central Coast, Tri-Regional News
Tags
By Ann Rousseau Smith, SCBWI CenCal News Liaison
2016 WRITERS’ DAY REFLECTION BY IAN FOUTZ:
I have attended Writers’ Days in the past, but the 2016 Writers’ Day was special. Not only because I was awarded a scholarship grant, but also because the day seemed custom-tailored to my current state as a writer. Stephanie Pitts’ amazing talk about “Writing Irresistible Picture Book Characters” provided a lot of wonderful examples from existing PBs that helped to make her points very easy to understand. By addressing topics such as character personalities, voice, and the idea of non-transformative change, she provided actionable advice to authors of all kinds. Continue reading
18 Wednesday Jan 2017
Posted in Contests & Grants, Mentorship Contest
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By Marcelle Greene, SCBWI-L.A. Contest Coordinator
Having a published mentor who helps you improve your work could be the greatest gift you receive on your path to publication. Through its Mentor Program, SCBWI-L.A. has offered this gift to three members in the past two years, and is now running a contest for a 2017 illustration mentorship. (Entry deadline is 2-14-17.)
Winning the 2015 mentorship changed illustrator Matthew Rivera’s goals. “Writing my own stories to illustrate wasn’t something I considered before the mentorship,” Rivera says. But mentor Deborah Norse Lattimore encouraged him to do both. “I’m becoming a better writer and I’ve seen improvements in my artwork thanks to Deborah’s advice,” Rivera says. For example: “She suggested adding more movement to my scenes and to make the motion from left to right, so as to drive a page turn.” Continue reading
11 Wednesday Jan 2017
Posted in LitMingles!
By Karol Ruth Silverstein
2016 Mingle Coordinators Brunch
With 10 LA area LitMingles, why not make a resolution to Mingle more in the new year? LitMingles, which are open to the public and occur throughout the year, are a great way to share ideas, learn the craft and business of writing and illustrating for children, and meet fellow kid lit content creators in your area. Mingles are not only fun and informative, but you might just be the recipient of some career-making Mingle Magic! Continue reading
04 Wednesday Jan 2017
Tags
Book Festivals, Book Fests, conferences, Conventions, SCBWI Annual Summer Conference, SCBWI Annual Winter Conference, SCBWI events, SCBWI members, Writer's and Illustrator's Day
A panel at the SCBWI Summer Conference 2016.
If you’re the type to make New Year’s resolutions, then your list probably includes goals like finishing that work in progress, launching a blog, or just plain writing or illustrating more often. While all of that will move you toward becoming published, consider adding “attend a book festival or convention” to your list, because nothing fuels inspiration like being surrounded by people who share your passion.
Here are the dates and information for SCBWI’s biggest annual events. Continue reading
30 Friday Dec 2016
Posted in Contests & Grants, Los Angeles, Tri-Regional News, Writers Days
Puppy dogs and fairy queens, stars and wishes and unseen things . . . as a community of writers and illustrators, we have wondrous tales to spin and dazzling visuals to design. Our hope is that you find in this new year your strongest voice ever. For there are children waiting, children who need your stories of hope and love and adventure and triumph in their hands. Tell yourself, for them, that this is your year, and mean it.
All our best to all our Los Angeles SCBWI members from the Regional Team and Board
Upcoming Events
On Saturday, February 25, we’ll once again be at the beautiful Skirball Cultural Center for Writers and Illustrators Day, combining two favorite events into one great day. Morning keynote speakers, lunch, and a choice of two afternoon breakout sessions are included in the price of registration. Continue reading
28 Wednesday Dec 2016
Posted in Contests & Grants, Mentorship Contest
Long-time SCBWI member Carmel O’Mara-Horwitz submitted this year’s winning proposal to mentor an illustrator in the art of building a portfolio for the children’s book market. The contest to pick her mentee from among our Associate and Full members begins January 3, 2017.
The six-month mentorship, which runs May 1–Oct. 30, 2017, will help the chosen illustrator to evaluate and improve the art in their portfolio and to create a couple new pieces as necessary. O’Mara-Horwitz will focus the mentee’s learning on the following: Continue reading
21 Wednesday Dec 2016
Posted in Volunteer in the Spotlight
Tags
We love our volunteers at SCBWI and couldn’t exist without them! “Volunteer Spotlight” is a great way to get to know them for yourself and learn more about what they do and how you can volunteer too. Now meet Jill Tuckman, digital artist and the Los Angeles region’s webmaster.
I am humbled, honored, and still a little bit surprised to be the Webmaster for the SCBWI Los Angeles Region. I joined SCBWI immediately upon discovering the organization, as it seemed the perfect place to learn about the children’s publishing industry. Continue reading
07 Wednesday Dec 2016
Posted in Illustrator's Gallery
Meet SCBWI member and illustrator Lauren Gallegos in this quarter’s “Illustrator’s Gallery.” Read on to hear Lauren’s story and see some of her amazing illustrations!
In one of my early illustration classes in college, a professor gave us a quiz to see if we were more cut out for being an in-house illustrator or a freelance illustrator. The test placed me VERY much in the camp of in-house illustrator based on my personality and working style. I was pretty discouraged by this. I was still new to the illustration world (I started out in Graphic Design), but was already on my way down the path of wanting to become a children’s book illustrator. In my mind, that could only mean that I had to do freelance. So what did I do? I set out to prove that quiz wrong! No one was going to put me in a box and tell me what I was destined to be! Continue reading
Kite Tales 