26 Wednesday Apr 2017
Posted in LitMingles!
By Cindy Kobler and Mia Turner
Mia Turner and Cindy Marcus have taken over leadership of the Santa Clarita chapter of SCBWI, after Laurisa White Reyes and Mary Cerny stepped down. Laurisa and Mary are a hard act to follow–both warm and supportive advocates for all things writing–but Mia and Cindy will do their best. Continue reading
19 Wednesday Apr 2017
By Ann Rousseau Smith, SCBWI CenCal News Liaison
Congratulations to our 2017 Mentees:
Julie Dillemuth – Picture Book
Karen Jordan – Poetry Collection
Mentor Lee Wardlaw
Our 2017 mentor Lee Wardlaw, award-winning author of 30 books for children and young adults, will communicate with both Julie Dillemuth and Karen Jordan a minimum of twice a month, beginning April 1, 2017. Lee Wardlaw will provide feedback on one complete manuscript, plus comments on revisions.
And drum roll please! The winner of the SCBWI Summer Conference Grant is… Continue reading
12 Wednesday Apr 2017
Posted in SoCal, Tri-Regional News
Tags
Erin Young, Estelle Laure, illustrators, Imagine 2, John Dadlez, Kate Sullivan, Salina Yoon, SCBWI events, SCBWI members, Steve Bramucci, writers
By CenCal Regional Team
Tahquitz Pines Retreat Center
Spring Retreat
It’s spring in the SoCal region and our Spring Retreat: Finding Gold is coming up soon! We have a few spots left for the perfect writer’s getaway at the Tahquitz Pines Retreat Center nestled in the beautiful Idyllwild mountains. Come join us May 5-7, 2017 as we seek to “find gold” in our manuscripts during this intensive revision weekend. Designed for Middle Grade and Young Adult authors, the retreat will include writing time, revision time, and roundtable critiques in an intimate setting with an editor or an agent, an author, and a few of your colleagues. Staff in Attendance: Kate Sullivan, Delacorte Press; Erin Young, Dystel, Goderich, and Bourret LLC; Estelle Laure, YA author of This Raging Light and But Then I Came Back; Steve Bramucci, MG author of The Danger Gang & the Pirates of Borneo! Hope to see you there! Register here. And read on for more awesome events you won’t want to miss!
Estelle Laure
Kate Sullivan
07 Friday Apr 2017
Posted in Community Corner, Writers Days
We asked attendees at Los Angeles Writers & Illustrators Day 2017 what the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators community means to them. From critique groups and partners on the journey to publishing to new lunch-friends and small-world connections, the day was full of smiles, introductions, and proof that a gaggle of introverts can build a thriving, dynamic community. As it turns out, we’re all just a big bunch of super supportive people who can’t get enough of each other! Here are just some of the things we heard: Continue reading
08 Wednesday Mar 2017
Posted in Community Corner
Tags
The Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators is a dynamic community of professionals and aspirings. Read on for Dawne Knobbe’s story, in memory of her friend Mari Lou, celebrating her publishing success and her life well-lived.
Don’t ever give up your book dreams. In the publishing world, anything is possible. Imagine signing your first contract with Scholastic. Impossible, you think? Here’s how it happened for my friend, Mari Lou. Continue reading
01 Wednesday Mar 2017
Posted in Contests & Grants, SAG, Writers' Retreat
Tags
Amanda Hollander, authors, contest winners, contests, grants, Karen Lyn Jameson, Kes Trester, Melody Mansfield, Penelope Merrell, published, SCBWI events, SCBWI members
By Marcelle Greene
The 2017 Sue Alexander Grant contest opens today, offering one SCBWI-L.A. writer free tuition to the Working Writers Retreat. We asked five previous recipients of this prestigious award how winning impacted their writing careers. Continue reading
17 Friday Feb 2017
Posted in Toot Your Horn!
Tags
Hatching Chicks in Room 6, by Caroline Arnold, illustrated by Caroline Arnold, Charlesbridge, ages 3-7, Nonfiction, ISBN: 978-1-58089-735-8, released 01/10/17.
The Sundown Kid – A Southwestern Shabbat, by Barbara Bietz, illustrated by John Kanzler, August House, ages 5-8, Picture book, ISBN: 978-1-93-916094-2, released 01/07/17.
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
Kite Tales 