Ronna Mandel (center), recipient of the 2023 SASE Award honor, stands with SCBWI-Los Angeles Co-Regional Advisors Sally Jones Rogan (L) and Nutschell Anne Windsor (R).
Under a bright blue sky, in high spirits, and representing all three Tri-Regions, a record-setting number of kidlit creators gathered on March 9 for “Bud to Blossom,” the 2024 SCBWI-Los Angeles Writers Day.
On a day with many highlights, an especially heartwarming moment was the presentation of the annual Sue Alexander Service and Encouragement Award to 2023 recipient Ronna Mandel.
SCBWI-L.A. Contest Coordinator Brenda Scott Royce announces this year’s winners.
Please join us in celebrating the 2024 Writers Day Contest runners-up and winners, who were announced at the SCBWI-L.A. Writers Day event on Saturday, March 9. With a record number of submissions this year, the competition was very steep! Our anonymous judges chose seven honorees in four categories: Young Adult, Middle Grade, Picture Book, and Non-Fiction. First-place winners in each category receive free tuition to next year’s Writers Day event and a manuscript critique from one of this year’s faculty members.
Excerpts from the judges’ comments are included in the list of honorees that follows. If you’d like to contact any of the winners to request their manuscript or discuss publication, please let us know!
Since becoming a working illustrator seven years ago, I’ve come to understand that creating charming book illustrations requires more than artistic skill. It also takes creativity, storytelling ability, and an understanding of a book’s themes and audience. Here are some tips I’ve learned from working with art directors and self-publishing authors.
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.
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!
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!
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.
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!”
As 2023 draws to a close, we look back and celebrate our connections with friends and industry professionals, enjoying warm memories of events past. We look forward to future joys found in the myriad ways we and our colleagues bring stories to young people everywhere. And we anticipate the fun of offering programming in the coming year that will inspire, energize, and illuminate your creative path.
For more fantastic content, community, events, and other professional development opportunities, become a member today! Not sure if there is a chapter in your area? Check here.
