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Monthly Meetings2007-2008 Professional Series MeetingsIf you have paid for SCBWI Western Washington 2007-2008 regional programming, your passport to all of the following monthly meetings is included so there is no additional cost at the door. Visitors are more than welcome to attend our meetings, as well. The cost at the door is just $7 for full or associate SCBWI International members (bring your membership card with you for entry) or $10 for non-members. Meetings take place at Seattle Pacific University, Otto Miller Hall 109. Registration at 6:45 p.m., program at 7:00 p.m. Get Map and Directions here.
Recent MeetingsApril 2, 2008Mini-Session: PUTTING YOUR BEST ART FORWARD with Kirsten Carlson.
Beginning and experienced illustrators will benefit from Kirsten’s tips for creating a professional illustration portfolio. Learn what attracts the eye of editors, art directors, designers, and publishers. Gain insight into selecting and presenting your best art and creating support materials for a professional portfolio. Kirsten is a two-time recipient of the First Place Award for “Realistic Portfolio” at the SCBWI International Conference in Los Angeles, CA. Main Program: SAVVY CONFERENCING: THE INS AND OUTS & DOS AND DON'TS OF MARKETING YOURSELF AT A WRITING CONFERENCE with author Michele Torrey.
Not sure what to expect at a writing and illustrating conference, or how best to pitch your work to an editor or agent? This session will provide you with the savvy you need to market yourself effectively at conferences (including the upcoming SCBWI Western Washington conference in April). From etiquette to pitching your manuscript, from networking to following up, learn the ins and outs & dos and don'ts of savvy conferencing. Michele is a published author of ten books. She is a two-time Thurber House Residency in Children's Literature nominee, plus a two-time winner of PNWA's Zola Award. Among other honors, her book VOYAGE OF PLUNDER was a 2007 WA State Book Award finalist. March 5, 2008Mini-Session: READY, AIM, WRITE! GET PUBLISHED IN CHILDREN’S MAGAZINES with Vijaya Khisty Bodach.
Do you have stories, poems and cool facts to share with kids? Write for children’s magazines. This large market provides opportunities to hone your writing with an editor, build credibility, and get paid for it, too. Vijaya will share tips on studying magazines, finding what editors want, and how to deliver. She has published numerous stories, articles, and poems in Highlights, Ladybug, Odyssey, and many others. Learn more about her at www.vijayabodach.com. Main Program: CREATING PICTURE BOOKS with Barbara Berger.
For over two decades, Barbara has been creating luminous picture books that shine with light and color. Her 10 books include GRANDFATHER TWILIGHT, THE DONKEY’S DREAM, GWINNA, A LOT OF OTTERS, and her most recent, THUNDER BUNNY. In 2002, her SCBWI Western Washington presentation, From Heart to Page: Spirituality in Children’s Books, was a standing-room-only event. She returns now to share new insights and wisdom that will help you shape your ideas, through your own vision, into your own books. This is an opportunity you won’t want to miss. Barbara’s books have won awards for both their art and writing, including the Golden Kite Award, Parents’ Choice Award, PNWA Children’s Book Award, and two Washington State Governor’s Writers Awards.February 6, 2008Mini-Session: THE GOOD EGGS KEEP THE WRITING ROLLING: A DOZEN “EGGCELLENT” INGREDIENTS FOR A GREAT CRITIQUE GROUP, featuring a panel of successful critique group members.
Critique groups are sometimes not what they’re cracked up to be, but this successful group will reveal how they’ve worked together to support each other’s writing using an omelet made of organization, compatibility, common interests, commitment, accountability, respect, and trust. Participants will receive handouts with concrete suggestions for the organization and maintenance of their own groups. (The Good Eggs are Ann Gonzalez, Bill Segesser, Chris Kiehl, Dick Holmes, Dusty Cavaliere, Gail Everett, Karen Meissner, Paddy Eger, Sue Burrus, and Susan Berkman.) Main Program: PLAYING POETRY WITH THE NET UP: ON THE PLEASURE OF FORM with Julie Larios.
This will be a hands-on lecture experimenting with Robert Frost’s oft-quoted opinion that writing poetry without meter or rhyme is like playing tennis with the net down. American poetry, even for children, has been dominated for a long time by free verse — but are we coming back to the delights of more formal traditions? We’ll get a dash of the basics, hear advice about useful books, and try our hand at some quick forms. Bring a pencil and notebook! Let’s learn how to play poetry with the net up again. Julie’s work has appeared in prestigious publications ranging from The Atlantic to The Pushcart Prize Anthology XXXI. She is also the author of several picture books, most recently YELLOW ELEPHANT: A BRIGHT BESTIARY, with CURIOUS CREATURES coming next year.
January 9, 2008Mini-Session: None. Main program begins at 7:00 p.m.
Main Program: THE GREAT CRITIQUE
Have your manuscript or art critiqued by a published writer and/or illustrator who can help you pinpoint needed improvements. Meet in a small group with an experienced critique leader and receive feedback on your own work while learning from comments by the critique leader about the work of others. Fabulous writers and illustrators will be leading the critiques: Janet Lee Carey, Margaret Chodos-Irvine, Laura McGee Kvasnosky, Meg Lippert, Deb Lund, Ruth Maxwell, Clare Meeker, Julie Paschkis, Dave Patneaude, Randy Powell, Joni Sensel, Suzanne Williams, and more! Manuscripts and art to be reviewed must be submitted before the meeting. Look for submission instructions this fall in the Chinook Update and on our website at www.scbwi-washington.org. December 5, 2007Mini-Session: SHARING OUR GIFTS with Mindy Harwick and Ann Teplick.
Feeling like a hermit? Checking and rechecking your email for that multi-book contract? Caught in the vacuum of self-absorption? Get out there and share your talents! The possibilities are endless, from volunteering in a classroom to mentorship with youth in juvenile detentions, prisons, or hospitals. Come learn how to partner with community organizations to help others find their voices and get their own stories into the world. Mindy, who has published short stories and many articles for children, also mentors teens at Denney Juvenile Justice Center and works as a school writer-in-residence. Ann is a poet, playwright, and prose writer who has worked with a variety of young writers including incarcerated youth at King County juvenile detention and young residents at a state psychiatric hospital. Main Program: THE GIFT OF BOOKS
This December we’ll host some of the best read minds in the region as Allyson Schrier moderates a panel with booksellers from All for Kids Books & Music, Parkplace Books, The Secret Garden Bookshop, Third Place Books, and University Book Store. They are joining us to share their gifts of wisdom and wonder as we engage in a discussion about their passion and ours: books! Between them they have read much of what has been published for children this year and will speak candidly about the books we've got to read, and those we are better off avoiding. From the Newbery to the Caldecott; from the Prinz to the Geisel award—who do they expect to see earning medals this year? What books should win the awards but probably won't—and why? Which of this year's books are going to light up kids' eyes and help turn them into life-long readers? What are the books, current and classic, we should be gifting to the children (and grown-ups) in our lives this holiday season? If you love books—and we know you do—this is a session you won't want to miss! November 7, 2007Mini-Session: TREASURE MAP YOUR MANUSCRIPT with Dusty Cavaliere.
Let treasure mapping change how you approach settings and watch your manuscript come to life. This fun process will transform your settings and bring forth quirky character traits and juicy plots you weren’t even aware of. Dusty writes picture books and tween and middle-grade novels and has used this technique to create her own powerful settings. Main Program: THE TRUTH ABOUT MIDDLE-GRADE READERS with David Gifaldi.
CAPTAIN UNDERPANTS isn’t enough, and David will tell us why, drawing on his own experiences as a Portland writer and teacher. His seven published books for young readers include picture books, a tall tale, middle-grade novels, and a collection of young-adult short stories, with publication of his latest novel, LISTENING FOR CRICKETS, expected in spring 2008. His stories have appeared in Cricket, Highlights, and Read, among other national magazines. David currently teaches as a faculty member for Vermont College’s MFA in Writing for Children and Young Adults program.gifts into treasures. October 3, 2007Mini-Session: WRITE A NOVEL IN A MONTH — WHAT? ARE WE CRAZY? with panelists Ann Gonzalez, Lois Brandt, Maria Bennett, and Molly Riordan.
Find out what inspired these and other local children’s writers to sign up for National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo). They each spent last November writing 50,000 words for a complete draft novel. What did they get out of the experience? What became of their novels? Would they recommend it to others? These questions and more will be answered, so come find out what would possess someone to try writing 50,000 words in 30 days — and why perhaps you should, too. Main Program: WRITING FROM THE SUBSCONSCIOUS with Joni Sensel.
Whether you work intuitively or from an outline, your subconscious plays a critical role in inspiration, symbolism, plot twists, and theme. We’ll demystify altered states and explore how to more consciously tap this rich well of emotional resonance and universality. Take home ideas for self-hypnosis and more mundane techniques for finding the “flow” — in time for NaNoWriMo. We’ll practice a bit, too, so bring paper and pen! Joni has published two picture books and a novel, REALITY LEAK (Holt), with two more novels under contract. She’s also had professional education on hypnosis and altered states. September 5, 2007Mini-Session: None. Main program begins at 7:00 p.m. Main Program: FALL EDITORIAL PRESENTATION AND ART SHOW with Sarah Cloots, Editorial Assistant for Greenwillow Press.
Sarah will kick off our year’s programming with by exploring different ways to focus on how a book is made, from the creator’s inspiration to the collaboration and teamwork that are crucial at every level of book publishing. Using specific examples, she’ll show how book-making is not a chain of steps, but rather a constant building upon and interweaving, a wonderful symbiosis between author/illustrator and publisher. Sarah, who began her career with Bloomsbury Children’s Books, has worked at Greenwillow Press for three years and is especially thrilled to discover new talent. Call for Presenters
SCBWI Western Washington is seeking workshop presenters for our 2007-2008 year. Our chapter holds monthly Professional Series Meetings from October through April, and hosts an annual conference each spring. We welcome fresh and compelling workshop ideas for any of these events! Download the Workshop Presenter Application now.
CarpoolingFrom Bellingham:
SCBWI Western Washington Professional Series Meetings occur the first Wednesday of the month (September – April). If you wish to carpool from Bellingham, please be at the parking lot near the Samish Way Haggens’ cafeteria area no later than 4:15 p.m. on the day of the event. The event starts at 7:00 p.m., and due to traffic, it's best to leave early. At least one car will be going down, and we'll decide on drivers before departing. Please be prepared to donate gas money.If you have questions about carpooling, call Kjersten Hayes at 360-734-6555. |
