Monthly Meetings

2013-2014 Event Series

This Fall, SCBWI WWA will be hosting a series of events rather than our traditional Professional Series Meetings. We will kick off the 2013 -2014 season with our Agent/Editor meeting on October 17, 2013. This meeting will take palce in Demaray Hall, 150 on the SPU campus.

Check back soon for the line-up of new events we have planned!

Get Map and Directions here.

Carpooling

From Whatcom or Skagit Counties:
Interested in carpooling from Bellingham (or other areas up north) to one or any of the SCBWI WWA Professional Series Meetings in Seattle? A carpool regularly leaves Bellingham around 4:30 on the evening of the meetings. We are happy to stop in Burlington or Mount Vernon for a general pick-up as well. For more information, contact our Bellingham Network coordinator, Rebecca Van Slyke. Please be prepared to donate gas money.

Recent Meetings

May 9, 2013

Mini-Session: We loved last year’s session of video and discussion, and thanks to Advisory Committee member/videographer Dana Sullivan, we’ll have two more local illustrators sharing their favorite ILLUSTRATION TECHNIQUES in time-lapse video as well as in-person Q&A.

Main Program: FOOD LITERACY: CONNECTING GOOD EATS & GOOD READS with Philip Lee. As co-founder and former publisher of Lee & Low Books, Philip will speak on his new company, READERS to EATERS, with a mission to promote food literacy. He will discuss the need to build a new food culture, starting with a better understanding of what and how we eat, and how stories behind ethnic diversity plays an important role in our food dialogue. As an independent publisher for more than 20 years, Philip will address the challenges and opportunities that small and mid-sized publishers are facing as the industry evolves and how it impacts writers and illustrators.

April 2013

There is no Professional Series Meeting on April 11th!

Instead, we hope you’ll join us for the SCBWI Western Washington’s 22nd Annual Writing and Illustrating for Children Conference on April 20-21, 2013, at the Marriott in Redmond Town Center, Redmond. (Note: Conference registration is not included in SCBWI Western Washington’s Professional Series Meeting passport.)

March 14, 2013

Mini-Session: STRATEGIES TO A SUCCESSFUL KICKSTARTER CAMPAIGN with Anne Belov. Many authors and illustrators are turning to Kickstarter (a crowd-sourced funding platform) to help establish community outreach or personal projects, but there’s a lot you need to know beyond your project’s end goal. Ann will share what she did right with her successful Kickstarter campaign, and what might have helped her move beyond her listed fund goal.

Main Program: BOOK MARKETING 101 with former Scholastic associate director of marketing, Jessica Schein. This presentation will include an overview of ways to successfully market one’s book without spending a lot of money. This includes using Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and other social media outlets to promote oneself and build community. It will also cover why it’s important to build one’s personal community. Today’s marketing is not necessarily book-specific, it is person-specific. There will be handout detailing what authors can do online and in-person as well as a timeline.

February 11, 2013

(NOTE: This meeting is the second Monday of the month to avoid conflicting with Valentine’s Day)

Mini-Session: WRITING TREATMENTS--HOW TO SAVE A YEAR OF YOUR WRITING LIFE with Royce Buckingham. A treatment is a short narrative of a longer story. Learn the benefits of telling your story in a 5-, 10-, 15-, or even 30-page version before embarking on a year-long 300 page effort. Royce will discuss how treatments operate as outlines, selling documents, and even as a reverse engineering tool to help fix a problem story.

Main Program: NARRATIVE TECHNIQUES FOR ILLUSTRATORS with Lee White. Discover creative and unexpected ways to illustrate around the text of a story. Specific techniques will be shared that will enhance your next portfolio piece or book-length project.

January 7, 2013

(NOTE: This meeting is the first Monday of the month to fit everybody in!)

Mini-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. Manuscripts and art to be reviewed must be submitted before the meeting. Look for submission instructions this fall on the Chinook Update blog and on our website at www.scbwi-washington.org. NOTE: This is a closed meeting! SCBWI WWA Professional Series Meeting passport holders may attend for free, but they must still register in advance. Passport holders will be given priority registration, but attendance will be limited to space available. This meeting has a limited capacity and fills quickly. No one may attend this meeting unless separately registered specifically for THE GREAT CRITIQUE. Registration information will be sent in December.

December 13, 2012

Mini-Session: BURN WILD: BREAKING THROUGH CREATIVE BLOCKS with Christi Krug. Learn how to enjoy your creativity rather than spend your energy fighting, procrastinating, resisting or denying it. Through simple exercises, you’ll begin to embrace paradox and discomfort and put the critic in its place. As a result, you’ll experience a flood of inspiration, energy and ideas.

Main Program:  I Believe, I Believe, I Believe: Miracles on Writing Street - CRYSTAL KITE AWARD PRESENTATION AND TOAST to Kirby Larson. The 2nd Annual Crystal Kite Award for our region has gone to THE FRIENDSHIP DOLL by author and all-around superwoman/Newbery Honor Award Winner, Kirby Larson. Let’s raise a glass to Kirby as she accepts this peers’ choice award, and then we'll drift off into the holidays on a cloud of bonhomie.

November 8, 2012

Midi-Session A (45 minutes): EXPLORING YOUR VOICE AS A CHILDREN’S WRITER with Lisa L. Owens. Every writer possesses an authentic voice, but connecting with it can sometimes be elusive. This interactive presentation features fun, on-the-spot reflection exercises designed to help you quickly tap in to your “gut” interests and begin to think with greater intention about the children’s writing genres you’re most suited to working with. Good for beginners trying to identify a specific writing niche to pursue—and for seasoned writers looking for fresh ways into the work.

Midi-Session B (45 minutes): HANDS-ON PICTURE BOOKS: MAKING A GREAT REREAD ALOUD with Ben Clanton. THE MONSTER AT THE END OF THIS BOOK, DON’T LET THE PIGEON DRIVE THE BUS, PETUNIA. . . what do all these books have in common? Not only are these all interactive books, but also ones that kids want to reread. Ben will break down the various techniques and aspects that make these books so engaging for kids. As this presentation is all about being hands-on, there will be numerous chances for everyone to get involved.

October 11, 2012

Mini-Session: None. Main program begins at 7:00 p.m.

Main Program: FALL EDITOR PRESENTATION ON CRAFT AND ART SHOW with Diane Muldrow, editorial director at Golden Books/Random House. With over twenty years in the industry, Diane is an incredible force in the picture-book world, publishing new classics for that family favorite, Golden Books! Diane will discuss the craft behind some of our favorite children’s books. Diane will also be leading her rave-reviewed picture-book writing workshop the afternoon of October 11, in addition to doing a number of picture-book portfolio and manuscript critiques on October 12. Details available on the registration page.

September 13, 2012

Mini-Session: None. Main program begins at 7:00 p.m.

Main Session: DOUBLE AGENTS with Mandy Hubbard and Bree Ogden, literary agents with D4EO Literary Agency. Hear not one, but two acquiring agents talk about SURVIVING REJECTION and UNDERSTANDING THE TRENDS WHILE WRITING TIMELESS LITERATURE. Mandy and Bree will also be leading daytime workshops on the 13th, as well as doing a number of one-on-one manuscript consultations on September 12. Details available on the registration page.