SCBWI Hawaii
Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators
Conferences, Classes and Workshops
Each year the SCBWI organizes two international conferences, providing wonderful opportunities for those interested in writing and illustrating for children. In addition to networking, you can meet with professional authors, illustrators and editors and learn the tricks of the trade.
Fiction Workshop with Donna Jo Napoli
Friday and Saturday, December 9 and 10, 2011
Donna Jo Napoli, multi-award-winning author of dozens of middle grade and YA novels and picture books (and a university professor of linguistics) will be back by popular demand for another great fiction-writing workshop. (See her website at www.donnajonapoli.com) The workshop will be held from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Friday and Saturday, December 9 and 10; Friday’s location is Paki Hale (adjacent to Kapiolani Park) and Saturday’s location is the Aina Haina Library meeting room. Cost is $200 for members, $225 to nonmembers. Enrollment is limited, and the workshop is almost full. Preference to members. To sign up and/or for more information, please email Lynne at lwikoff@lava.net.
Picture Book Workshop with Peter Brown
Friday, February 24, 2012
We are tentatively planning a small-group picture-book workshop with the delightful Peter Brown for the day before the conference, provided enough people are interested. (See his website at www.peterbrownstudio.com) Peter has been both an illustrator trying to write and a writer trying to illustrate, so he is an ideal person to lead a combined workshop for picture book writers, illustrators, and writer/illustrators. There will probably be some advance preparation for this workshop. Enrollment will be limited to 15, with preference and early notice given to members.We will be sending an e-mail query soon to take a count of those definitely planning to attend—we’ll need to know early if enough people will attend to cover workshop expenses (which will be subsidized by the main SCBWI office) because the answer affects Peter Brown’s travel plans. Based on enrollment of 15 people, we anticipate that the cost would be $87.50 for members and $100 for nonmembers, not including lunch. Please keep in mind that the workshop will be open only to those who are registered for the conference and that the fee is in addition to the conference registration fee. If you already know you would like to take part, please email Sue at niuiki@hawaiiantel.net.
SCBWI-HAWAII Annual Conference
Saturday, February 25, 2012
9:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
Ala Moana Hotel
DOWNLOAD CONFRENCE INFORMATION AND REGISTRATION
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Peter Brown | Kendra Levin |
Featured speakers:
* Kendra Levin: editor, Viking Children’s Books
* Peter Brown: award-winning author/illustrator
Program:
9:00-9:15 a.m. Welcome/Announcements
9:15-9:45 a.m.
Kendra Levin: an Insider’s Look at Viking Children’s Books and Children’s Publishing Today
9:45-10:15 a.m. Peter Brown: The Business of Creativity
10:15-10:30 a.m. Break
10:30 a.m.-11:45 p.m. First Pages/First Look: Kendra, Peter Brown
11:45-1:15 p.m. Lunch
1:15-2:00 p.m.
Tammy Yee and Sue Cowing: Book Promotion—a Do-it-Yourself Project
2:00-3:30 p.m.
Craft Breakouts (choose one):
A – Kendra Levin: Meet Your Character—How Motivation Drives Story
B – Peter Brown: Illustration at Work
3:30-4:00 p.m. Q&A/Closing
4:00-5:00 p.m. Optional critiques
Registration deadlines:
*January 18: conference and manuscript critique
*February 17: conference alone or with portfolio critique
GENERALSESSIONS
An Insider’s View of Viking Children’s Books and Children’s Publishing Today—Kendra Levin
Kendra will talk about the kinds of books Viking publishes and she what specifically is looking for, and will offer her insights about the state of children’s publishing today.
The Business of Creativity—Peter Brown
Peter will share his experience creating a disciplined but fun lifestyle that allows creative growth, doing good work efficiently—and having a good time while doing it.
First Pages/First Look Critiques—Kendra Levin and Peter Brown
A great first page is a must to gain the attention of an editor or agent. Our guests will share their reactions to first pages and postcards/illustrations submitted anonymously by participants. No advance sign-up—just bring one first page and/or one postcard or illustration to the conference; they’ll be collected at registration. Manuscript page format: double-spaced, 12-pt. type, one-inch margins with no name; note whether a picture book, middle grade or young adult fiction, or nonfiction. No extra cost. Pages and postcards/illustrations are selected at random and no particular page or postcard/illustration can be guaranteed to be critiqued during the session.
Book Promotion: a Do-It-Yourself Project—Tammy Yee and Sue Cowing
Wish all you had to do was create a book and your publisher would promote it for you? These days, the publicist will probably place a few notices, put your book in the catalog and on the website, and send you his or her sincere best wishes. So how does anyone hear about your book? Tammy and Sue share what they have learned from the experience of promoting their own books and give tips on what efforts have proved most and least worthwhile.
BREAK-OUT SESSIONS (choose one)
A: Kendra Levin—Meet Your Characters: How Motivation Drives Story
What do your characters want? Kendra will use a combination of coaching tools and editorial feedback to help you get to the heart of what your characters want—and use their desires to make your story more dynamic and compelling. Relevant for all writers, the workshop will include a guided visualization, writing exercises, group discussion, and much more.
B: Peter Brown—Illustration at Work
Peter will share his approach to making picture books, including dummies and finished art, cover art, and black and white illustrations for children’s novels. The session will include Q&A, and attendees are encouraged to come with questions/subjects they’d like to discuss.
OPTIONAL MANUSCRIPT CRITIQUE
For manuscript critique, your registration form must be received and manuscript must be emailed by January 18, 2011. Critiques will be done by Kendra Levin, Peter Brown or a Hawaii children’s writing professional at assigned times on conference day. For manuscript critique, at the same time you mail your registration, email your manuscript for critique to lwikoff@lava.net, following these guidelines:
- Format: double-spaced,12-pt. type, one-inch margins, title/page number on all pages.
- Picture books: six-page maximum. Novels: ten pages plus one-page summary.
- No artwork except for author/illustrators submitting story with dummy.
Fee; sign up on registration form.
OPTIONAL PORTFOLIO CRITIQUE
Critiques of attendee portfolios will be done by Peter Brown or a Hawaii children’s illustration professional at assigned times on conference day.
Fee; sign up on registration form.
SPEAKER BIOS
Kendra Levin is an editor at Viking Children’s Books, an imprint of Penguin Group (USA), where she has spent six years working on a wide range of children’s literature from picture books to young adult novels. Prior to that, she worked at Scholastic in several different capacities. An award-winning playwright whose plays have been produced Off- and Off-Off Broadway, Kendra also helps writers as a teacher and certified life coach (kendracoaching.com). Authors she edits include David A. Adler (the Cam Jansen series), Susane Colasanti, Sharon Robinson, M.H. Herlong, Stasia Ward Kehoe, and others.
Peter Brown, the award-winning author of The Curious Garden and Children Make Terrible Pets,” grew up in Hopewell, New Jersey. He fell in love with drawing at an early age, and by the time he reached high school Peter was filling notebooks with imaginative drawings and stories. He received his B.F.A. in Illustration from Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, California, and now writes and illustrates children’s books from his home in Brooklyn, New York. www.peterbrownstudio.com
Tammy Yee has written and/or illustrated more than two dozen children’s books, including A is for Aloha and The Tsunami Quilt. She has won several awards, spoken at writers’ conferences, and given numerous presentations at libraries and schools across the state. www.tammyyee.com
Sue Cowing published her debut middle grade puppet-and-boy novel, You Will Call Me Drog, with Carolrhoda Books in September 2011, and Usborne UK will bring it out in paperback in April 2012. Her two previous books, Fire in the Sea: An Anthology of Poetry and Art and My Dog Has Flies: Poetry for Hawaii’s Kids were aimed at a Hawaii/Pacific audience, and she publicized them primarily through local school and library visits.
www.suecowing.com
DOWNLOAD CONFRENCE INFORMATION AND REGISTRATION
SCBWI brings together top professionals in the children's publishing world to share their knowledge and expertise with attendees twice each year. The annual SCBWI Summer & Winter conferences are also excellent networking opportunities for those already established in the children's industry, and for those just starting to enter the world of children's book writing and illustrating.
How to Get the Most Out of a Conference
From Trade Winds, December 2010:
- Find out everything you can in advance about the guest speakers—look up their websites and go to the library or bookstore to look through or read the books they have written, illustrated or published.
- Come to learn, not to be “discovered,” and you won’t be disappointed. Though there’s a public perception that it’s easy to create a children’s book in your spare time, in fact it is quite difficult even working full-time, the learning curve is long, and the market is tough. At an SCBWI conference, professionals share valuable information about craft and the publishing industry that they would not have time to communicate in the submissions process or in personal correspondence. Take notes.
- If you can, take advantage of some conference extras like first pages or first look, manuscript critique, and portfolio critique, some of which require advance preparation and early registration. Again, these are chances to get more individual feedback than is normally available from swamped professionals.
- Do get to know the conference guests. The key here is courtesy and balance. Don’t shy away from approaching the guest editor, agent, art director, author, or illustrator between sessions to chat and mention what you’re doing; they expect to have that kind of contact. But don’t monopolize their attention and do not, do not hand them a manuscript or portfolio to look over. This is not the time. You will receive an information sheet that tells how you may send your work to them post-conference.
- Get to know your fellow attendees. Writing and illustrating are mostly solitary occupations, so this is a good chance to share experiences and pick up tips from others in a group who do what you do. Who knows? You may find friends to contact, exchange with, and learn from throughout the year. A great conversation starter? Ask someone what they’re working on!
- During discussions, ask questions that will be useful to others, too, and that don’t apply only to your own work.
- Relax and have fun, and be sure to bring a sweater. Though the conference atmosphere is warm, the room is often freezing!
The late Sid Fleischman, at our 2007 conference.
Other Upcoming Events
To be announced
