Check out highlights of the goodness and inspiration from the SCBWI Summer Conference

Where to find it?

Well the first place to go is the Official SCBWI Conference Blog - at https://scbwiconference.blogspot.com/

Jolie Stekly, Debbie Ohi, Jaime Temairik, and Justin Campbell have you all set... 

You can also check out your favorite social media channel with the hashtag: #scbwiSummer23

We hope you'll be inspired, too!

Illustrate, Translate, and Write On,
Lee

You Already Know Four People (So the SCBWI Winter 2023 Conference Won't Be So Scary/Unknown/Intimidating)

Conferences can be amazing, but they can also bring up a lot of emotions. 

Am I going to be the only one there like me?

Will I feel alone?

Will anyone talk to me?

Is it going to be scary? unknown? intimidating?

Well, it doesn't have to be!

Part of the reason SCBWI has a team of bloggers cover the conferences is to take off that edge of nervousness.

You can check out previous posts on the Official SCBWI Conference Blog to get a taste of what conferences are like. 

You can read Jolie's post about first timers, and come to the first-timer socials. And learn more about Jolie and her writing and coaching at her website here.

You can check out Justin's post about the power of community, and finding your peeps at the conference and beyond. And discover Justin's illustrations here.

You can laugh with Jaime as she pitches the Piranha Pit - one of many highlights of the in-person conference to come. And see her illustration and books at Jaime's website here.

And you're welcome to learn more about me, Lee, and my books for kids and teens here.

See? You already know four people going to the New York conference. We hope you'll say “hello!”

Get all the details on the in-person #scbwiNY23 conference here.

Illustrate, Translate, and Write On,
Lee

The 2022 SCBWI Winter Conference is Here! #scbwiWinter22

With socials starting today and leading up through the official conference kickoff with a keynote from Brian Selznick, with panels (agents, editors, art directors!) and keynotes and then an entire day to get "up close" with publishing professionals, special illustrator sessions, all the way to Sunday's awards and wrap-up (and even a GenNext Twitter social) we're in for an amazing few days of connection, inspiration, craft, business, opportunity, and community.

Check out the full schedule and all the conference offers here.

And whether you're able to attend or not, head over to the Official SCBWI Conference Blog (at http://scbwiconference.blogspot.com/) for live blogging from a great team of authors and illustrators, including Don Tate, Jolie Stekly, Jaime Temairik, Debbie Ohi, and myself, Lee Wind.

Here's to a great conference ahead!

Illustrate, Translate, and Write On,
Lee

Gearing Up For #LA18SCBWI, Whether You'll Be In L.A. or Following Along Virtually

Visit the SCBWI Official Conference Blog here!

It's here! Tomorrow's the start of the 2018 SCBWI Summer Conference here in Los Angeles, and here's how to both contribute and follow along on social media.

The official hashtag:

#LA18SCBWI

The easiest way to tap into the stream of inspiration, business tips, craft insights, opportunity, and community is to search with the hashtag on your favorite social media platform and find the people posting/tweeting/snapping about #LA18SCBWI... and then follow them, and join in the conversation yourself!




Your #LA18SCBWI Team Bloggers Are:

Martha Brockenbrough

Martha Brockenbrough is the author of several books for young readers, including Alexander Hamilton, Revolutionary (Feiwel & Friends); The Game of Love and Death; and Love, Santa (both Arthur A. Levine Books). She is a faculty member at Vermont College of Fine Arts Writing for Children & Young Adults program. Forthcoming titles include Unpresidented, a biography of Donald Trump, and Cheerful Chick, a picture book about a resilient bird with a big dream. http://martha-brockenbrough.squarespace.com/

**

Adria Quiñones

Adria Quiñones is a wildly successful technical writer who began writing novels for kids in order to have the experience of writing something that someone actually wanted to read. She is a member of Metro-NYC SCBWI's steering committee, hosts the chapter's Upper West Side write/sketch night, and helped found DIALOGS, the chapter's meet-up for kidlit creators from marginalized communities. Adria is a regular contributor to the Metro-NYC SCBWI‘s blog and was a winner of the SCBWI 2014 Midwinter Conference’s prestigious joke contest. In January 2015, Adria was named one of the winners of SCBWI’s Emerging Voices Award for her middle-grade novel, The Disappeared. She is currently at work on a picture book. http://adriaq.com/

**

Jolie Stekly

Jolie Stekly is a writer, instructor, and coach. She’s a long-time member of SCBWI and was recognized as SCBWI’s member of the year in 2009. She is a former regional advisor of the SCBWI Western Washington region. Her writing is represented by Rosemary Stimola at Stimola Literary Studio. www.joliestekly.com/

**

Don Tate

Don Tate is an award-winning author and the illustrator of numerous critically acclaimed books for children. He is also one of the founding hosts of the blog, The Brown Bookshelf – a blog designed to push awareness of the myriad of African American voices writing for young readers. Don’s books have won the Ezra Jack Keats Book Award, The Christopher Award, a Texas Institute of Letters Literary Award, a Writers’ League of Texas Book Award, and the SCBWI Crystal Kite Award. dontate.com

**

Jaime Temairik

Jaime Temairik is originally from Washington State and has recently moved to Philadelphia, PA, where she enjoys finding soft pretzels and colonial-era privy pits. Visit her online illustration portfolio at www.jaimetemairik.com to learn more about her books and work (but not her privy pits).

**

Lee Wind

Lee Wind, M.Ed., (and yes, the author of this blog post) is the official blogger for SCBWI (www.scbwi.blogspot.com) and is Captain of SCBWI’s Team Blog. His award-winning personal blog, I’m Here. I’m Queer. What The Hell Do I Read (www.leewind.org) has had over 2.5 million page loads and is a Children's Book Council "Great Diversity Blog." A writer of picture books through YA, his debut crowdfunded teen novel, "Queer as a Five-Dollar Bill," publishes October 2, 2018.


Here's to an amazing #LA18SCBWI ahead!

#LA17SCBWI Starts Tomorrow! Meet Your SCBWI Team Blog

Check out these interviews with Guest SCBWI Team Blog members Susie Ghahremani here and Sona Charaipotra here.

We'll be live blogging at http://scbwiconference.blogspot.com/ and you can follow along on social media with the hashtag #LA17SCBWI

Here's to wonderful conference!

Illustrate and Write On,
Lee

I've Got The Torch... And Here We Go!

Lee Wind, mid-air

I am honored and thrilled to be the new official SCBWI blogger and Captain of Team Blog!

Look for updates here on things going on in our kid lit industry and inside looks at the many SCBWI offerings of information, networking, publications, grants & awards, being a collective voice for authors and illustrators, and of course our amazing SCBWI Annual Conferences!

Your SCBWI Team Bloggers will be diving into pre-conference interviews to give you the scoop on what you can look forward to at our upcoming Lucky 13th Annual Winter Conference in New York City, Jan 27-29, 2012.  I mean, have you checked out the lineup of speakers?  The break-out workshops?  The number of agents and editors on faculty?  The gala dinner, a new mingling and networking event for Saturday night?  The portfolio showcase?  And the Friday day of intensive sessions on marketing for writers, marketing for illustrators, and writers roundtables?  There's so much great stuff!

But the conference blogging by Team Blog couldn't happen without our amazing team:

Martha Brockenbrough, one of the funniest people I've ever met.  And she can write funny, too.  Her book on grammar  had me laughing out loud (yes, grammar and laughing) and I can't wait to read her upcoming titles from Arthur A. Levine books ("Devine Intervention" sounds amazing!) Martha is deep and insightful and snort-milk-out-of-your-nose funny.  She's also a wonderful blogger, both at her own blog, and for our SCBWI Team!

Jolie Stekley is awesome. A YA writer bursting with creativity and energy, she imbues everything she does with heart and insight.  I love re-reading her conference posts (like this one), because they are personal and universal at the same time - and with all the photos and quotes the whole feel of the conference comes back to me in a wonderful rush!  She's a great blogger at her own blog, Cuppa Jolie (check out her fabulous weekly writing prompts!) and for our SCBWI Team!

Jaime Temairik, our resident illustrator on the team, changes things up for all of us by stretching the form and having fun with it all.  Like her commercial breaks and zombie sock puppet sketches, Jaime is wacky in the most wonderful of ways!  When I first met her, I thought she was Yoda-like, as in still-waters-run-deep.  What I discovered is that Jaime is deep - and she's quieter than me because she's busy planning all this amazing stuff while I'm chattering away!  She's a treasure of a blogger at her own blog, Cocoastomp, and for our SCBWI Team!

Suzanne Young is zany, charming, and prolific - with three YA titles out (her latest is the supernatural romance,"A Need So Beautiful!)" and more books coming soon...  Suzanne is also really innovative in her marketing efforts, and I recently saw her speak with Novel Novice's Sara Gundell about their super-fun and well-received do-it-yourself campaigns for her books.  Suzanne is a bright light and a super blogger, both at her own blog and for our SCBWI Team!

What all these amazing bloggers share is a huge sense of heart and passion.  (And twitter accounts:  follow them at
 @mbrockenbrough
 @cuppajolie
 @jaimetem
 @suzanne_young)
I'm beyond grateful for their friendship and support - and so glad to continue Team Blogging the SCBWI Annual Conferences with them!

And I have to take this opportunity to offer my heartfelt thanks to Alice Pope, who not only had the vision to create Team Blog with Aaron Hartzler (and bring me on board) but for believing in me and now passing me the torch.  Thank you, Alice! 

So I'll raise the flame high and run with you all, as we explore the grandeur and endorphin-rush of our passion - writing and illustrating and editing and agenting and art-directing and publishing and blogging and bookselling and teaching and librarian-ing (!)  and marketing and innovating...  as we create and celebrate creative content for children and teens.

Run with me!
Lee

ps: You're welcome to follow me on my home blog, "I'm Here. I'm Queer. What the Hell do I Read?" and on twitter at @leewind
pps: My photo above was taken by the wonderful writer and photographer Rita Crayon Huang.

Passing the Torch: My Final SCBWI Blog Post

Dear Readers,

Today, in a swirl of mixed emotions, I offer this post announcing that I will no longer be blogging for SCBWI.

I happily started this gig in May of 2010, a month after leaving my position as the long-time editor of Children's Writer's & Illustrator's Market. I was so grateful and excited that SCBWI gave me the opportunity to continue to communicate via the blogosphere with the amazing community I'd come to know and love throughout my 18 plus years at Writer's Digest Books.

While I was an editor at WD, I attended countless SCBWI events all over the country. Without a doubt, my favorite event has always been the Annual Summer Conference in Los Angeles. I learned so much, made so many terrific contacts, saw success stories unfold, and, most importantly, became lifelong friends with some tremendous people.

So of course I was beyond thrilled with the formation of SCBWI TEAM BLOG in 2009. The brainchild of former SCBWI Director of Communications Aaron Hartzler, the team--including me, Jaime Temairik, Martha Brockenbrough, Jolie Stekly, Suzanne Young and Lee Wind--brought you pre-conference interviews with conference faculty and exhaustive as-it-happens coverage of the LA and NYC conferences. We blogged and social networked our fingers to the bone, with joy.

I'm thrilled to announce that the SCBWI blog and TEAM BLOG will survive--and thrive--under new the leadership of Lee Wind.

Lee, always an enthusiastic and energetic TEAM BLOG member and award-winning blogger at I'm Here. I'm Queer. What the Hell Do I Read, is taking over as the official SCBWI blogger and is the new captain of TEAM BLOG! (He's being fitted for his SCBWI cape as I type.)

Lee will will begin posting here in a few days (at which time the blog will get a bit of a makeover), and he'll tell you a little more about himself. So please be sure to visit the blog often to read Lee's posts and watch as he clues you in on the pre-conference fun and offers his terrific faculty interviews as the date for the SCBWI Annual Winter Conference in New York draws nearer. (I'll be popping in frequently here and at the Official SCBWI Conference Blog to enjoy things from the other side.)

So I bid you farewell, but not goodbye. (We can keep in touch on Facebook and Twitter afterall.) Thank you for reading both the SCBWI blogs. Thank you Lin and Steve for allowing me to be a part of them. Thank you Jaime, Martha, Jolie, Suzanne and Lee for all your hard work and for your friendship. I love you guys.

Now I leave you the same way I greeted you...

More TEAM BLOG Pre-Conference Interviews. Plus: REGISTRATION CLOSES TODAY!

I just got back from a week-long vaca with the fam and it seems I've missed lots of action.

SCBWI TEAM BLOG has been busy bringing you more interviews with fab conference faculty.

Suzanne Young talked with agent Steven Malk and editors Alessandra Balzer and Julie Strauss-Gabel. Here is a bit of conference-related insight from each of them. Click on their names below to read the complete interviews.

• Steven Malk on the conference mind-set: I think the key to making the most of the conference experience is to go in with an enthusiastic but relaxed attitude and not to put too much pressure on yourself.
• Alessandra Balzer on her conference session: I’m going to debunk some myths that authors have probably heard about the publishing process and be very honest about the process that editors go through in-house for acquisition, and what my particular imprint (Balzer + Bray) is looking for.  
• Julie Strauss-Gabel on picking conference sessions: I think it’s important to mix in some attention to craft, not just focus on selling.

Martha Brockenbrough chatted with author Bruce Hale. Here's a bit from their interview. Click his name to read it in full:

• Bruce Hale on taking your writing to a new level: Get in touch with your passions, your hopes and fears from childhood. Chances are, what moved you then will move you now. Write about these things, not teen dystopia or vampires or whatever's currently trendy.

Last but certainly not least, Jolie Stekly had a conversation with Laurie Halse Anderson. Here's a snippet. Click her name to read the entire post:

• Laurie Halse Anderson on challenged books: The first couple of dozen times my books were challenged, I took it very personally. I bawled like a baby and wasted untold days paralyzed by the thought that anyone would think I'd ever seek to harm a child. Then I got over myself.

Finally...it's now or never time. Conference registration CLOSES TODAY at 5PM Pacific time. If you'd like to hear Steve, Alessandra, Julie, Bruce, Laurie and the other tremendous faculty at the 40th Annual SCBWI Summer Conference, click here to register. (Tomorrow it will be too late.)

And whether you attend or not, don't forget to visit the SCBWI Conference Blog for play by play through the event from my super-awesome TEAM BLOG.

SCWBI TEAM BLOG Pre-Conference Interview: First-Time Attendee Patti Gabrielson

I'm a conference veteran--the 40th Anniversary SCBWI Summer Conference will be something like the 17th one I've attended. I know the lay of land at the Century Plaza. I know how things work. Many of my fellow attendees are my friends.

But many, many years ago, as I prepared for my first conference, I was way nervous. I wouldn't know anyone. I didn't know what to expect. I was sure no one would talk to me and I'd get lost in the hotel. (Thankfully only one of those things came to pass).

If this year's summer conference will be your first, newcomer jitters are to be expected. But to help assuage that newbie nervousness, SCBWI TEAM BLOGger Jolie Stekly will be offering a First-Time Attendee Orientation. And Jolie is already checking in with first-time conference goers to hear about their fears and expectations. Her first first-timer interview is with illustrator Patti Gabrielson. Click here to read the post. 

And if this year's conference will be your first, be sure to attend Jolie's orientation session.

There's still time to registers for the sure-to-be-a-sellout event. Click here to register.

SCBWI TEAM BLOG Pre-Conference Interview: Mary Pope Osborne

Mary Pope Osborne

SCBWI TEAM BLOGger Jolie Stekly offers our latest pre-conference interview with Summer Conference faculty. Her blog Cuppa Jolie features a conversation with Magic Tree House author Mary Pope Osborne (who is of no relation to me, and, as far as I know, Ozzy).

Here's a bit from Jolie's interview. Click here to read the full post.

I raised my hand high for the chance to interview the incomparable Mary Pope Osborne as part of our SCBWI Team Blog Exclusive interviews.

Mary Pope Osborne is the author of one of the most successful children's book series EVER: The Magic Tree House series. The first Magic Tree House book, Dinosaurs Before Dark, came out in 1992. Now both #46 and #47 are available for pre-order and are as popular as ever.

I first knew Mary Pope Osborne as a teacher. For my students, reading a Magic Tree House book meant they had reached a huge milestone. Once they had read one they could declare, "I'm a chapter book reader." So exciting. Although, not all young readers may know Mary Pope Osborne's name, they know her beloved characters: Jack and Annie. And they can rattle off title after title of her popular books. 

It's not too late to register for 40th Anniversary Summer conference and hear Mary Pope Osborne and other luminaries in children's publishing, share their wisdom. Click here for the registration page.

SCBWI TEAM BLOG Pre-conference interview: Linda Sue Park

The latest in our series of SCBWI TEAM BLOG interviews with Annual Winter Conference faculty is courtesy of Jolie Stekly who blogs at Cuppa Jolie. She interviewed Newbery Award-winning author Linda Sue Park.

Here's a bit from the interview with Linda Sue, which Jolie likened to a short writer's therapy session:

I've had the immense pleasure of hearing Linda Sue Park speak at a couple of SCBWI conferences. Not only that, but I've also had the opportunity to sit and talk with her, and let me tell you, the words that come out of her mouth are so great, so helpful, so smart that you won't want to dare miss them when she's gives her keynote presentation at the upcoming SCBWI Winter Conference.

Linda Sue Park is the award-winning author of many books for children, including A SINGLE SHARD which won the Newbery Medal in 2002. The list of awards Linda Sue has won is as long as my arm, and sure to keep growing. Linda Sue also serves on the SCBWI Board of Advisors.

Click here to read the full interview with Linda Sue Park.

Click here to register for the SCBWI Annual Winter Conference where you can take in the wisdom of Linda Sue, and the rest of the awesome faculty, in person. 

SCBWI's 2011 Annual Winter Conference Registration Opens Tomorrow!

Mark your calendars! Synchronize your watches! Start planning your outfits! At 10 AM Pacific time tomorrow, registration will be open for the 2011 SCBWI Annual Winter Conference in New York City. The event takes place January 28-30, 2011, at the Hyatt Grand Central and features a fabulous lineup up of publishing professionals to instruct and inspire conference goers.

In addition to Saturday and Sunday workshops and keynotes, attendees can also opt for Friday pre-conference Writers or Illustrators Intensives--a day-long critique-a-thon with editor and agents for writers and day-long workshop for illustrators. If you're interested in one of these, don't doddle. They sell out amazingly quickly. 

The full faculty line-up will be revealed tomorrow when registration opens, but I can tell you that among them will be Mo Willems, Sara Zarr , Lois Lowry, Jules Feiffer and R.L. Stine! (Have I used too many exclamation points in this post yet? Don't worry! There will be more! I'm excited!)

SCBWI TEAM BLOG will again offer live coverage of the event on the Official SCBWI Conference Blog, as well as loads of pre-conference faculty interviews on our individual blogs.

TEAM BLOG is:

• Martha Brockenbrough (Twitter: @mbrockenbrough)
• Jolie Stekly (Twitter: @cuppajolie)
• Jaime Temairik (Twitter: @jaimetem)
• Lee Wind (Twitter: @leewind)
• Suzanne Young (Twitter: @suzanne_young)
• Me (Twitter: @alicepope)

The official Twitter hashtag for the event is #NY11SCBWI. 

Click here to register for the Annual Winter Conference.  Hope to see you there!

SCBWI TEAM BLOG Pre-conference Interview: Ginger Clark

Jolie Stekly offers the latest SCBWI TEAM BLOG Annual Summer Conference faculty interview on Cuppa Jolie--she interviewed Curtis Brown agent Ginger Clark, a first-time LA conference presenter.

Ginger will offer two sessions at the Summer Conference: HOW TO APPROACH AGENTS WITHOUT SCARING THEM OFF and BRING YOUR QUESTIONS: AN AGENT ANSWERS THEM ALL. She'll also participate in a panel LITERARY AGENTS VIEW THE MARKETPLACE.

Here a bit form Jolie's post:

How can it be that the SCBWI summer conference is only a few short weeks away? Is it that the weather has been so cold it doesn’t seem possible that the end up July could be that close? Okay, I suppose that only goes for those of us in the Pacific Northwest. But still! How excited are you to be there? Or…OR are you still deciding? There’s still time. You don’t want to miss the many fab agents attending and critiquing, like Ginger Clark.

As Jolie said, there's still time to register for the event--don't you want an agent to answer all your questions? Click here for registration info.

SCBWI TEAM BLOG Pre-conference Interview: Arthur Levine

I hope you've been enjoying our SCBWI TEAM BLOG pre-conference interviews--and they're getting you excited about our upcoming event! Our latest Summer Conference faculty interviewee is editor extraordinaire (and SCBWI board member) Arthur Levine who chatted with Jolie Stekly. Check out the full interview on Cuppa Jolie.

Arthur will be presenting Strong Emotions on the Page: A Master Class at the SCBWI LA event. Here's a bit from Jolie's interview:

"It was such a pleasure for me to interview one of my favorite people in the children's book world: Arthur Levine.

Arthur A. Levine is a Vice President at Scholastic Inc. and the Editorial Director of Arthur A. Levine Books, a literary, hardcover imprint of Scholastic. He is also an author and has a new book coming out (keep reading to find out more about it) in Spring 2011.

Let's jump right in..."

You can meet Arthur Levine in person (along with a ton of other terrific presenters) at the Annual Summer Conference in Los Angeles.
 
Click here to register for the event!