Eric Velasquez and Carole Boston Weatherford's "Schomburg: The Man Who Built a Library" wins the SCBWI Golden Kite Award for Nonfiction for Young Readers

I caught up with illustrator Eric Velasquez at the #NY18SCBWI Autograph Party, who shared more about their award-winning picturebook...



Congratulations to Eric and Carole!

Find out more about Eric Velasquez here.

And more about Carole Boston Weatherford here.

Illustrate and Write On,
Lee

Sid Fleischman Humor Award Winner Crystal Allen tells us about "The Magnificent Mya Tibbs: The Wall of Fame Game"

The Sid Fleischman Humor Award is an award for authors whose work exemplifies the excellence of writing in the genre of humor. The SCBWI established the award to honor humorous work, so often overlooked in children’s literature by other award committees.

I caught up with Crystal Allen at the #NY18SCBWI autograph party...



Find out more about Crystal and the rest of "The Magnificent Mya Tibbs" series at Crystal's website here.

Illustrate and Write On,
Lee

Golden Kite Winner Jack Cheng Tell Us About His Middle Grade Novel, "See You In The Cosmos"

I caught up with Jack Cheng at the #NY18SCBWI Autography Party...


Thanks, Jack! And congratulations again!

Learn more about Jack and "See You In The Cosmos" here.

Illustrate and Write On,
Lee

10 Sparkling moments from #NY18SCBWI (even if you couldn't attend)

Champagne after the Golden Kite Awards!

10.
"The only thing you have control over is writing the best book you can." –Jane Yolen

9.
"Download your own fight song and know there's a Jordan out there waiting for your story." –Carolyn Crimi, on her process and the young reader who wrote her to say thank you.

8.
Crystal Allen thanking her character Mya Tibbs, "for teaching me to walk the walk, not just talk the talk."

7.
The absence of a trend in the YA space means more opportunity for individual stories. –Brooks Sherman

6.
...And how when there's room for everyone to speak, it means you sometimes have to ceed the floor. – Marietta Zacker

5.
“If you can look at your earlier work and cringe a little, that means you’ve improved.” –Dan Santat

4.
"Diversity is not a trend."  –Angie Thomas

3.
"'No' is not a rejection of you." –Emma Dryden

2.
"The illustrations are the unfiltered storytelling for the child." –Laurent Linn

1.
 “Make a pair of wings. The best way to work creatively is to fly somewhere new.” –Jane Yolen

Now take that inspiration, and illustrate and write on!
Lee

The SCBWI Golden Kite Awards at #NY18SCBWI

It's our awards season moment, and there's one question on everyone's minds...

Not "who are you wearing?" but

"Who are you reading?"

Follow all the excitement Friday night February 2, 2018 with the hashtag #NY18SCBWI...

Illustrate and Write On,
Lee

The SCBWI Winter Conference in New York is only a week away!

The SCBWI 19th Annual Winter Conference is sold out, and whether you'll be attending or not, make sure to follow along on our SCBWI Conference Blog and on social media with the hashtag #NY18SCBWI!

SCBWI Team Blog will be covering the Golden Kite Awards, the keynotes (Dan Santat! Angie Thomas!), the panels (Agents - including Kirsten Hall, Erin Murphy, Molly O'Neill, Brooks Sherman, and Marietta Zacker, and Editors - including Caitlyn Dlouhy, Tiffany Liao, Daniel Nayeri, and Jill Santopolo), the Portolio Showcase, and so much more!

It's going to be amazing...

Illustrate and Write On!
Lee

#NY18SCBWI has a new "Master Class" format, and is selling out fast!

This is exciting!

The 2018 SCBWI Winter Conference in New York City offers an array of masterclasses with agents, editors, and luminaries in the children's book field, featuring keynotes by Caldecott-winner Dan Santat and best-selling author Angie Thomas, an agent panel, and an editor panel.

There's a Golden Kite Gala, a portfolio showcase, socials, peer roundtable critiques, a networking dinner, an autography party...

And with all that, the real star is you – and how much you can advance your career, both in craft and in the business of our industry know-how.

The masterclass format promises attendees a chance to delve deeply into their work with hands-on, smaller group sessions. As a result, space is extremely limited, but there are still a few spots left in these exclusive masterclasses.

Check out what's still available and register here.

Hope to see you there!

Illustrate and Write On, 
Lee