SCBWI 2026 Virtual Conference Keynote Speakers

The keynote speakers for this year's event will be none other than Pam Muñoz Ryan and Brian Selznick! Check out their bios below!

Born and raised in Bakersfield, California, Pam Muñoz Ryan is an "American author and the 2026 U.S. nominee for the international Hans Christian Andersen Award. She is the author of ECHO, a Newbery Honor book and the recipient of the Kirkus Prize. She has written over forty books, including the novels ESPERANZA RISING, BECOMING NAOMI LEÓN, RIDING FREEDOM, PAINT THE WIND, THE DREAMER, ECHO, and Mañanaland. She is the author recipient of the National Education Association’s Civil and Human Rights Award, the Virginia Hamilton Literary Award for Multicultural Literature, and is twice the recipient of the Pura Belpré Medal and the Willa Cather Award."

"Honors include the PEN USA Award, the Américas Award, the Boston Globe-Horn Book Honor, and the Orbis Pictus Award."

To read more on Pam Muñoz Ryan, visit her website HERE!

Brian Selznick is an award winning author and illustrator of many books for children and young adults, including The Invention of Hugo Cabret, Run Away With Me, Wonderstuck, Big Tree and many, many more. 

"To celebrate the 20th anniversary of the beloved Harry Potter series, Brian created new covers and a box for all seven books."

"Other books include The Marvels, The Doll People trilogy by Ann M. Martin and Laura Godwin, The Dinosaurs of Waterhouse Hawkins by Barbara Kerley and Amelia and Eleanor Go For a Ride by Pam Muñoz Ryan."

His work ranging from novels to short stories to works on the big stage, Brian has "written the story for a new version of The Nutcracker at the Joffrey Ballet in Chicago, choreographed by Tony Award winning choreographer Christopher Wheeldon (An American In Paris). Brian has worked professionally as a puppeteer with Basil Twist, and he’s created three toy theater pieces directed by Dan Hurlin."

To read more on Brian Selznick, visit his website HERE

Have you registered for the 2026 Virtual Conference yet? Register HERE! Hope to see you there!

SCBWI Virtual Summer Conference

It's OFFICIAL!

The 2026 Virtual Summer Conference has been announced! The conference will be July 31st through August 2nd! 

Logo by John Hendrix

And even more exciting news! The keynote speakers for this year's event will be none other than Pam Muñoz Ryan and Brian Selznick! Check out their bios below!

Born and raised in Bakersfield, California, Pam Muñoz Ryan is an "American author and the 2026 U.S. nominee for the international Hans Christian Andersen Award. She is the author of ECHO, a Newbery Honor book and the recipient of the Kirkus Prize. She has written over forty books, including the novels ESPERANZA RISING, BECOMING NAOMI LEÓN, RIDING FREEDOM, PAINT THE WIND, THE DREAMER, ECHO, and Mañanaland. She is the author recipient of the National Education Association’s Civil and Human Rights Award, the Virginia Hamilton Literary Award for Multicultural Literature, and is twice the recipient of the Pura Belpré Medal and the Willa Cather Award."

"Honors include the PEN USA Award, the Américas Award, the Boston Globe-Horn Book Honor, and the Orbis Pictus Award."

To read more on Pam Muñoz Ryan, visit her website HERE!

Brian Selznick is an award winning author and illustrator of many books for children and young adults, including The Invention of Hugo Cabret, Run Away With Me, Wonderstuck, Big Tree and many, many more. 

"To celebrate the 20th anniversary of the beloved Harry Potter series, Brian created new covers and a box for all seven books."

"Other books include The Marvels, The Doll People trilogy by Ann M. Martin and Laura Godwin, The Dinosaurs of Waterhouse Hawkins by Barbara Kerley and Amelia and Eleanor Go For a Ride by Pam Muñoz Ryan."

His work ranging from novels to short stories to works on the big stage, Brian has "written the story for a new version of The Nutcracker at the Joffrey Ballet in Chicago, choreographed by Tony Award winning choreographer Christopher Wheeldon (An American In Paris). Brian has worked professionally as a puppeteer with Basil Twist, and he’s created three toy theater pieces directed by Dan Hurlin."

To read more on Brian Selznick, visit his website HERE

#NY22SCBWI (The SCBWI Annual Winter Conference 2022) Will Take Place Online February 11-13, 2022

Save the dates!

The conference theme: Creating and Selling Successful Children's Books in 2022

Keynotes for the Winter 2022 SCBWI Winter 2022 Conference will Include Brian Selznick, Paula Yoo, Kelly Yang, and Vanessa Brantley Newton

Some already scheduled highlights:

Friday evening, February 11, will be a rare keynote from the one and only Brian Selznick, creator of THE INVENTION OF HUGO CABRET and WONDERSTRUCK, whose latest book KALEIDOSCOPE was called a “lockdown masterpiece” by the New York Times. 

The entire day Saturday, February 12, will be packed full with keynotes and panels. Keynotes will be from Kelly Yang, the New York Times bestselling author of FRONT DESK and winner of the 2019 Asian Pacific American Award for Children's Literature; Paula Yoo, whose YA non-fiction book, FROM A WHISPER TO A RALLYING CRY: THE KILLING OF VINCENT CHIN AND THE TRIAL THAT GALVANIZED THE ASIAN AMERICAN MOVEMENT won the 2021 Boston Globe-Horn Book Award for Nonfiction; and New York Times best- selling illustrator for THE KING OF KINDERGARTEN, Vanessa Brantley Newton.

Interspersed between the keynotes will be three panels featuring 15 industry professionals. The topic of each panel is Recipes for Success in 2022 and will feature individual presentations from five editors, five agents, and five art directors, whose relevant and timely observations will provide a guide for creating and selling children’s books in the current environment. 

The cost for the main conference is $150. Multiple scholarships will be available, and announced by the time registration opens on December 2.  

Sunday, February 13, features an optional full morning session, which will be offered for an additional fee. During the morning, editors and agents will offer intensive sessions in which they will detail their process, their house, and their wish list. Lucky attendees will get to select two sessions to attend, and will be invited to submit queries to the leaders of BOTH sessions they selected. The additional fee for that morning is $150, and space will be limited. 

Sunday afternoon, however, is a free illustrators' event and is included with the cost of the conference and open to all attendees.

Also included in the basic conference registration are peer critiques, an orientation, and multiple socials. We fully expect enrollment to be fast and furious, so mark your calendar with the registration date. The full program and schedule will be posted on the SCBWI website on December 1.

Hope you'll join us!

Illustrate, Translate, and Write On,
Lee

Tips for Illustrators from Rosanne Kakos-Main, courtesy of Harold Underdown

In Harold's article, Getting Out of the Art File, designer Rosanne Kakos-Main offered seven tips for illustrators to consider when putting together their portfolio.

Here are three:

Composition: interesting points of view, above, below, foreshortening, distortions, what is in the foreground and background. Consider what you do when you have your camera in hand, how you choose the contents, edges, and positioning of what enters the frame, how different lenses affect how much is included.

Subject Matter: What is (are) your subject(s) doing? Who are they? Do they have unusual expressions or clothing? Are they in an unusual predicament? Do they evoke an emotion? Are they up close or far away?

Lighting: Where is your light source? Dramatic lighting can often catch the eye... a candle lighting a dark room, the late afternoon sun casting huge shadow

Though it's not mentioned in Harold's article, Brian Selznick's The Marvels offers many examples of these three tips... often in a single image, like here:

The full article is worth checking out. Okay, one more tip that was really good:

Continuity of Subject: Can you illustrate the same subject from different points of view, in different situations, showing different feelings?

Illustrate and Write On,
Lee

For Illustrators (and the rest of us who create and craft stories for children): Spend Some Time With Brian Selznick on Reading Rockets

Okay, if you only have 11 minutes, watch this one:



If you have 22, watch this one!



In both, Brian shares process and inspiration for his ground-breaking and Caldecott Medal-winning THE INVENTION OF HUGO CABRET.

The story of how he integrated images with the text is fantastic.

In the longer video, we learn more about his childhood and how he ended up illustrating and writing stories for children.

They're both excellent and inspiring.

Illustrate and Write On,
Lee