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...

Every Poster Has a Story: The Scoop on the First-Ever Golden Kite Awards Poster

SCBWI recently unveiled its first-ever poster featuring winners of the organization's coveted annual Golden Kite Awards. The debut poster was beautifully illustrated by John Parra, 2010 Golden Kite winner for picture book illustration.

"We asked John to illustrate the poster for two reasons—one, because we knew his style would be absolutely perfect for the poster art. Second, because we hoped to start a tradition that the winner of the Picture Book Illustration category of the Golden Kite Award would illustrate the poster to commemorate the following year's winners," says Sarah Baker, SCBWI's Manager of Illustration and Design.

"John needed very little in the way of suggestions or notes. We just told him the poster was to celebrate the next year of Golden Kite winners, the dimensions of the poster of course, and that it should feature the kite somewhere. He took it upon himself to add an image representing each winning book, a really great touch!"

"Working on the Golden Kite Poster was a wonderful and great thrill for me," says John Parra. "The concept comes from when I received my Golden Kite Award from SCBWI in 2010 for the book, GRACIAS/THANKS, and how I felt a soaring emotion like the bird in the poster. The child characters in the image represent us all taking that wonderful journey into literature and art that we collectively celebrate and cherish. Many of the other icons and imagery that surround these main characters are sample images representing each of this year's 2011 Golden Kite winners. I always enjoy seeing the final print when type is added and I was honored to have it presented at this year's SCBWI 40th Annual Summer Conference in Los Angeles."

"I absolutely fell in love with John's art from the moment I saw the first sketch, and finding typefaces and designing the poster around his art was so much fun. It was thrilling when his painting arrived in the mail, and thrilling once again to see the finished printed poster," says Sarah. "Presenting it in front of the 1,300 attendees at the Golden Kite Award Luncheon was more terrifying than anything, but so much fun to see how much everyone else loved the poster as much as we did. This was a great start to an annual tradition of Golden Kite Award celebration posters, and I can't wait to work on next year's!"

SCBWI Executive Director Lin Oliver adds: “We hope this beautiful poster will not only honor the outstanding books that have won the SCBWI Golden Kite Award, but will go a long way to expanding the public visibility and sales of these deserving books. We want to see their names highly visible to the reading public.”

Winter Conference Regisation Opens Monday!

Registration for the SCBWI 2012 Winter Conference begins Monday, October 17th, 2011 at 10AM PDT. 

Click here for registration.

The Annual Winter Conference features a huge line-up of stars and decision-makers from the world of children's book publishing. Whether you're an illustrator or a writer, whether your genre is picture books, middle grade, or young adult, you can't afford to miss this spectacular chance to meet and network with the major players in publishing for young readers!

Plus we've added a third pre-conference intensive on January 27th-Marketing for Professional Writers--and that, along with our Writers' Roundtable Intensive and Marketing for Illustrators Intensive are sure to fill up fast. We have also added a Gala Cocktail party on January 28th so people can mingle with publishing professionals, regional advisors and other attendees, as well as enjoying a free drink and food.

The conference will take place from January 27th-29th at the Hyatt Regency Grand Central in New York City.

And be sure to watch the official conference blog (and this blog) for exciting interviews with faculty members and other 2012 Winter Conference news from SCBWI's terrific TEAM BLOG.

The Deadline Is Approaching: It's Time to Submit Books for SCBWI's 2012 Golden Kite Awards!

The deadline to submit book for this year's Golden Kite Awards is December 16th--that's less than two month away. If you had a book published in 2011, here are a few great reasons to act now and get your book in the running...

Started in 1973, SCBWI offers the Golden Kites annually to recognize excellence in children’s book in for categories (Fiction, Nonfiction, Picture Book Text and Picture Book Illustration).

Each winner receives $2,500 as well as an expense-paid trip to Los Angeles to attend the award ceremony at the Golden Kite Luncheon at SCBWI’s Summer Conference in August. (Word has it, the luncheon chicken is terrific.)

And (this is new!) Golden Kite winners also become lifetime members of SCBWI.

There are also four honor book recipients will also be named by the panel of judges which consists of children’s book writers and illustrators. Books can be nominated by individual or by publishers.

Pretty awesome, huh?

But there's more. This year for the first time, a commemorative poster with the winners was created and is being distributed to schools, libraries, bookstores and publishers. The poster for the 2011 Golden Kite Awards, below, features original art by last year’s winner, John Parra, and features cover images of the four 2011 Golden Kite winning books. Isn't it a beauty?

Click here for submission guidelines as well as lists of past winners.

SCBWI's 2011 Sue Alexander Award Goes To...

Sue Alexander

Each year, SCBWI offers the Sue Alexander Award to the manuscript deemed most promising for publication, selected from the SCBWI Annual Summer Conference critique pool.

Industry professionals (editors, agents, authors) who critique the manuscript determine the finalists. Until her sudden death in July, 2008, Sue Alexander made the final selection. Now, a three-member panel from Sue’s writing group of 20 years decide on the winner.

This year's Sue Alexandar Award-winner is Marilyn Hilton for her middle-grade manuscript HOVER OVER ME.

In Hilton’s lovely, well-written manuscript, a girl who longs to believe in angels, “being in vital need of their assistance” endures bullying, wonders about her birth parents, makes an unexpected friend and tries to solve the mystery of the crime for which her missing brother has been falsely accused. Along the way, she learns something about the nature of angels. A sensitive voice, evocative detail, a rich sense of place, strong tension, intriguing characters with compelling problems and a satisfying theme all combine to make author Hilton’s manuscript a promising novel for middle-grade readers.
 

Award Winner Marilyn Hilto

Two runners-up were also named:

• Pati Hailey for FINDING TRU 
• Karen Bonner for WITCHING MOON.

Congratulations to Marilyn, Pati and Karen for their terrific work!

To learn more about the award and see a list of past winners, visit SCBWI.org.

Contest for Picture Book Writers: The MeeGenius! Author Challenge 2011

The folks at MeeGenius!--a e-picture book app for young readers for iPhone, iPad, iTouch, Google TV, and the web--have just kicked off a contest.

Open to both aspiring and published authors, the MeeGenius! Author Challenge 2011 will award one winner $1500 and a publishing contract as well as offering a MeeGenius! library to the school of the winner's choice. Three runners-up will win $500 and publishing contract.

Submissions will be posted on the MeeGenius! website where visitors can vote on their favorites. The most popular picks become finalists.

The deadline for entry is November 1st and winners will be announced in March. For complete rules and guidelines, visit MeeGenius.com.

In the News This Week

On Fridays I've been sharing snippets of and links to news I've read during the last week that I found interesting, helpful, and/or fun.

 Going forward, I'm moving this feature to the weekend to work better with my now-more-full schedule.

This week's news includes a new Scholastic/Ruckus imprint, a children's publishing newsletter launch, iPad 3 news, an editorial against agent-publishers, online/app safety for kids, a new property for Penguin, and more. 


Scholastic, Ruckus Media Form New Digital/Print Imprint (PW)
Children's digital developer Ruckus Media is joining with Scholastic to create the Scholastic Ruckus imprint, a joint venture that will publish a wide range of children's and teen content across all platforms, from interactive content and transmedia projects to e-books, enhanced e-books and print. The first titles from the Scholastic Ruckus imprint will be released in 2012.   

Publishing Perspectives Launches Children’s Publishing Newsletter (GalleyCat)
Publishing Perspectives, the online industry news journal, has launched its first newsletter focused on children’s publishing.

When Will Your Local Borders Close? (GalleyCat)
Wondering when your local Borders will close?
Borders Group entered liquidation this summer, closing its remaining 399 stores and cutting around 10,700 employees. On the bookseller’s Facebook page, you can now see a list of the closure dates for your local Borders bookstore.

iPad 3 Rumored To Be Lighter And Pricier (eBookNewser) 
As Amazon is gearing up to announce a new tablet, Apple is already hard at work on the iPad 3. According to a report from Apple Insider, the third generation iPad will be slimmer and lighter, and possibly more expensive.

Apps, social networks pose new threat to kids (USA Today)
The Federal Trade Commission last month announced a $50,000 settlement with app maker W3 Innovations for collecting and dispersing information of kids under 13 in violation of the Children's Online Privacy and Protection Act, or COPPA.

Links Shared On Twitter Last Half As Long As YouTube (AllTwitter)
The folks at bit.ly, the popular URL shortener service, asked themselves just how long a link shared on a social network “lives”. And they found out that links shared on Twitter lasted only half as long as links shared on YouTube.

An Argument Against Agent-Publishers (PubPerspectives)
Nearly two thousand years ago, Plutarch wrote of a great ship that bore Theseus home from Crete. As its planks decayed, the plucky Athenians preserved it by replacing each rotting board in turn, until eventually nothing was left of the original vessel. Was it then the same ship? Plutarch asked. Or was it something wholly new?

Small Potatoes for Penguin (PW)
Penguin USA has acquired the license for Little Airplane Productions’ Small Potatoes, a preschool-targeted series of animated musical shorts. The series has taken off on Facebook and debuted on U.S. television September 6, on Disney Channel’s Disney Junior block. Penguin Young Readers Group’s Grosset & Dunlap division will publish a series of at least 10 books starting in early 2013, with Little Airplane handling the writing and design. The launch list will include a sticker book, an 8x8 and a board book.

Autumn: A Great Time for ConferenceTravel!

While the SCBWI Annual Summer and Winter Conferences are consistently fabulous, I must admit I always long for an equally awesome autumn event. I adore traveling this time of year. No sweaty luggage lugging. No stuffing winter coats in the overhead bin. Just bordering-on-brisk, leaves-ready-to-change, settling-into-your-airplane-seat-wrapped-in-a-cozy-sweater loveliness.

Fortunately I'm headed northwest next week, off to the KidLitosphere's 5th Annual KidLitCon held this year in Seattle September 16-17. Most of SCBWI TEAM BLOG will be there. And Scott Westerfeld. And lots of talk about promotion and blogging and social media and marketing and all sorts of useful things. If you aren't headed that way, I'll clue you into the action via my blog, Twitter (etc.).

If you've also got the fall travel bug, be sure to check out all the terrific upcoming regional SCBWI events. Some may involve a short drive and some a short plane ride. Either way, you can squeeze in a little writing/illustrating/publishing-related jaunt before the holidays:

• Click here for a list of September SCBWI events.
• Click here for a list of October SCBWI events.
• Click here for a list of November SCBWI events.

Are you attending a fall conference or event (SCBWI or otherwise)? Share your destination in a comment and clue in others would-be travelers.

In the News This Week

Fridays on the SCBWI blog, I share snippets of and links to some of the publishing/media-related news I've read during the last week that I found interesting, helpful, and/or fun.


This week's news includes a new YA imprint at Whitman, essays on boys reading and diet books for little girls, new words in Webster and the OED, a favorite piece on Steve Jobs (who, you may have heard, is stepping down), KidLit Con and Borders-related charity, and more.


Albert Whitman Takes on Teens with New Imprint (PW)
Founded in 1919, Albert Whitman publishes a range of children’s books, including board books, picture books, and middle-grade fiction, notably Gertrude Chandler Warner’s The Boxcar Children Mysteries and The Boxcar Children Graphic Novels. With last month’s launch of Albert Whitman Teen, the Chicagoland publisher has expanded its offerings to include young-adult books. The inaugural releases are Guantanamo Boy by Anna Perera, a novel set six months after 9/11 that centers on a teen who finds himself incarcerated as an “enemy combatant”; and Michael Ford’s The Poisoned House, a ghost story that takes place in Victorian London. Guantanamo Boy was selected for the ABA’s summer 2011 Kids’ Indie Next List.

Children's Store to Open in Katonah, N.Y.  (PW)
Borders’s loss is proving to be indies’ gain. With the closing of a Borders in Mt. Kisco, Jennifer Cook, owner of NoKa Joe’s in Katonah, N.Y., has decided to take the plunge and turn the 650 sq. ft. second floor into a children’s specialty bookstore in October.

Was Steve Jobs really Apple’s editor-in-chief? (The Cutline) 
For those who've followed Apple, casually or compulsively, Steve Job's resignation as chief executive on Wednesday was not unexpected. But the announcement was nonetheless met with a mixture of shock and sadness.

Boys and Reading: Is There Any Hope? (NY Times)
At an American Library Association conference in 2007, HarperCollins dressed five of its male young adult authors in blue baseball jerseys with our names on the back and sent us up to bat in a panel entitled “In the Clubhouse.” We were meant to demystify to the overwhelmingly female audience the testosterone code that would get teenage boys reading. Whereas boys used to lag behind girls in reading in the early grades, statistics show, they soon caught up. Not anymore.

Do Little Girls Need Diet Books? (Salon)
It's the kind of aspirational image familiar from women's magazines and yogurt ads--a frumpy girl standing before the mirror, holding up the outfit she longs to fit into, dreaming of the smiling, slim version of herself waiting on the other side. But this isn't some Slim-Fast pitch or another Bikini Body by Friday! morning show segment. It's the cover of a children's book.

GoodReads Launches New iPad App (eBook Newser)
The online book community GoodReads has just made it a little easier for you to share your book interests with other fans. GoodReads uploaded a new version of its app to iTunes a few days ago and it finally supports the iPad.

New Words in Merriam-Webster Dictionary Include 'Tweet,' 'Fist Bump' (CNS News)
Merriam-Webster Inc. has added dozens of entries to the latest edition of its Collegiate Dictionary. Here are some, along with the year in which Merriam-Webster researchers first found them used in an English-language publication, and their meanings: 

Retweet & Sexting Are Now Words In Oxford English Dictionary (Mashable)
The Concise Oxford English Dictionary has added 400 words to its dictionary, including retweet, woot, sexting and cyberbullying. The 12th edition of the dictionary is a recognition that modern technology and social media have greatly impacted the English language. Retweet, the act of resharing a message on Twitter, is our favorite addition, though sexting and woot are a close second and third.

new Study Reveals Kids Who Read More are Better Readers (eBook Newser)
he UK based National Literacy Trust has recently released a the results of a study. After testing over 18 thousand children in the UK, the Trust concluded that the ones who read more books each month were also better readers.

  

KidLit Con Partners with RIF (GalleyCat) 
KidLit Con has launched a fundraising partnership with Reading is Fundamental (RIF).
Earlier this year, we reported that the federal budget for RIF has been reduced. With the new partnership, readers can donate to the childhood literacy program in the name of KidLit Con. Follow this link for more details about how to make a donation.

Mementos of Borders, for Charity (Shelf Awareness) [scroll down]
Just in case you had a particular bond with your local branch of Borders, here's an opportunity to gain a souvenir of the fast-fading bookstore chain and do some good, too.

In the News This Week

Fridays on the SCBWI blog, I share snippets of and links to some of the publishing/media-related news I've read during the last week that I found interesting, helpful, and/or fun.



This week's news includes PW's coverage of SCBWI 40th Annual Summer Conference (which is technically last week's news, but I didn't want you to miss it); Little, Brown and Holiday house entering the leveled reader realm; magazine editors reaching out to the young and wired; syncing posts on multiple social networks; some e-reader-related news; Twitter contest tips; indie bookstore coverage including some fun from The Daily Show's John Hodgman; and more.

SCBWI Conference Celebrates 40th Anniversary with Record Turnout (PW)
A surprise guest appearance by Judy Blume at the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators annual summer conference in Los Angeles made the 40th anniversary of the organization even more meaningful to the record-breaking number of attendees, which included writers, illustrators, publishers, editors, and agents. Nearly 1,350 people were on hand for the conference, which was held August 4-8 at the Century Plaza Hotel.

Two Leveled Reader Programs Debut This Fall (PW)
A phone call from a librarian friend at the Boston Public Library allegedly prompted Ursula Nordstrom in the mid-1950s to launch Harper & Row’s I Can Read! line of beginning readers. After the librarian told the legendary editor that there was a dearth of simple books that new readers were able to tackle on their own, Nordstrom set out to fill that void. The first I Can Read! title, Else Holmelund Minarik’s Little Bear, illustrated by Maurice Sendak, was released in 1957. That same year, Random House debuted Beginner Books with Dr. Seuss’s The Cat in the Hat. In subsequent years, many other early reader programs entered the marketplace, including Random House’s Step into Reading, Scholastic Readers, HMH Books’ Green Light Readers, and most recently Square Fish’s My Readers, which launched this spring. This fall, two new leveled reader lines join their ranks: Little, Brown’s Passport to Reading and I Like to Read Books from Holiday House.
 

Liberty Buys Barnes & Noble Stake (MCN)
Liberty Media said it has agreed to purchase $204 million of Barnes & Noble preferred stock, a deal which would eventually give it a 16.6 % stake and trumps a $1 billion bid the media  giant had made for the troubled book retailer in May.

iPad Killer: Amazon Goes Razor Blades On Tablet Landscape (PWxyz)
This October is likely going to be a defining moment for tablets. That’s if, as expected, Amazon drops its tablet into the increasingly crowded fray, which at the moment is only slightly more organized than the Wild West. Many are expecting Amazon to set things straight, eliminating the pretenders and giving us a better idea of what exactly buyers want out of a tablet. But before we get to what might happen, let’s get caught up on what already has happened.

Easily And Automatically Sync Posts Between Twitter, Google+ And Facebook (AllTwitter)
We’ve written before about how to tweet your Google+ posts to Twitter, and now we’ve got an even more robust way to sync up your various social media profiles.

4 Things To Remember When Running A Twitter Contest (AllTwitter)
Twitter is a fantastic place to host a contest. You have a direct line to your customers and fans, you can easily set a time limit, and you can even use a hashtag to track it easily. However, there are some things you’ve got to consider when setting up your Twitter contest, or else the scammers, hackers, and otherwise deceptive people will start coming out of the woodwork and ruin all your best intentions.

HARRY POTTER CHAINED to new Sony reader (Register)
Sony will bundle its next generation e-reader with the entire series of Harry Potter stories from November, The Register has learnt. The bespectacled wizard debuts in digital format in October – the same time as the Sony-sponsored Pottermore "online reading experience" goes live – according to well-placed sources in the vendor's retail channel.

Editors Face Teen Angst (WWD)
Magazine newsstand sales were revealed last week by the Audit Bureau of Circulations and the numbers were bleak. Editors are desperate to engage the younger generation — those tweeters, Facebookers, text messagers and Web surfers who will ensure that titles have a future beyond the Baby Boomers. But what do they have to offer this prized demographic? More pictures of Lady Gaga or Kim Kardashian?

Independent bookstores add a new chapter (WaPo)

The brick-and-mortar bookstore is, like most of the economy, dead or close to it. See: Amazon, growth of. See: Borders, tanking of. Everybody knows this. So here’s Eileen McGervey, owner of One More Page bookstore in Arlington, standing next to her gourmet chocolates and a nice little wine selection, right across from the food and travel section, and she . . . opened in January of this year?

  
John Hodgman Shares Tips for Indie Bookstores (GalleyCat)
Author John Hodgman poked fun at the demise of Borders in a Daily Show appearance (video embedded above) this week,  urging booksellers to “replace their old-fashioned bookshelves with beautiful, well-appointed downloading pods.”

Wednesday Tweet Round-Up: 40th Annual Summer Conference Edition #LA11SCBWI

My tweet roundup temporarily comes out of retirement today to bring you some great tweets from the recent--and fabulous--SCBWI Annual Summer Conference.

I've included links to a number of conference-goers post-event posts so you can see some varying perspectives. (Everyone's experience is different, after all.) You'll find plenty of photos, highlights and inspiration.

Click on the Twitter handles (@name) to find each tweeter's page should you wish to follow them or read more of what they're saying. Follow the included links to read the blog posts or view the photos offered in these tweets. To peruse the conference conversation on Twitter, search #LA11SCBWI. And be sure to check out SCBWI TEAM BLOG's in-depth coverage on the Official SCBWI Conference Blog. (Lots of great info here--don't miss it.)


WRAP-UPS & RECAPS

@HUnderdown Good, long article from @PWKidsBookshelf summarizing the #LA11SCBWI conference: http://ow.ly/61iBJ

@angelamatteson My brief conference wrap-up post: bit.ly/roA7Rb 

@kimmiepoppins bit.ly/pFiKra SCBWI LA 40th Anniversary Conference-Part 4 Libba followed by Laurie...priceless!

@DeeWhiteauthor Dee White My LA Adventure part one - inspiring Bruce Coville and more wp.me/ppiTq-NA 

@StephanieRuble My notes from the #LA11SCBWI conference - http://t.co/PaHLUiE

@Ani_Lou Notes from the awesome #LA11SCBWI conference - bit.ly/oE12L5

@karensandlerYA #LA11SCBWI - The Wisdom of Agents - Panel Discussion wp.me/p1bmGE-9V

@DiandraMae Finally posted about #LA11SCBWI diandramae.blogspot.com/2011/08/la11sc… There's probably nothing you haven't seen yet, but if you're interested... ;)

@LPP_Media For all of you who followed #LA11SCBWI, check out this fresh wrap of the event: bit.ly/qgu0cm And share your thoughts! 

HIGHLIGHTS & TAKE-AWAYS

@timmccanna Tim's Top 10 Takeaways from #LA11SCBWI timmccanna.com/2011/08/tims-t…

@leewind 5 highlights of my #LA11SCBWI experience - w/quotes & @judyblume ! bit.ly/qET7yu

@mravenbrown: Kill the Baby: A Recap of My Experience at #LA11SCBWI http://ow.ly/603pN with 13 bon mots from the conference.

@novaren In which I blog the Surreal Moments at the SCBWI LA Conference and Beyond. wp.me/pM1Z-1xK

@ingridsundberg: 14 Fun & Fabulous Take-Away's from 2011 SCBWI LA Conference: http://tinyurl.com/3dyhe8l 

PHOTOS

@LisaYee1 Look at all the big name authors at the SCBWI conference! (Some behaved better than others.) lisayee.livejournal.com/171721.html

@LisaYee1 More photos of super famous/super nice KitLit authors and illustrators conferencing & making mischief -- lisayee.livejournal.com/171951.html 

@jayasherguy: Pics from #LA11SCBWI, including me rockin' a pink bunny suit: bit.ly/q6V83r

@inkyelbows  Summary (w/ takeaways & photos) of the amazing Illustrators Intensive at #LA11SCBWI : bit.ly/nOvffl

@alansilberberg: Finally found the time to write about my weekend at #LA11SCBWI. The most amazing 4 days. Thank you all! bit.ly/nhsdtI

POST CON ADVICE

@gregpincus: Here are six social media steps to take after any conference or big event (like #la11scbwi): http://bit.ly/qyFvR5

FAVORITE QUOTES TWEETED BY ME

@alicepope: Norton Juster: For an encoure, I'm going to take out my own appendix while whistling an aria from La Bohème.

@alicepope: Gary Paulsen: When a story goes well the hair stands up on the back of my neck. It's like wolf blood.

@alicepope: David Small: Life is a shit storm. When it rains on you sometimes art is your only umbrella.

@alicepope: Bruce Coville: Writers can reach hundreds of thousands of children. Our work ripples. We have impact. 

@alicepope: I don't think about my legacy. I just want a little tombstone that says: Are you there, God? It's me, Judy.