Thank You for Joining Us for The SCBWI Summer 2024 Virtual Conference

 

Your Summer 2024 SCBWI Team Blog, clockwise from top left: Jaime Temairik, Don Tate, Jolie Stekly, Lee Wind, Justin Campbell, and Debbie Ridpath Ohi

On behalf of (alphabetical by first name order) Debbie Ridpath Ohi, Don Tate, Jaime Temairik, Jolie Stekly, Justin Campbell, and myself (Lee Wind),

Thank You!

Thank you for being part of this year's SCBWI Summer Conference—and yes, you are part of it even if you've just been checking out the posts here on the Official SCBWI Conference Blog!

We hope it's been informative and inspirational, and that you're fired up creatively to dive into your works in progress!

Save the date: The 2025 SCBWI In-Person Winter Conference will take place January 31-February 2, 2025. This Conference is an opportunity to meet IN PERSON with industry professionals and fellow children’s book creators! Traditionally held in New York City, this event features deep-dive creative labs, keynote addresses from kidlit icons, industry panels, one-on-one manuscript and portfolio consultations, and an in-person Portfolio Showcase. Registration will open in the fall of 2025. Hope to see you there!

Illustrate, Translate, and Write On,
Lee

Thanks For Joining us at the SCBWI 2023 Summer Conference

 

Jolie Stekly, Debbie Ridpath Ohi, Justin Campbell, and Jaime Temairik

This very enthusiastic SCBWI Team Blog wants to thank you for joining us at the SCBWI 2023 Conference. We hope you will continue to dive into the goodness within in the days and months to come. Check out THIS post for an index of all that we covered (and to easily find what you're looking for). 

If you somehow missed this conference and wish you could attend, there's still time. The replays will be available until September 10, 2023. Register HERE! 

And mark your calendars for the SCBWI Winter Conference 2024 in NYC on February 9-11, 2024 at the Hilton Midtown. More details to come soon. 

Meet TEAM BLOG: Looking forward to #scbwiSummer23

The online summer conference is just around the corner and Team Blog is gearing up and excited. Meet this summer's SCBWI Team Blog and hear what we love about SCBWI conferences and what we're most looking forward to at #scbwiSummer23!

Will we see you there? Tell us what you're looking forward to.

If you haven't registered yet, it's not too late. You can register HERE.

Here's the great thing: While it's so much fun to participate live, you don't have to. The conference runs from August 3-6, but if you're working, on vacay, or have anything else that conflicts, the replays from this event are available until September 10th, 2023. 

BUT...there are some great opportunities that are time sensitive and/or require attendance that you might not want to miss. 

The Portfolio Showcase! This event has launched careers, and not just for the winners. The deadline is coming up soon. You must sign up by 7/24 at 5:00 pm and submit your pieces by 7/24 at 11:59 pm. 

Also, don't miss your chance to pitch to an editor or agent, to have a consultation for your website and social media, and to participate in peer critique. All require registration and online attendance. 

If you're not able to join, or just want a sense of what's happening at the conference, please follow us here. Team Blog will be posting as the conference is happening. And follow the #scbwiSummer23 hashtag across social media platforms to see what the SCBWI, Team Blog, and attendees are sharing. 

Click HERE to register and check out all that's happen. 

Newest Member of #scbwiSummer22 Blog Team: Jasmine Paul

 Hi there!

I’m Jasmine Paul, the new kid on the block for the 2022 Society of Children’s Book Writer’s and Illustrator’s Summer Conference Blog Team #scbwiSummer22.

I’m pumped to be live blogging with the team: Lee Wind - @leewind, Jolie Stekly - @cuppajolie, Debbie Ridpath Ohi @inkyelbows, Don Tate - @Devas_T and Jamie Temairik - @jaimetem over the next two days.

Here are 9 things that you may not know about me (since we just met).

 

1. I wrote my debut children’s book, A Boy, a Budget, and a Dream in my car after I got off work. 
2. I started writing as a kid. My first published work was called Tall, at the age of 7.
3. A Boy, a Budget, and a Dream were named Parent’s Magazine's Top 10 Best Books to Teach Kids about Money and was selected in the American Library Association’s Diverse Personal Finance Guide of Books - Thinking Money for Kids. 
4. I’m inspired when I talk to youth, watch animated movies, read, and on long car rides.
5. I'm also financial literacy expert. Let's talk about money.
6. I’m a first-generation American.
7. I grew up in Asia.
8. I was Princess Jasmine three times in a row (yes, I fit the costume)
9. I learned about SCBWI after I emailed the renowned author and illustrator Peter H. Reynolds about how to write a children’s book.

So now that you know a little about me, I want to get to know you. Share 3 things most people don’t know about you on Twitter, be sure to @ me - @jasminelikepaul.

Tweet about your experience at the SCBWI Summer 2022 conference - Don't forget to use #scbwiSummer22

 

Let’s follow each other on Twitter/Instagram:

Twitter: @Jasminelikepaul

Instagram: @Jasminelikepaul

or check out my work: www.CreateFinStew.com

Thanks For Joining Us For The 2022 SCBWI Winter Conference!

On behalf of Debbie Ridpath Ohi, Don Tate, Jaime Temairik, Jolie Stekly, and myself, Lee Wind, thank you for spending time with us as we experienced and blogged the 2022 SCBWI Winter Conference - #scbwiWinter22

Clockwise from top left: Lee Wind, Debbie Ridpath Ohi, Jolie Stekly, Don Tate, and Jaime Temairik

We hope you're inspired to do your creative thing, and are cheering you on as you illustrate, translate, and write works for kids and teens!

As Stephanie Garber said in her Saturday morning keynote, 

"Your dream is worth pursuing!"

Thank You, and Save The Dates For The SCBWI Summer 2021 Conference: July 30, 31 and August 1 (New Dates as of March 15, 2021)

On behalf of all the team bloggers for this conference, Debbie Ohi, Lakita Wilson, Don Tate, Jolie Stekly, Jaime Temairik, and myself, Lee Wind, thanks for following along!

awesome graphic by Debbie Ohi - thanks, Debbie!

And save the dates for the SCBWI Summer 2021 conference. It's going to be virtual. And it's going to be an incredible celebration of 50 years of SCBWI!

Until then, stay safe, and Illustrate, Translate, and Write On!
Lee

Gearing up for #LA18SCBWI

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!

Meet #LA17SCBWI’s Team Blog

Meet 2017's SCBWI Team Blog!

We'll be live blogging the 46th annual SCBWI Summer Conference from July 7-10th, 2017 here at http://scbwiconference.blogspot.com, and on social media using the hashtag #LA17SCBWI

Follow and RT:

• Lee Wind: @leewind
• Sona Charaipotra @sona_c
• Jolie Stekly @cuppajolie
• Susie Ghahremani @boygirlparty
• Jaime Temairik @jaimetem

Tomorrow is the final day to register at https://www.scbwi.org/events/46th-annual-summer-conference-in-los-angeles-la17/#event-registration 

Follow along and join the conversation:

#LA17SCBWI on Twitter
#LA17SCBWI on Instagram
#LA17SCBWI on Facebook
http://scbwiconference.blogspot.com

Meet illustrator Susie Ghahremani, SCBWI Guest Team Blogger for The Summer #LA17SCBWI Conference

It's super to have Susie on the team for this 2017 SCBWI Summer Conference!

Check out our interview here.

Thank You, and We'll See You In Los Angeles!

SCBWI Team Blog, left to right: Lee Wind, Jaime Temairik, Jolie Stekly, Don Tate, and Martha Brockenbrough

What a conference!

We hope you'll join us for all the inspiration, craft, business, opportunity and community of the 45th Annual SCBWI Summer Conference in Los Angeles, July 29 - August 1, 2016.

SCBWI Team Blog
Lee, Jaime, Jolie, Martha and Don

Welcome, from SCBWI Team Blog

We're so glad you're here -- in person and/or following along on this blog.

SCBWI Team Blog, from Left to Right: Jolie Stekly, Martha Brockenbrough (standing), Lee Wind, Don Tate and Jaime Temairik

Welcome to #NY16SCBWI, the 17th Annual SCBWI Winter Conference!

Thank You And We'll See You In New York For #NY16SCBWI

From left to right: Lee Wind, Martha Brockenbrough, Jolie Stekly, Jaime Temairik and Don Tate

From all of us at SCBWI Team Blog, thanks for following along!

We hope you'll join us for the 17th Annual SCBWI Winter Conference in New York City, February 12-14, 2016.

Featuring:

Full-day intensives for both writers and illustrators,
The juried portfolio showcase with Grand Prize,
The opportunity to network with top editors, agents and publishers
Workshops,
Keynotes
and much more!

Craft. Business. Inspiration. Opportunity. Community.
We're your SCBWI.

Shannon Hale interviewed by Martha Brockenbrough: The #LA15SCBWI Pre-Conference Interview

Check out this great discussion between SCBWI Team Blog's Martha Brockenbrough and best-selling and award-winning author Shannon Hale.

Shannon shares from the heart why she's taken a stand against gender bias in our culture and especially our books. Here's just a taste:

"If I make one change in the world, I hope it's getting more people to question why boys are shamed for/kept away from reading books about girls. The more we question the idea that it's normal and natural and fine, the more we'll realize it's not and things will slowly start to change."
–Shannon Hale

Shannon will be giving a Sunday keynote address "Opening Up The Clubhouse: Boys, Girls, and Genderless Books." She will also be leading a Sunday afternoon workshop, "Writing With Kids: The Marvelous High Wire Act of Writer Parents" and a half-day intensive workshop on Monday, "Building Worlds From The Dust."

Here's the description of that intensive:

E. Shannon Hale – Building Worlds from the Dust

There's nothing like creating a whole new world inside your fantasy or science fiction novel. We'll examine other fictional worlds and discuss tricks and tips to building your own. Assignment: Come with a page or two describing the fictional world of your work-in-progress and be prepared to discuss some of your favorite world-built novels.

Many of the intensives have already sold out, but there's still space as of this writing in others, including Shannon's.

You can find out all the conference details and register here.

See You In L.A.!

And as we say in Los Angeles, "That's a wrap!"

Thank you for joining us here on the Official SCBWI Conference blog!

Lee Wind (top), and left to right: Jolie Stekly, Jaime Temairik, Martha Brockenbrough and Don Tate!

We hope you'll join Team Blog from July 31-Aug 3, 2015 in Los Angeles for all the craft, business, inspiration, opportunity and community the SCBWI Summer Conference offers. The 2015 Summer Conference Faculty will include Mike Curato, Paul Fleischman, Mem Fox, Jane O'Connor, Meg Wolitzer, and Dan Santat - who just won the Caldecott Medal!

Welcoming Don Tate to Team Blog for #NY15SCBWI

Lee Wind: We’re so excited you'll be joining us as part of SCBWI team blog for the upcoming winter conference!

Don Tate: If you all are excited then I am ecstatic! I attended a national conference in LA a few years back. It was a blast. I can’t wait to attend the New York conference, covering it as a blogger. I take this job to heart; I may even wear the hat.

Lee: You’re an author/illustrator or should I say, an illustrator/author. Which came first, and how did the second evolve?

Don: I’ve been an illustrator of children’s books and educational products for more than 30 years. But it took writing a book before anyone began to notice me. I started writing about 10 years ago, when I wrote the first draft for It Jes’ Happened: When Bill Traylor Started to Draw. I guess that makes me an illustrator-author. Thing is, I love writing as much as illustrating. As a matter of fact, I just finished writing a short story that will be included in a middle grade anthology. I. Loved. Writing. That. Story! Longterm, I’d like to focus more of my career on telling stories with words—a chapter book, novel, graphic novel.

Lee: What do you want people to know about you?

Don: That I like hamburgers. And Twizzlers. I’m a newly converted chocolate lover, too. But really. I think most people who follow me on social networks think I’m an outgoing guy—the life of the party. I am not. I can’t emphasize that enough. I’m an introvert to the nth degree. But I love the children’s book business. It’s the one thing that seems to draw me out of my shell.

Lee: What don't you want us to know?wait! don't tell us!

Don: I’m a kidlit author and illustrator fanboy. Children’s book authors and illustrators and editors

Don Tate stealing a selfie with "Bad Kitty" Nick Bruel

are my heroes. When I attend conferences where I am a featured book creator, I spend a lot of time chasing down my favorite authors and illustrators. I once cornered a famous author hero in the men’s restroom at a big library conference and ask for a selfie. Don’t believe me, just ask Nick Bruel.

Lee: What are you most looking forward to about the conference and about being part of team blog?

Don: Well again, I’m a kidlit guy so I look forward to meeting and mingling with my tribe, as Lin Oliver would say. As far as the blog, I’m gonna be like one of those annoying red carpet reports (that everyone enjoys following). I plan to bring the Who, What, Where, When and Why. The conference will be fun, and so I hope to make it an enjoyable experience for those who won’t be in attendance, but who want to follow along.

Oh, and by the way, you can also find me on Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest.

Lee: Okay, That's it. quick and easy! See you there!

**************************************
For more or information about Don, see his website!

Don Tate is an award-winning author, and the illustrator of numerous critically acclaimed books for children, including The Cart That Carried Martin, (Charlesbridge); Hope’s Gift, (Penguin); Duke Ellington’s Nutcracker Suite (Charlesbridge); and Ron’s Big Mission, (Penguin). He is also the author of It Jes’ Happened: When Bill Traylor Started To Draw (Lee & Low Books, 2102), an Ezra Jack Keats New Writer Honor winner. His upcoming titles include The Amazing Age of John Roy Lynch (Illustrator, Eerdmans, 2015), and Poet: The Remarkable Story of George Moses Horton (Author and illustrator, Peachtree, 2015). Don is a founding host of the The Brown Bookshelf –a blog dedicated to books for African American young readers; and a member of the #WeNeedDiverseBooks campaign, created to address the lack of diverse, non-majority narratives in children’s literature. He lives in Austin, Texas, with his family.

The 2014 SCBWI Summer Conference is About To Start!

The registration lines are buzzing, people are struggling to pull themselves away from the conference bookstore, chairs are being filled…


We're moments from the start of #LA14SCBCWI, and before we "GO!" you should know two things:

1. You're in good hands…

Your SCBWI Team Blog: Left to Right: Lee Wind, Jolie Stekly, Jaime Temairik and Martha Brockenbrough

and,

2. We're so glad you're here. (Even if you're just joining us virtually…)

...And That's A Wrap!

On behalf of all of us on Team Blog, we hope you've enjoyed our reporting on the 2013 SCBWI Summer Conference.  Check out the more than 70 conference posts below to get a taste of the craft, business, inspiration, opportunity and community the Society of Children's Books Writers and Illustrators is all about!

'Bye For Now (right to left: Lee, Suzanne, Martha, Jolie and Jaime)

Start planning now to join us at the next International SCBWI Conference, our 15th Annual Winter Conference, February 21-23, 2014, in New York City.

Illustrate and Write On,
Lee Wind, Suzanne Young, Martha Brockenbrough, Jolie Stekly and Jaime Temairik

Welcome to The 42nd Annual SCBWI Summer Conference!

We're SCBWI Team Blog!  From left:  Jaime Temairik, Jolie Stekly, Martha Brockenbrough, Suzanne Young and Lee Wind.

Keep checking back here for blog posts (and on twitter for tweets marked #la13scbwi) for conference highlights, insights and inspirations.

We're so glad you're joining us.

Here's to an amazing conference ahead!

Until the next time... In Los Angeles! (August 2-5, 2013)

Team Blog, hard at work.

From left to right:  Martha Brockenbrough, Jolie Stekly, Lee Wind, Jaime Temairik and Suzanne Young.  Err...   Suzanne (not pictured) is doing research on her new book dealing with invisibility, and although she's not visible in the photo, she's blogging away!

Suzanne, visible

We had a great time blogging the 14th Annual SCBWI Winter Conference!  We invite you to read the posts from the sessions you were fortunate enough to attend, get a glimpse of the ones you missed, and think about the moments and insights that are still resonating for you.  Share your take in comments.

And we hope to see YOU in Los Angeles for the 42nd Annual SCBWI Summer Conference, August 2nd-August 5th, 2013.

Illustrate and Write On,

Lee, Jaime, Jolie, Martha and Suzanne
SCBWI Team Blog


ps - thanks to Emily Jiang for the top photo!

pps - illustrator students - there's a scholarship you can apply for to attend the summer conference.  Find out more here.

ppps - for published authors and/or illustrators who are interested in switching children's book genres, you can apply for a Martha Weston Grant to receive an all-expenses paid trip to the Summer Conference.

A Taste Not A Transcript: Blogging Advice In Latin

Thanks, Matthew!