Creative Lab: The Art of Business: Building, Expanding, and Sustaining Your Illustration Career

Creative Lab: The Art of Business: Building, Expanding, and. Sustaining Your Illustration Career

SESSION 1: Building Your Career with Cecilia Yung & Christy Ewers

"Do not be intimidated, BE INSPIRED! We are all on our own paths and journeys"- Cecilia Yung

Identifying Your Career Goals

The session started with that simple quote, one that was to keep us all grounded as we journeyed along with the amazing Christy Ewers and Cecilia Yung.

"At every stage of your career, you'll find challenges. Identify who you are as an artist and illustrator."

During the presentation, there was an emphasis on pinpointing your needs, wants, and interests. 

"Make a list of 100 favorite things to draw"- Christy Ewers

Christy Ewers suggested a wonder exercise from John Hendrix "Drawing is Magic" where you write down 100 things that you like to draw. This is a great way to know what you want to spend your time drawing and also, what you DON'T want.

 

Image: https://www.scbwi.org/scbwi-exclusive-with-chad-beckerman/

We discussed how our goals should differ from one another. We are all at different stages of our careers, with different life circumstances, gifts, focus, and resources. We shouldn't have generic goals. Know what you want and lean toward that. 

"How you spend your day is how you spend your life."

With so much to consider, you are in control. YOU determine what your priorities and needs are. And a great way is to make short and long-term goals for yourself. Such powerful words. 

"Your portfolio is a thumbnail of your life" Cecilia Yung

With incredible insight from both the agency and publishing side, we went in depth through the different genres, deep diving to help the illustrators in the audience find their "niche." 

We dove into what you should try to focus on within your art. "Action, Reaction, Interaction!" Cecilia Yung emphasized the importance of being a visual storyteller. Does it work? Ask for critiques from supportive and thoughtful people. Be critical as you assess your work!

Don't follow the trends. Instead, find what makes you tick and go toward that!

The biggest takeaway for me was knowing WHO ARE YOU? Remember, "you are as strong as your weakest piece" and "what does your portfolio say about you?" 

Lean into your strengths. Lean into your weaknesses. "You don't have to do every. You don't need to be good at everything. Be really good at one thing." That's good enough. 

YOU ARE IN CONTROL <3 

C'est moi, trying my best to take ALL the notes! SO MANY NUGGETS!!!!

Shoutout to Debbie Ridpath Ohi for taking such wonderful photos for me as I soaked everything in! Debbie was a part of Session Two, and all I can say is- WOW! So grateful for her energy and wonderful advice! Such a supernova of a human!

Stay connected with this AWESOME community, with #scbwiNY23 on Twitter @scbwi & Instagram @scbwi

Chrisy Ewers is the owner of The CAT Agency, renamed in 2018 in homage to her mother, Christina A. Tugeau, who founded the agency in 1994. The CAT Agency is a boutique agency that takes a personal approach to representing a diverse group of children’s book illustrators and author/illustrators from all over the world. Along with colleagues, Senior Agent, Chad W. Beckerman and Associate Agents, Christie Megill and Aliza R. Hoover, Christy works closely with the entire family of artists, supporting long-term career growth for all creators. She leads in spearheading deals and promotion for CAT Agency illustrators, as well as working alongside the authors in the group to help craft their stories for young readers. For more information, visit www.catagencyinc.com.

Cecilia Yung is executive art director and vice president at Penguin Books for Young Readers, where she oversees illustration and design for two imprints, G.P. Putnam’s Sons and Nancy Paulsen Books. She is fortunate to have worked with some of the major illustrators of children’s books, but the highlight of her work is to discover and develop new talent. She is on the Advisory Council of SCBWI, as well as a member of its Illustrators Committee.

Creative Lab: The Miracle of the Picture Book with Allyn Johnston

Allyn Johnston is VP and publisher of Beach Lane Books, a San Diego-based children’s book imprint that she founded on April Fool’s Day, 2008. Among the authors and illustrators with whom she works are Marla Frazee, Lauren Stringer, Cynthia Rylant, Arthur Howard, Mark Teague, Mem Fox, Linda Davick, Jeanette Winter, Jonah Winter, Jan Thomas, Mary Lyn Ray, Amy Schwartz, Aura Lewis, Katie Mazeika, K. L. Going, and Debra Frasier.

Allyn Johnston reads and analyses one of many picture books during this Creative Lab

At the start of three breakout sessions on the "Miracle of the Picture Book," Allyn shares that she's looking for "imaginative brilliance" -- a manuscript that "delivers an emotional impact," an emotional experience that effects the reader and the child/children the book is being read to.

Allyn encourages us to consider that "it's not just a book, it's a performance for the reader" and that when picture books are done right, it's "Holy work at its best."

Among many shared examples, Allyn reads School's First Day of School by Adam Rex, illustrated by Christian Robinson, aloud to us, then considers what makes it work: How it's funny, emotional, a completely fresh take on the concept, with dialog that advances the story and deepens the emotion. And a good refrain.

When writing a manuscript, Allyn offers the advice that you're "writing a script for a piece of theater on the stage of a picture book."

And then we get hands-on! To make the point that a picture book manuscript is not just a block of text, Allyn prepared a block of text for us to cut up and place into a book dummy. (We take eight blank 8.5"x11" pages, folded hamburger style to make a 32 page dummy). 

The room at work!

Close up exercise work - printed out manuscript as block of text, scissors, and tape/glue

The text we do the exercise with is from Scarecrow, by Cynthia Rylant, illustrated by Lauren Stringer. 

After we've made our own choices, we get to compare the choices Lauren made for page breaks in illustrating the text by Cynthia.

Maybe the most valuable aspect of this 7.5 hour workshop is Allyn's live reading of first pages submitted by attendees, with her live commentary on what grabs her and what doesn't -- and why. 

There's lots more example books, Q&A, and advice... an amazing Creative Lab!

Creative Lab: TRUE REVISION with Elana K Arnold and Eliot Schrefer

Creative Lab: TRUE REVISION with Elana K Arnold and Eliot Schrefer

The plan ahead for our 7.5 hours together:

Session 1: What have I made? 

Taking a hard look at what we've actually made, rather than what we intended to make. We'll make a story map and looking at settings.

Session 2: What haven't I considered? We'll look at tension and scene building, as well at the rhythm of five pages. 

Session 3: The full novel diagnostic. We'll leave with a plan for working on the revision when we go home. 

So, friends, it looks like some productive work is in store. I'll give you a peek inside as we move through the three sessions. 

In this first session, we get a peek inside the way Eliot maps plot and Elena shares amazing insight to the ways setting can work even more for our stories. 

Here's a great suggestion and something you can try:

Elana and Eliot send off to consider what we love about our projects. This is an important consideration because we so often look at what's wrong with our work instead of what's right. Elana encourages us to lean into what we love and others love about our work. 

⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️

In session 2, we are looking more micro-level; at sentences, openings, and scenes and how it all relates to the whole. 

Here's a takeaway that might be fun to look at:

Read the first paragraph of THE HUNGER GAMES. Note with each sentence what information it gave you and/or what question(s) has it made you consider. 

A tip from Elana: find what you think is the strongest scene in your book. Let it be the gold standard and know that all of your scenes can be just as good.

Here's a peek at the list generated of what attendees thought were key takeaways from day 1. (The last one will have to remain a mystery.) 

⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️

In session three we are going into manuscript triage, making a list of all the things we need to do in order to get by the end of this draft, and ascribing deadlines that feel realistic. 

Here's a great tip from this morning's session: If you have family and friends who aren't writers, a great way to get feedback from them is to ask them to read the first half of the book and to report back on what they think is going to happen. Then you can decide what you want to fulfill and what you want to subvert. 

If you're wishing you were here in True Revision or were here and still want more, Elana will be teaching her Revision Season course online and she's offering a discount (Spring23). 

The Spanish Language/Translators Social

Translation is an art, and the artists who work on children's literature are a vital part of our international SCBWI community! (The world is much more diverse than just folks who speak English...)

The Spanish Language/Translators Social on Saturday at lunch was an intimate conversation, with connections international and multi-lingual!

Some of the handouts included:

for copies of the handouts or for any SCBWI translation questions, email tc@scbwi.org

for resources in español, email Malena Fuentes, slc@scbwi.org

Creative Lab: Breaking the Frame: Exploring the Expanding Universe of Graphic Novel Illustration with Jen Wang

Jen Wang is the award-winning NYT Bestselling author and illustrator of several graphic novels for young readers including Stargazing, The Prince and The Dressmaker, In Real Life (co-written with Cory Doctorow), and Koko Be Good. She is also a co-founder and organizer for Comic Arts LA where she lives in Los Angeles.

She started off the graphic novel creative lab with Writing with Pictures: Applying Art to Narrative, a deep dive into the fundamentals of visual storytelling in comics. Jen shared how she uses her layouts, pacing, and panel composition to convey emotion, manipulate timing, and enhance the narrative. Jen doesn't consider herself an illustrator first. She really only illustrates for her stories, so she thinks of herself as a writer who does drawings to support her words.

Jen believes being a seasoned illustrator is not what makes for a great comic, it’s more important what you have to say. The combination of a personal style and voice is what makes it unique to that person.

Jen wants people to not feel intimidated to consider exploring, comics are a medium available to however you want to express yourself.

But they DO require an intensive amount of drawing, at minimum you’ll have done at least a hundred pages of drawing, if not more typically 200 pages! So by the time you’re done, you’ve basically Malcolm Gladwelled yourself into being a legit graphic novelist. Jen learned many things from her first forays into long-form comics, knowledge that continues to inform how she works even today.

Lessons on layouts, pacing, and panel composition are illustrated with examples from a variety of comic works, including Jen’s own books, as well as inspiration from film/tv and photography

Participants in the lab then did some simple drawing exercises to explore our voices and approach with the techniques learned during the lab.

Portfolio Show: Sneak Peeks and Unsanctioned Predictions

Not to toot my own horn* but having seen SCBWI portfolio shows at least twice a year since 2008, without fail one of my favorites from the show has ALWAYS also happened to be a winner of something in the official portfolio awards.

Like the art directors, agents, and editors attending the show I grab a promo piece** of whatever illustrator's work really jazzes me up to remember them by and this year is no different. 

Though not as clairvoyant as the octopus who predicts the Super Bowl***, all the artists below are new to me but I do feel like they stand out to anybody as kickass children's book art. Happy to take bets if any of these picks are winners tomorrow****. So with no input from SCBWI HQ or the anonymous judges my favorite portfolios for SCBWI Winter 2023 are below in no particular order*****. And congratulations to everyone who put their work out there this weekend, that's a big deal in and of itself! 

If you attended the show last night share your favorite portfolio names or links below in the comments!

* A poorly played French Horn in junior high if you must know.

** It's so important for in-person shows to make promo pieces that people can take with them! If you don't have the budget for promo pieces consider printing your name/website as a footer on your individual portfolio pages so someone can at least snap a photo of the art and your name in one go.

*** Eagles all the way, Go Birds

**** Send all my winnings to Venmo, thx!

*****Did not look to see if the illustrator was agented when picking out my favorites, a reminder SCBWI has two categories of winners for portfolio shows so agented and unagented are not judged together.

Brizida Magro

Martin Saavedra

Anden Wilder

Abigail Rajunov

Andrew Lozano

Kelly Anne Dalton

Yuki Murayama

Marla Frazee - Saturday Morning Keynote

Marla being
generally awesome

Marla Frazee is a longtime SCBWI member, incredible teacher, and all around terrific person. Her books have won Caldecott Honors, movie deals, and numerous illustration awards. Marla's keynotes are always a lesson in picturebook magic and heart/life insights so she's the perfect choice to set the vibe for our first time back together in person. Marla thanks SCBWI for bringing us all together again as well as thanks them for shifting and adapting during the Pandemic to bring our beloved community together online.

Marla tells us about hearing Trina Schart Hyman's SCBWI keynote many years ago where she complained unapologetically about the publishing industry (Trina was known for being brutally honest). Marla admired Trina's frankness and badassery and began a correspondence with her that lasted many years. Marla, as a struggling newbie, wrote to Trina complaining about work/life balance. Trina wrote back: You're right, the center doesn't hold and most things are falling apart.

Trina and Marla's correspondence went on, Trina posing these sorts of questions to Marla when Marla shared her worries about having enough time and money to continue making books:

Do you want to be an artist? Or do you want to fuck around?

Who are you doing this for? And is it worth it? 

At the time, Trina's answer to that last question was that she didn't know anymore. After a few years of back-to-back family tragedies and big life/relational changes Trina had stopped wanting to make pictures even though, after 37 years of a very successful illustration career, she was still at the top of her game. At the time Marla couldn't understand how Trina could lose her creative spark so fully, but the Pandemic changed that.

The baddest of all asses, Trina Schart Hyman

Marla talks about all the sorts of loss that happened during the Pandemic for all of us—time, purpose, routine, relationships, and cognitive space for creativity among those less tangible things than a negative Covid test or toilet paper were gone, not for weeks, but for years. Though Marla still felt creative she couldn't get to 'funny' during 2020, so she gave up working on the humorous picture book she'd been trying to make and instead turned to a book she'd been working on since 1998 based on the lines of a Jewish baby-naming blessing. 

The question of balancing our life with our work will never be resolved, says Marla. When she looks back at her first six books, all made while she had young children, they were all made in small pockets of time and the art for them bubbled up from her life experiences at the time. This is how the art finally bubbled up for In Every Life during the Pandemic. Kirkus calls it a "lyrical blessing of a picture book [that] belongs on every shelf". In Every Life will help you answer Trina's questions above as well as provide you some life and art inspiration so order your copy today. 

 

If you want to watch Jennifer Garner read In Every Life to Marla's adorable grandbaby:

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Marla Frazee (@marlafrazee)

Welcome by Sarah Baker

It's our first time back since 2020. Last minute cups are being filled with coffee, and everyone is flooding the ballroom to hear SCBWI's Executive Director Sarah Baker welcome the 2023 attendees. 

A huge thank you  to Kim Turrisi, the SCBWI Conference Coordinator, for her hard work to bring us all together, as well as the rest of the SCBWI staff. 

Last night the portfolio show was held, and the who's who of the industry came to view. Not only that, but they were delighted by what they saw. So much talent on display! 

It's been three years since the last in-person conference. Sarah hopes we'll be fully immersed in books and our book lives together in person. That we'll celebrate and encourage each other all weekend, and as we move forward creating books for young people. 

Over 200 hundred people are here for the first time! Folks are here from all over the country and the world. There are writers, illustrators, and translators that are both published and pre-published. 

And here we go, as Sarah introduces long-time SCBWI member MARLA FRAZEE! 

The Winter 2023 SCBWI Conference Is About To Begin!

Conference Attendees getting their caffeine buzz...

as the buzz begins!

We start soon...

here's to a fantastic conference ahead!

WHAT A NIGHT! Industry Party and Portfolio Showcase

What a night! 

With SCBWI’s first in-person conference in years, the room was buzzing with excitement. Surrounded by positive energy and stunning artwork, how could you not be?!

There were a hundred and fifty portfolios at the Industry Party! Agents, publishers, and industry professionals were able to browse through all of the wonderful submissions. The artwork was beautiful, spanning the Grand Ballroom— a cacophony of colorful and expressive work, each unique and fantastic in its own way. 

This was my first time participating in the showcase, and seeing the breadth of work was astounding. There were portfolios of all different styles, mediums, and voices from attendees of all levels at all different points in their careers. It was incredibly inspiring.

 

From 8 pm-9 pm, everyone was invited to view the work of the attendees and I was able to speak with an agent AND a publisher who gave me such great advice. The generosity and energy of the attendees were so electric and it reminded me that this is a community of special, kind, and warm people who all have a love for children’s literature.

I was definitely nervous to submit but I am SO glad that I took the plunge, and put myself out there. It can feel vulnerable and scary, but aren't we all in the business of vulnerability and connection? After submitting and attending, here are a few takeaways I've learned:

1. Be yourself and showcase your voice!
2. Presentation is key! (This is a representation of you!)
3. Don’t be afraid to connect! It can be nerve-racking but you aren’t alone!
4. Postcards were SUPER helpful! (By the end of the night, the attendees had their hands full of them!)
5. TAKE a postcard and support your fellow SCBWI members! (I’ve gained so many new illustrators that I’m excited to follow and be inspired by) 
6. Take deep breaths! (Growth can feel wonderful but also, uncomfortable. But just take a moment, and be present. You never know what could happen!)

I am so happy to have had a chance to participate in the Portfolio Showcase and I highly recommend it to anyone who is looking to be inspired, find momentum within their career, or take a chance on themselves! Take risks, share your passion, share your art, and BE SEEN! 

YOU WON'T REGRET IT!

Stay connected with this AWESOME community, with #scbwiNY23 on Twitter @scbwi & Instagram @scbwi

SCBWI NY Conference Excitement: Piranha Pit (applications due today!)

What a wild couple of years it's been, SCBWI-ers! A huge round of applause for the incredible virtual events that have been held by regional and HQ SCBWI these last few years. 

While I'm so thankful we are starting to have opportunities to see our great community in person again at both local and international events, I'm equally as impressed that SCBWI is continuing to offer a virtual version of the 2023 Winter NY Conference for those of us with health, budget, time, location, and/or witness protection program anonymity constraints.

Check out Lee Wind's post for how the two opportunities overlap and differ. There's still time to register for either, click here for in-person or virtual!

If this is your first time at a conference, or if like me you've forgotten how to have conversations with your in-person face, check out Jolie Stekly's post for first-time attendees. 

Please also welcome Justin Campbell to Team Blog! And check out his great post on the wonderful, community building socials that in-person conferences like #scbwiNY23 provide.

A new Winter Conference element I think registered, published attendees should be really excited about: The Piranha Pit! Like Shark Tank but for book marketing plan moolah!

But you've go to get your hustles on! Deadline to apply is 5pm PST today, Today, TODAY! (The bulk of the work will happen at the conference if you are chosen, so you can do eet!). Here are the details:

• Submit your entry TODAY via email to scbwipiranhapit@scbwi.org. It may be in written form or on video for a traditionally or independently/self-published book that is a new or backlist title published within the last four years (2018 – March 31, 2023).
• Six contestants will be pre-selected by the SCBWI staff to present their plans live and have 8–10 minutes to pitch. Pitch should include telling us a little bit about yourself, the elevator pitch of your book, why you think your marketing plan will be effective, why you chose these tactics, and how you will measure success. Marketing plan pitches may use props, costumes, music, instruments, quadratic equations, theremins, small or large exotic animals*––whatever you think will help the piranhas understand your book and your plan.
• The pit winner will receive $1,000.00 and will be featured on our website, on SCBWI social media, and in Insight, our monthly member newsletter.

Good luck to everyone who enters! Just attending the pit session will provide all sorts of marketing ideas even if you don't win the cash prize, so be sure it's on your itinerary if you're interested in learning more about promoting your books.

And as a reminder, if you aren't able to attend, please join us HERE on the blog. We’ll be sharing posts and summaries of as many of the #scbwiNY23 conference events as we can. 

*SCBWI would like me to mention I'm just trying to be funny and please do not bring any exotic animals of any size, especially piranhas, to the Piranha Pit. 

The Power of Community: Conference Socials and MORE! #scbwiNY23

Hi, I’m Justin and I am joining the SCBWI Team Blog this year, blogging my way through the SCBWI 2023 Winter Conference. A professional dancer and freelance illustrator, I joined SCBWI back in 2020. 

When the pandemic hit and the world stopped, I instead dove into the worlds on my bookshelves. Back at square one, with no creative outlet to perform and dance, I started to read more, draw more and create with more fire than I have in years. With no legroom (I live in New York) to “kick, ball, change”, I rekindled my love with my writing and artwork. 

SCBWI came into my orbit by the recommendation of a good friend, and I found my world open up to amazing new possibilities. I was blown away by the organization. I loved the digital conference and the abundance of resources it provided. There were amazing keynote speakers, awesome panels, and insightful discussions. As a new member, I was definitely intrigued but a bit overwhelmed. But what really stuck with me, and helped me stay grounded was the connections I was able to make along the way.

On one of the first nights, there was an online social that introduced me to so many brilliant people that I am still in touch with today. And being stuck in the house, it was such a gift to have such a colorful community almost materialize before me like magic. Community is vital to the artists’ spirit and to be surrounded by like-minded people who care and inspire you is truly invaluable. 

That is what the conference social events did for me. 

During the virtual conferences, SCBWI did a wonderful job at making sure we were able to connect, whether through Zoom or social media-hosted events. And now, with the opportunity to mix and mingle in person, I look forward to creating even deeper connections with new and old friends.  

On Saturday, February 11th from 7:30-9pm, there will be socials geared to many different communities—LGTBQIA2S+, Equity & Inclusion, GenNext, New Members & First-Time Attendee, Illustrators’. Come join in on the fun! I’ll be there, doing a “kick, ball, change” of joy!

Or even come and check out some artwork at the Portfolio Showcase on Friday, February 10th from 8pm-9pm in the Grand Ballroom Foyer! 

Don’t be afraid to put yourself out there! Jump in, make some new friends and colleagues, network, and CONNECT! 

If you haven’t registered, and you’d like to join, register HERE! There will be the NY Conference on February 10th-12th and the virtual conference on February 25th! 

Stay connected with this AWESOME community, with #scbwiNY23 on Twitter @scbwi & Instagram @scbwi

P:S: Regional chapter events are another great way to stay connected! Monday nights on Discord, my regional chapter comes together and writes! 

Check out your regional chapter and see how you can continue to build up your community—YOUR ECOSYSTEM! 

Regional Chapter News https://www.scbwi.org/regional-chapters-new/

Regional Virtual Events: https://www.scbwi.org/regional-virtual-events/

FIRST TIME? OR NOT-SO FIRST TIME? #scbwiNY23

I'm so excited to be back in NYC--back to in-person conferencing with SCBWI!

But first, if we haven’t met, Hi! I’m Jolie Stekly. I’m part of SCBWI Team Blog and I’ve also hosted the first-time attendee orientations at the Los Angeles conferences, as well as the several summer and winter online conferences that have been happening since 2020. (Perhaps we’ve met there!)

For many, this might be your first conference. There are many ways to first. Perhaps it's your first time attending any SCBWI conference. Maybe it's your first time attending an SCBWI conference in NYC. Or, it could be your first in-person conference because you've been attending them online these past few years. 

If it’s a first of any sort, I hope you’ll join me, along with Christopher Cheng, on Saturday night, 2/11 at 7:30 for the First-time Attendee/ New Member Social. 

I love the structure of this year’s winter conference, and I think it’s really nice for those attending for the first time. Rather than floating from session to session, in what can feel like a sea of strangers, taking a deep dive with the same group of people through three sessions will make creating new connections easier. 

That said…

Let’s be honest…not even that is easy. I realize that for many of us that requires a whole lot of getting out of one's comfort zone. But you can do it, especially if you know you’re not alone in feeling that way. I promise, you’re not. 

If there’s something I would want you to know, it’s that. If you feel like you’re the only one here for the first time, know there are hundreds more. Here's proof!

That's a room FILLED with first-time attendees!

So! Some tips for the those new or not-so new: 

⭐️ Make connections ⭐️

Now that you know that you're not the only one, meeting others is the best part of being in-person. Your Creative Lab will be a great place to start. You'll very likely meet others also attending for the first time, or you'll meet someone who remembers what it was like for them. 

⭐️ Make a few achievable goals ⭐️

We can often put pressure on ourselves to achieve goals that are not in our control while attending (for example, finding an agent for your book). There are many ways to focus your attention that will have you feeling like it was a successful conference.  It might be: learning more about agents who might be a fit for your work; seeking out others looking for a critique group; finding a takeaway that can make your work stronger; and...one of those goals might be to meet a few people. 

⭐️ Find YOUR ONE THING ⭐️

Finding your one thing is my solution to conference overwhelm. Conferences can be both inspiring and informative, but that can later turn into overwhelm. Seek out the one thing you know you were meant to hear/experience/learn. It doesn’t mean that you won’t have other takeaways, but identifying that one key element that you know was the reason you needed to be at this conference (maybe to hear that bit of inspiration, or note on craft, or meeting someone you wouldn’t have otherwise…there are so many possibilities.)

Still thinking about joining us? It's not too late!  There’s still time to register. 

If you wish you could, but it’s not possible this time, please join us HERE on the blog. We’ll be sharing posts about the many happenings. Also on social media platforms, follow #scbwiNY23

And a reminder that if being in NY isn't possible this time, there will be a virtual conference on February 25. Check it out here. 

#scbwiNY23 - Two Amazing Options for the SCBWI Winter Conference this February 2023

 It's a new year, and the in-person SCBWI Winter Conference is back, February 10-12, 2023! 

There's a brand-new format, with really in-depth craft workshops for authors and illustrators (7.5 hours over two days!) so check out all twelve "Creative Lab" options here. 

And of course there are inspiring keynotes (Marla Frazee, Caldecott Honor winning author/illustrator and Aisha Saeed, New York Times bestselling author), an agent, editor, and art director panel (with Regina Brooks, Founder and President, Serendipity Literary Agency; Linda Camacho, Agent, Gallt & Zacker Literary Agency; Kate Egan, Executive Editor, Pixel + Ink Books; Arthur A. Levine, Founder and Publisher, Levine Querido, and Patricia Ocampo, Senior Editor, Kids Can Press.)

There's a live marketing plan pitch-off, socials, portfolio showcase, and much more!

We hope you'll join us in-person! Get all the details and register here.

There's also a one-day virtual online version of the conference on February 25, 2023, if traveling to New York isn't something you can do.

Check out all the virtual conference offers, along with the Golden Kite Awards presentation here.

Get inspired, improve your skills, lean into the opportunities, and be with your community.
Stay safe,

Lee