Scenes from Saturday's Book Signing

Sandwiched in-between Jerry Pinkney's keynote and and the Networking Buffet Dinner, Beth Kephart, Kendra Levin, Rafael Lopez, William Low, Kate Messner, and Linda Sue Park signed their books for appreciative attendees!

Jerry Pinkney Keynote: Exploring Story

In Lin Oliver’s introduction for Jerry Pinkney, she refers to him as a “living legend” whose body of work “is life-altering for this generation of children.” In his fifty plus year career, he has illustrated over 100 titles.

When thinking about his work, for him, everything is about connection. He needs a personal connection. And asks himself:

            What do I connect to?

Because if he connects to something, his hope is that others will connect to it as well. From a young age, storytelling, fables, and fairytales have been a part of his life. His stories come from his mother’s love of Hans Christian Anderson and the tradition of oral storytelling from south. 

From the first book he illustrated, THE ADVENTURES OF SPIDER by Joyce Cooper Arkhurst (Little, Brown Books, 1964) to his most recent project, A PLACE TO LAND by Barry Wittenstein (Holiday House/Neal Porter Books, 2020), Jerry believes his purpose is to interpret the written word and to find the energy within it. 

Jerry mesmerizes us with slide after slide of his impressive body of work and his love and commitment to getting to the heart of each and every story he tells. And by the end of his presentation, there is no doubt that he is truly a living legend.

Kate Messner Keynote: The Creative Superpower of Curiosity

Kate Messner begins her conference-kickoff keynote

Kate has been widely and successfully published across age categories and genres, and has twelve books coming out just in 2020!

Her secret?

She tells us about finding this quote,

"I have no special talents. I am only passionately curious." —Albert Einstein

And how much this quote resonates for her. She shares stories about her curiosity as a child, and as a teacher, and how her curiosity lead to writing her first picture book, Over and Under the Snow.

She shares the habits she's developed to help generate ideas, to follow her curiosity to different books she's written, in different genres.

"I've found that I can always afford fifteen minutes of idea chasing." 

Kate's inspiring stories about the power of inspiration to find her projects includes how curiosity influences other authors and illustrators, including Martha Brockenbrough, Don Tate, and Nikki Grimes.

The power of

I wonder...

She speaks of courage, and the power of speaking up, and the long journey to telling her latest novel, and "the fire behind" Chirp.

How curiosity is the opposite of fear. And how curiosity and empathy go hand-in-hand.

She even offers us a "license to chase curiosity."

With moments of reflection and deep feeling, poetry and power, Kate's keynote is open and energizing and so, so inspiring!

And it ends with a rousing standing ovation!


**

Kate Messner is passionately curious and writes books that encourage kids to wonder, too. Her titles include award-winning picture books like Over and Under the Snow, Up in the Garden and Down in the Dirt, and How to Read a Story; novels like The Seventh Wish, Breakout, and Chirp; the Fergus and Zeke easy reader series with Candlewick, Scholastic’s popular Ranger in Time chapter book series; and multiple works of nonfiction, including Insect Superpowers, The Next President, Tracking Pythons and the soon-to-be-released History Smashers series with Random House. Before becoming a full-time writer, Kate was a TV journalist and National Board certified middle school English teacher. Follow her on Twitter @KateMessner and check out her website, www.katemessner.com.

Lin's Intro and Welcome to #NY20SCBWI

Lin Oliver, SCBWI's Executive Director, welcomes the packed ballroom, telling us a little about the next two days, and ourselves:

We are 842 strong (they turned away hundreds of people who had wanted to attend.)

We're from 45 states, 17 countries. 350-some of us are published. 400-some of us write and/or illustrate full-time. "That's the dream," as Lin says.

And with jokes and heart, she introduces the conference kick-off Keynote, Kate Messner!

More Evening Highlights After the Awards!

People were excited to purchase books from the evening's award winners.

Chocolate covered strawberries were quickly disappearing.

Winners were signing.

Remi Lai Winner of the Sid Fleischman Humor Award for Pie in the Sky (Holt)

And friends, old and new, were connecting.

Aram Kim, Jen Keenan, Casey Gonzales, and Sharee Miller

All in all, it was a very good night!

Champagne and Chocolate-Covered Strawberries, Award-Winning Authors Singing Their Books, and The Portfolios!

The wonderful #NY20SCBWI Golden Kite Awards evening finale...

First time attendee Megan in line to buy her haul of newly hailed award-winning books

Miranda Paul, Zainab Khan, and Edna Cabcabin Moran sparkle in front of the evening's step-and-repeat

Padma Venkatraman signs her Golden Kite Award winning book

Remy Lai signs her Sid Fleischman Humor Award Winning Book

View 1 of 3 of the buzzing portfolio showcase room

View 2 of 3

View 3 of 3

What an evening! The conference, #NY20SCBWI continues tomorrow...

Quote highlights from the 2020 Golden Kite Award Acceptance Speeches!

THIS YEAR'S GOLDEN KITE AWARD WINNERS AND HIGHLIGHT QUOTES FROM THEIR ACCEPTANCE SPEECHES...



Young Reader and Middle Grade Fiction: Padma Venkatraman, for The Bridge Home (Nancy Paulsen Books)

Padma spoke of her childhood, of the challenges of a friend who hid in a cemetery night after night to escape the men who wanted to enslave her, who asked Padma because Padma was a child who loved to write,

“Padma, will you write my story one day?

Yes. I promise. It's taken me forty years, but this [is that] book.”
—Padma Venkatraman

Picture Book Text: Ashley Benham Yazdani, for A Green Place to Be: The Creation of Central Park (Candlewick)

“The ripples of one single park changed the way” America related to public spaces. How will the park look in 100 years? If nothing changes, it will be “a lot hotter, a lot wetter, a lot emptier.” Like the creators of central park, “We [too] stand at a tipping point of industry and its impact on our planet.”
—Ashley Benham Yazdani 

Non-Fiction for Younger Readers: Elizabeth Rusch, for Mario and the Hole in the Sky: How a Chemist Saved Our Planet, illustrated by Teresa Martinez (Charlesbridge)

Many kids today feel helpless. Elizabeth recounts that when she goes to school visits, she asks kids if anything going on today reminds them of the Ozone crisis. Every hand goes up. That’s why she wrote Mario and the Hole in the Sky.
“I wanted to give them a message of hope. That we actually imperiled our planet before, and we did something about it.” And that the effort was led by a boy from Mexico.
—Elizabeth Rusch

Picture Book Illustration: Hyewon Yum, for Clever Little Witch, written by Muon Thị Van (Margaret K. McElderry Books)

“I'm very lucky. I was given this award eleven years ago for my first book. So this is my second time giving this speech. And now I know better what it means... It means so much.” Thank you —Hyewon Yum

Non-Fiction for Older Readers: Deborah Heiligman, for Torpedoed: The True Story of the World War II Sinking of “The Children’s Ship” (Henry Holt)

Deborah starts by speaking of our shared “commitment to creating the best books we can for the most important people in the world...” About her research, she was" thrilled to discover" primary sources, and still “many more primary sources, including two survivors to meet and interview... Time and time again, I was struck by how this tragedy brought out the best in people.” —Deborah Heiligman

Young Adult Fiction: Julie Berry, for Lovely War (Viking Books for Young Readers)

Julie speaks to the wonderful beginners in this room, saying “we want to hear your stories.” She thanks SCBWI for including a donation to a charity as part of these awards, charities chosen by the winners. Equal Justice Initiative is her choice. “Justice demands that the truth be spoken out loud... Truth has gotten a bad rap of late. It needs a better publicist... But we can't lose hope in the truth.”
—Julie Berry

Sid Fleischman Humor Award Winner: Remy Lai, for Pie in the Sky (Henry Holt)

“Are you ready for some jokes? I don't have any. Really...” Remy tells the story of finding out she'd won the award...  Having to give a speech? ”Now that I'm officially funny...that's very hard.” She turns serious, “Sometimes publishing can make you feel like you can never be enough... I'm going to accept that today, I'm enough."    —Remy Lai

It’s That Time! James Patterson at the #GoldenKiteAwards

The night began with Newbery Award winning author, Kwame Alexander stepping up to the mic to introduce James Patterson, a best selling author with more than 300 million books in print for children and adults.

Kwame Alexander introducing James Patterson

James Patterson started things off by getting laughs about not wanting to follow Kwame speaking, seeing a woman pocketing his book in an airport shop (and wondering if that still counted as a sale), and his moment in the spotlight on the Simpsons. 

But he wanted more than just laughs from the audience. He wanted everyone, especially those who stand at the gates, “to please be very, very careful with those gates”. Along with creating books that inform children, he wants us to remember to create books that children will not only love, but that “when a kid finishes a book, they should say: ‘please give me another book’.”

                                          James Patterson speaking to the Golden Kite Gala audience.

He reminded us that millions of kids have never read a book that they enjoy, and we need to change that. For him, children not reading is a life or death problem and that we need to create books that will get them to read, and that is his ultimate goal with Jimmy Patterson Books, an imprint at Little, Brown and Company. 

Because as he says, “[we will lose] millions of kids every year if we don’t address the reading crisis.” To him, it is a problem that we can do something about. “We can do something that saves lives.” He believes “the future of the country is getting kids to read.”

He went on to thank all the #GoldenKiteAwards winners and closed by reminding us, “Clear eyes. Full heart.”

They're ready for their close-up...

The Award ceremony is about to begin...

Golden Kite Gala Seats Are Waiting! #GoldenKiteAwards

While attendees and presenters are outside the doors, special goodies are waiting for everyone to lovingly grab.

 

 And now things are filling up! Ready for the night to officially begin . . .

Moments from the #NY20SCBWI Golden Kite Awards Party

What an evening!

Levine Querido Publisher and Author Arthur Levine and Author Linda Sue Park

George Brown from the Highlights Foundation and me (Lee Wind)

Author/Illustrator Jim Averbeck interviews Golden Kite Award-Winner for YA Fiction Julie Berry on the Gold Carpet

SCBWI's associate executive director Sarah Baker with author and now editor of his own imprint Versify at HMH Kwame Alexander

left to right: Author Meg Medina,  agent Adriana Dominguez, author/illustrator John Parra, and author Miranda Paul

The portfolios!

the room abuzz!

Are you ready to "get your gold on?" (The Golden Kite Awards, that Is!)

Leah Henderson and I are here to blog highlights of all the buzz and excitement of tonight's party, awards ceremony, and reception!

Follow along here and with #NY20SCBWI

New #NY20SCBWI Team Blogger

#NY20SCBWI is only a few short days away and I’m excited to join the official blogging team for the Winter Conference. 

Every SCBWI conference I have ever attended, whether a regional or national event, I have always walked away forever changed by a speaker’s words, a stranger’s smile of welcome, or a friend’s encouragement. Each experience reminds me to just keep creating and breathe. So, I’m sure this year’s conference will leave an imprint on all of us as well!

I look forward seeing everyone this Friday night for The Golden Kite Awards Presentation Gala with special guest speaker James Patterson!

Leah Henderson is an author, mentor, avid traveler, dog mommy, and a believer in all people experiencing their possibilities and stars. Her forthcoming MG novel, The Magic in Changing Your Stars is out April 7^th!

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