2013 Annual Conference - SAVE THE DATE! - September 20-21, 2013
Watch this space for more details coming soon!
The board has been planning N. Ohio SCBWI's annual fall conference. We're letting the cat out of the bag with a sneak peek at some new and exciting features.
*Not 1, not 2, not even 3 ... BUT 5 INTENSIVES.
*Manuscript critique got a facelift: Select EITHER a face-to-face critique of up to 10 pages (including synopsis and/or query letter) OR a written critique of up to 15 pages (including synopsis and/or query letter). The price is the same for either choice. You pick your faculty. For shorter works, such as Picture Books, you may send in up to 2 projects to meet the maximum pages allowed. GET BUSY NOW on writing that manuscript for a critique.
*If you do not wish to select an Intensive on Friday, we have the place for you!! Come join small group sessions in the Grand Ballroom. A couple of potential topics surfacing are: HOW TO INTERPRET YOUR CRITIQUE (Kleenex and cookies included!) and SELF-EDITING AND REVISION (Come on, you know you have to do it.)
*Friday afternoon will continue to sport its 3 Q&A sessions, but we are adding faculty panel discussions for the second half. The format may be an open Q&A or more topic specific. Either way, here's your chance to hear it from the experts.
*Don't forget the Publication Celebration. Last year we moved the event to Friday evening of the conference. It was a HUGE SUCCESS! More information will come on who is eligible to participate in the Publication Celebration. Everyone who pays a conference fee (excluding Saturday-only conference fee) is welcomed to attend the Publication Celebration.
*Our wonderful Bookstore continues to grow with an added feature this year of ordering books through the online conference registration! Pick up your books at the conference! No more waiting in line. No more missing Bookstore hours. Get the editors' choice books before they sell out. But don't worry. The Bookstore will be open during the conference to shop for last minute titles or if you did not order books through the conference registration. There will be a limited time during online registration to order books to allow for shipping and bundling.
*Illustrators - you are not forgotten. The popular CALENDAR CONTEST is back. Last year over 60 copies of the calendar were ordered which included the conference faculty. This year, contact information for each winner will be added to the back of the winning illustration(s)! More information will come from Sophie Cayless, N. Ohio SCBWI Illustrator Coordinator. And, there is the PORTFOLIO CRITIQUE.
Phew! It's going to be a great conference this September. And please note that items may change without notice as we continue to plan.
Conference facultyWe already have quite a few fabulous faculty members lined up for this year, including:
- Linda Epstein, Associate Agent, The Jennifer DeChiara Literary Agency
- Erica Finkel, Associate Editor, Abrams
- Karen Grencik, Co-Founder/Agent, Red Fox Literary
- Andrea Welch, Senior Editor, Beach Lane Books
- Rebecca Barnhouse, Author
- Mary Kay Carson, Author
- Judith Irvin-Kuns, Author
- Mary Ryan, Author
- Lisa Wheeler, AuthorAdditional contracts are still being finalized - check back soon for a complete list.
Book Basket
One of the many highlights of our N. Ohio SCBWI fall conference is the presentation of the BOOK BASKET. For those who have attended our fall conferences, you know what an emotional and uplifting experience this brings. The recipients are beyond-words appreciative by the generosity of donated books from our members. Tears flow.
Keeping that tradition going, we are proud to announce this year's BOOK BASKET recipient: Positive Education Program of Cleveland, Ohio. It's not too early to clean out a closet, visit a local library's book sale or thin out your own book shelves of new and gently used books to donate to our BOOK BASKET. Donated books will be collected on September 20 and 21 during the conference.
Positive Education Program (PEP) has been serving children with both mental health issues and learning challenges after experiencing repeated failure in typical school settings and in their communities.
Because of their learning challenges (many students come to us reading more than two years below grade level) PEP students often have an uncomfortable relationship with reading and books. PEP's staff is trained to use the Wilson Language Program and have developed an intervention-based bibliotherapy program. These two programs help children learn to decode while learning to love characters and story lines in some of the most popular children's books available. Our donated books will help further this important effort.
For more information, go to: http://www.pepcleve.org/work.aspx.2012 Annual Conference
September 21 - 22, 2012
A Springboard to Publishing Success...Northern Ohio SCBWI's 10th Anniversary Conference
Our 10th annual conference was a smashing success!
This year's faculty included:
Michelle Poploff, Vice President & Executive Editor, Delacorte Press/Random House Children’s Books
Tina Wexler, Agent, International Creative Management
Quinlan Lee, Agent, Adams Literary Agency
Whitney Leader-Picone, Designer & Digital Publishing, Charlesbridge
Dandi Daley Mackall, Author
Cinda Williams Chima, Author
Mara Purnhagen, Author
Michael Ferrari, Author
Christopher Canyon, Author/Illustrator (Presenting Saturday Only)
Liz Coley, Author
Jeannine Garsee, Author
Lindsay Ward, Author/Illustrator
Shelley Pearsall, Author (Presenting Saturday Only)
Friday Intensive Sessions:
Picture Book Intensive: Dandi Daley Mackall, Author
MG/YA Intensive: Cinda Williams Chima, Author
Illustrator Intensive: Lindsay Ward, Author/Illustrator
Friday Q & A Sessions:
Conference & Critique Information: Jean Daigneau
Website & Social Media: Denise Parsons
Critique Meeting Moderator: Laurie Lazzaro Knowlton
Pictured: Four of Northern Ohio SCBWI's past and present Regional Advisors:
(L to R) Annette Sheldon, Jean Daigneau, Laurie Lazzaro Knowlton and Vicki SelvaggioPublication Celebration
This year, we moved our annual publication celebration to the conference. Friday evening, we recognized our members who were published in 2012. Each shared about their journey to publication and things they had learned along the way. This year's honorees included:
Lisa Amstutz: Whose Egg is This?, Which Seed is This?, What Eats What in a Forest Food Chain? and What Eats What in a Rain Forest Food Chain? (Capstone Press). Lisa was also honored as Volunteer of the Year.
Mike DeSantis: Highlights for Children Magazine, Hidden Pictures "Splash Zone" and "Dots for Domino"
Gail Frey: A Spoonful of Enlightenment (Skipping Stones)
Jeannine Garsee: The Unquiet (Bloomsbury)
Colleen Kessler: Free Resources for Elementary Teachers (Prufrock Press)
Laurie Lazzaro Knowlton: I Know A Librarian Who Chewed On A Word, Pirates Don't Say Please! (Pelican)
Kathiann Kowalski: various magazines--Keeping Time, Doi Moi: Renewal in Vietnam, Travel Through Time-With Your Imagination, Making Risks Less Risky: A Close-up Look at the Ipad, Extreme Weahter: A Glimpse of Things To Come?, Home Wanted! 5 Super Reasons to Adopt a Dog, Where Does Your Food Come From?, Safe Surfing Tips, Quick Connections, Human Power: Biking the Great Divide, Protect Your Privacy Online, Steller's Sea Cows: Found, then Lost
Mae Pelster: Abolitionists, Copperheads and Colonizers in Hudson & the Western Reserve (The History Press)
Dandi Daley Mackall: Bed Time Blessings (Tyndale), There's a Baby in There (Marshall Cavendish), Chasing Dream (Tyndale), Night Mare (Tyndale), The Silence of Murder (Knopf/Random House)
Mialie T. Szymanski: Puppy Tails: Adventures of Doodle Dog--Snowman Deliveries, Book Shop Stop, Butterfly Buddy, Downward Doggie, SCBWI Special Edition (The Weekly Villager)
Lindsay Ward: When Blue Met Egg (Dial)
