New England SCBWI
Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators

SCBWI members Laura Purdie Salas and Lisa Bullard will teach a three-week online class in June that focuses on how to research publishers and put together a submissions package. The class will offer individualized feedback on cover letters, identifying special markets, writing a proposal, and other steps. Salas’s website offers more information.

Congratulations to the winners of the Illustration Poster Showcase at SCBWI New England’s 2008 conference!

Illustrators were invited to submit their best pieces on the theme "Take Flight," with winners selected by a jury of conference faculty on the basis of their storytelling, character, setting, color, focus, and composition. Entrants were divided into published and unpublished categories and People’s Choice prizes were awarded for entries selected by conference attendees.

Here are the winners and the randomized ballot numbers used for the anonymous judging:

Published 1st Place: Frank W. Dormer (#20)
Published 2nd Place: Kim Jacobs (#1)
Published 3rd Place: Wayne Geehan (#13)
Published Honorable Mention: Robert Squier (#14)

Unpublished 1st Place: Kelly Light (#47)
Unpublished 2nd Place: Brad Garman (#58)
Unpublished 3rd Place: Sam McCullough (#41)
Unpublished Honorable Mention: Kevin Gillespie (#66)

People’s Choice 1st Place: Kelly Light (#47)
People’s Choice 2nd Place: Jennifer Meyer (#5)
People’s Choice 3rd Place: Priscilla Alpaugh Cotter (#62)
People’s Choice Honorable Mention: Laura Foltz-Felice (#55)

SCBWI New England’s April0 2008 conference has reached capacity for the Saturday session, and we cannot accept any more registrations for that day or any walk-in registrations. So many people have already signed up that our main sessions on Saturday will fill the hotel meeting space to the level allowed by fire regulations. We will have to turn away walk-ins if they show up. We apologize that we cannot accommodate everyone.

There is still space in the Sunday session. We’re also planning “Encore” sessions to reprise some of the most popular workshops this fall. We’ll announce the dates and locations of those sessions on this website.

If you have already registered for the conference, or wish to register for Sunday only, please start here to review information about the speakers, workshops, critiques, and other program information.

SCBWI New England congratulates member Sarah Marwil Lamstein for sharing a Sydney Taylor Honor with illustrator Neil Waldman for their picture book Letter on the Wind: A Chanukah Tale, published by Boyd Mills Press.

The Sydney Taylor Book Awards recognizing the best in Jewish children’s literature are given each year by the Association of Jewish Libraries.

Each year, the PEN New England Children’s Book Caucus honors emerging writers and writer-illustrators with its Susan P. Bloom Children’s Book Discovery Award. Winners will present their work to the public at the PEN New England Children’s Book Discovery Evening in April 2008, and winning manuscripts will be read by editors from Candlewick; Houghton Mifflin; Farrar, Straus and Giroux; or Little, Brown.

Entrants must be residents of New England who have not been published in any genre (with the exception of magazines or self-publishing), and neither the submitted work nor another work by the author can be under contract to a book publisher. The Caucus judges are able to accept only one entry per person, in one of the following four categories: picture books, novels, poetry, and nonfiction.

The postmark deadline for submissions is Friday, February 1, 2008. For all the rules on submitting work for the Discovery Award, please visit PEN New England’s webpage.

The Foxboro, MA elementary schools are sponsoring a fundraiser. They are requesting author and illustrators to donate their signed books to be given away in a literacy basket. The event is November 16, 2007. If you would like to donate one of your signed books, please send your book to: Laura Brillant-Giangocarle, 2 Lauren Lane, Foxboro, MA. 02035 Contact #: 617-201-3498

SCBWI New England congratulates Massachusetts member and volunteer Melissa Stewart for winning the SCBWI/Anna Cross Giblin Nonfiction Research Grant, funded by author James Cross Giblin. She is working on a book on body science titled It’s Spit-Acular!: The Secrets of Saliva.

SCBWI New England also congratulates Massachusetts member Susan Meyer for receiving a Letter of Merit in this year’s Work-in-Progress Grants process.

Here is more information about grants and awards available to SCBWI members.

The Foundation for Children’s Books has announced its series of “Conversations with…” noted people from the field of children’s literature for 2007-08.

The Massachusetts Center for the Book has announced its 2007 Massachusetts Book Awards, and SCBWI New England congratulates two members for having their titles designated Honor Books in the category of Children’s Literature:

Sara Pennypacker, for Clementine

Elizabeth Winthrop, for Counting on Grace

TheSCBWI Memory Fund was established in 2005 to remember two SCBWI members, illustrator Anne Barrow and writer Ruth Landers Glass. At our 2006 conference,scholarships in their names were awarded to an illustrator and a writer for our 2007 conference.
This year, SCBWI NE would like to award two scholarship grants for our 2008 Annual Conference, April 12, 2008. To apply for the Ruth Landers Glass Scholarship writers should submit, by e-mail, one picture book manuscript, three poems, or ten pages of a novel or nonfiction work to: Jan Kozlowski, Scholarship Chairperson, at this email address: necritiquegroups@gmail.com
To apply for the Anne Barrow Scholarhip, illustrators should submit up to twelve samples of art 8.5x11, electronically by email, on CD, or by sending clean color copies (NO originals please!) to Margo Lemieux, Scholarhip Chairperson, Box 583, Mansfield, MA 02048 or scbwira_ma@yahoo.com Write Anne Barrow Scholarship on the envelope. No artwork will be returned. Paper copies and mailed CDs must be postmarked by April 25, 2007. Electronic copies of manuscripts and artwork must be received by April 25, 2007

Welcome to the new NESCBWI website, redesigned with updated technology and rushed into service to replace our old ailing web platform. While most of the site works as it ought to, some areas have yet to be completed—most notably the CONNECTIONS speakers directory, which will be added back as soon as possible.

Thanks to everyone who provided input and suggestions on how the New England SCBWI website could be improved, and especially to those who pointed out parts of the new site that needed further tweaks and fixes.

Our annual SCBWI New England Conference is a three-day event May 18, 19, and 20, 2007 at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Nashua New Hampshire.

Friday, May 18, is our Nuts and Bolts day concentrating on marketing and promotion. The keynote speaker will be Stephen Fraser, literary agent from the Jennifer DeChiara Literary Agency in New York City. The afternoon will also offer two workshops choices and will close with a marketing questions and answer panel with Stephen, Alexandra Penfold from Simon and Shuster, Yolanda LeRoy from Charlesbridge and Theresa Howell from Northland Publishing.

Saturday, May 19 is a broad conference day for emerging and experienced writers and illustrators. We are delighted to have Bruce Coville and Sid Fleischman as keynote speakers, along with workshops, manuscript and portfolio critiques, First Pages, and First Look workshops, door prizes, book sales and signings.

Sunday, May 20 will be a workshop day dedicated to revision and strengthening the craft of writing. Our keynote speaker is Cheryl Zach, author of many young adult and mystery novels. Attendees will have workshop choices both morning and afternoon with books sales through out the day.

SCBWI New England congratulates member (and past RA) Jane Yolen on receiving the Roots of Writing Award from the Science Fiction and Fantasy Female Writers.

This is the first year the award has been granted. The SF-FFW announced this award in 2005 to honor seven influential female science fiction and fantasy authors: Betty Ballantine, Madeleine L’Engle, Anne McCaffrey, Ursula K. Le Guin, Kate Wilhelm, Joanna Russ, and Andre Norton.

SCBWI New England congratulates members from the region who have won Magazine Merit Plaques for material they published in children’s magazines last year. In fact, three of the four 2005 plaque winners come from our region:

• Patricia Bridgman for her story “Ghoulies and Ghosties” in Cricket


• Susan Meyer for her poem “Summer is Ending” in Cricket


• Brian Lies for his cover art for Spider

Join the Writers of Lower Fairfield on Saturday, June 7, 2008, from 3 – 5 p.m. as we welcome authors Nora Raleigh Baskin, Elise Broach, and Sarah Darer Littman.

SCBWI Northern New England’s working weekend for the serious writer of middle-grade and YA books will feature authors Marsha Qualey and Louise Hawes and editor Julie Romeis. Its theme is “Feeling Your Novel: What Is an Internal Arc, Anyway?”

This retreat will take place from Friday, May 16, to Sunday, May 18, at Vermont College in Montpelier. The deadline for applying is February 8, and people are already signing up for spaces. Read on for all information about the program and instructions for applying.

Whispering Pines Writers’ Retreat
A Working Weekend for the Serious Writer
February 29-March 2, 2008

This retreat, limited to 20 full time participants, is an opportunityto work intimately with professionals in an idyllic setting.

Weekend registration includes accommodations and meals. You will have the opportunity to work with others who are committed to quality children’s literature in small groups and will also benefit from a thirty minute one-on-one critique with your mentor. You will also enjoy all of our mentors’ presentations (Saturday and Sunday) and intimate after dinner Q&A sessions, including a “first pages activity.” The setting allows for quiet meditation, networking, or attention to your individual project—you design your own retreat!

SCBWI Eastern NY/Capital District is pleased to announce an

Illustrator Master Class
with Tim Gillner
Art Director, Boyds Mills Press

When: November 17th, 2007, 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., registration opens at 8:30 a.m.
Where: Dominican Retreat & Conference Center, 1945 Union Street (Rt. 7), Niskayuna, NY 12309, 518-393-4169.
What: An intimate workshop of 30 illustrators focusing on the craft and process of children’s book illustration.

August 3rd - 6th, 2007

Full conference information including schedule, faculty, and registration is now available at the main SCBWI website: http://www.scbwi.org/events.htm.

All active SCBWI Members should look for the conference brochure in the mail later this month, but get a jump on our special workshops that require pre-registration and sign up now online! Space is limited and these will go quickly!

The brochure and registration form for New England SCBWI’s Annual Conference is now online in PDF format. The conference will take place in Nashua, NH on May 18-20, 2007.

Move fast if you want a manuscript or portfolio critique because those must be postmarked by April 18, and the deadline for First Look/First Page submissions is April 28.

2007 Conference Brochure

2007 Conference Registration Form

Our annual SCBWI New England Conference is a three-day event May 18, 19, and 20, 2007 at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Nashua New Hampshire.

Friday, May 18, is our Nuts and Bolts day concentrating on marketing and promotion. The keynote speaker will be Stephen Fraser, literary agent from the Jennifer DeChiara Literary Agency in New York City. The afternoon will also offer two workshops choices and will close with a marketing questions and answer panel with Stephen, Alexandra Penfold from Simon and Shuster, Yolanda LeRoy from Charlesbridge and Theresa Howell from Northland Publishing.

Saturday, May 19 is a broad conference day for emerging and experienced writers and illustrators. We are delighted to have Bruce Coville and Sid Fleischman as keynote speakers, along with workshops, manuscript and portfolio critiques, First Pages, and First Look workshops, door prizes, book sales and signings.

Sunday, May 20 will be a workshop day dedicated to revision and strengthening the craft of writing. Our keynote speaker is Cheryl Zach, author of many young adult and mystery novels. Attendees will have workshop choices both morning and afternoon with books sales through out the day.

For everyone who couldn’t attend our 2007 Whispering Pines Retreat, Jan Kozlowski has compiled a list of writing books that the group put together.

• READING LIKE A WRITER-Francine Prose
  
• ON WRITING-Stephen King
  
• STEERING THE CRAFT-Ursula LeGuin
  
• WRITE YOUR STORY-Marion Dane Bauer
  
• NO MORE REJECTIONS: 50 SECRETS TO WRITING THAT SELLS-Alice Orr
  
• A ROOM OF ONE’S OWN-Virginia Wolfe
  
• MAKING A LITERARY LIFE-Carolyn See
  
• THE WRITER’S JOURNEY: MYTHIC STRUCTURE FOR WRITERS-Christopher Vogler
  
• THE HERO WITH A THOUSAND FACES-Joseph Campbell
  
• BIRD BY BIRD-Anne Lamott
  
• ARTIST’S WAY-Julia Cameron
  
• WALKING IN THE WORLD-Julia Cameron
  
• WRITING MAGIC: CREATING STORIES THAT FLY (2007)-Gail Carson Levine
  
• WRITING FICTION: A GUIDE TO THE NARRATIVE CRAFT-Janet Burroway and Elizabeth Stuckey French
  
• WRITING DOWN THE BONES-Natalie Goldberg
  
• WILD MINDS-Natalie Goldberg
  
• TAKE JOY-Jane Yolen
  
• WRITE FIRST-Donald Murray
  
• BREATHING IN, BREATHING OUT- Ralph Fletcher
  
• STARTING FROM SCRATCH: A DIFFERENT KIND OF WRITER’S MIND-Rita Mae Brown
  
• ZEN AND THE ART OF WRITING-Ray Bradbury

Some of the faculty at the SCBWI New England 2008 Conference have agreed to make their workshop handouts and other resources available in digital form through this website, or through links on their own sites. As we receive those documents and links, we’ll upload them and update this announcement.

Congratulations to the winners of the Illustration Poster Showcase at SCBWI New England’s 2008 conference!

Illustrators were invited to submit their best pieces on the theme "Take Flight," with winners selected by a jury of conference faculty on the basis of their storytelling, character, setting, color, focus, and composition. Entrants were divided into published and unpublished categories and People’s Choice prizes were awarded for entries selected by conference attendees.

Here are the winners and the randomized ballot numbers used for the anonymous judging:

Published 1st Place: Frank W. Dormer (#20)
Published 2nd Place: Kim Jacobs (#1)
Published 3rd Place: Wayne Geehan (#13)
Published Honorable Mention: Robert Squier (#14)

Unpublished 1st Place: Kelly Light (#47)
Unpublished 2nd Place: Brad Garman (#58)
Unpublished 3rd Place: Sam McCullough (#41)
Unpublished Honorable Mention: Kevin Gillespie (#66)

People’s Choice 1st Place: Kelly Light (#47)
People’s Choice 2nd Place: Jennifer Meyer (#5)
People’s Choice 3rd Place: Priscilla Alpaugh Cotter (#62)
People’s Choice Honorable Mention: Laura Foltz-Felice (#55)

We had a wonderful critique faculty at this year’s SCBWI New England conference! All of those publishing professionals agreed to accept submissions from conference attendees for a limited time, even if their company policies don’t normally welcome such submissions. They provided our conference organizers with descriptions of what they’re looking for and what they don’t need now.

This information is a perk of attending the SCBWI New England Conference, and will be available by email only to people who were at that event. We ask that it not be posted online or shared publicly in any other way.

Here is the final list of all people registered to attend the SCBWI New England conference on April 11-13, 2008. All registrants are listed by LAST NAME and CHECK NUMBER, if that applies. This gives individuals enough information to confirm that their registrations have arrived without revealing data that would be useful to anyone else.

We have more registrants this year than for any previous New England conference at this time. Therefore, we have had to close registration for the Saturday session, and will not be able to accommodate walk-ins. The Sunday session is still open.

SCBWI New England is pleased to announce the generous prize donations from Blick Art Materials, Picture Book, and the SCBWI main office (www.scbwi.org) for our Poster Showcase winners.

“Stretch Your Wings!” is the theme of the Society of Children’s Book Writers & Illustrators 2008 New England Conference, to be held April 11-13 in Nashua, New Hampshire. Conference Co-Directors Francine Puckly, Anna Boll, and Janet Arden and their valuable volunteers have assembled this wing-stretching program:
• Keynote speeches by novelist Laurie Halse Anderson & illustrator Kevin Hawkes
• 41 workshop choices
• Portfolio & Manuscript Critiques with Publishing Professionals
• Illustrator Poster Showcase
• Cabaret and Dancing
• Much, much more!

PLEASE NOTE: As of April 2, we cannot accept any more registrations for the Saturday session, and will have to turn away any walk-ins who have not already registered. So many people have already signed up that the meeting space will be filled to capacity. We apologize for this limitation, but must adhere to hotel and fire code requirements. There is still space in the Sunday session.

Follow these links for the:
• Saturday schedule, which links to descriptions of the Saturday morning and afternoon workshops.
• Friday schedule, for people who arrive early.
• Sunday schedule, for folks who like longer, more advanced workshops.
• All the workshop leaders and speakers, with links to their websites.
• Information on one-on-one critiques with publishing professionals.
• Information on the Poster Showcase for illustrators.
• All-important registration form.

For information on finding and making reservations at the conference hotel, please read further.

Here is a complete list of the workshop leaders at SCBWI New England’s 2008 conference, in alphabetical order. For the lineup of their workshops, see the schedules for Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.

The Big Day offers keynote addresses from a New York Times-bestselling author and a New York Times-bestselling artist!

Plus four workshop sessions, one lunch, and innumerable door prizes and book-signings.

Please note: Due to heavy advance registration, we will not be able to accept any walk-ins on Saturday. We must adhere to hotel and fire code requirements. There is still space available in the Sunday session.

Sunday at SCBWI New England’s 2008 conference will offer a conversation with a Printz Honor-winning novelist and four hours of advanced workshop sessions for authors and illustrators. Plus lunch!

Here’s the full schedule and lineup of workshops.

People attending SCBWI New England’s 2008 conference can choose two fifty-five-minute workshops on Saturday afternoon. Please note the number of the workshop you prefer: 16-22 for session C, 23-29 for session D. Put those numbers on the registration form. That choice will not be binding, but will help us assign space.

Descriptions of all Saturday morning workshops follow. For Saturday morning workshops, see this entry. Click here for information about the workshop leaders and links to their websites.

Workshop Key:
AUTH – Author, ILLUS – Illustrator.
Beg – Beginner, Int – Intermediate, Adv – Advanced, Exp – Experienced.
PB – Picture Book, ER – Early Reader, CB – Chapter Book, MG – Middle Grade, YA – Young Adult, MAG – Magazine, F – Fiction, NF – Nonfiction.

SCBWI New England’s 2008 conference starts with some fun activities for people arriving on Friday afternoon and evening. Meet other attendees and learn how to make the most of the upcoming days, take part in manuscript critiques, and/or enjoy our second annual Cabaret Night!

As in past years, the 2008 SCBWI New England Conference will offer the opportunity for one-on-one manuscript and portfolio critiques with publishing professionals.

Critiques will take place during Saturday workshop sessions. You must be registered for Saturday’s conference in order to have a critique. You must pre-register and submit materials for a critique prior to the conference. The critique registration postmark deadline is March 7, 2008.

People attending SCBWI New England’s 2008 conference can choose two fifty-five-minute workshops on Saturday morning. Please note the number of the workshop you prefer: 2-8 for session A, 9-15 for session B. Put those numbers on the registration form. That choice will not be binding, but will help us assign space.

Descriptions of all Saturday morning workshops follow. For Saturday afternoon workshops, see this entry. Click here for information about the workshop leaders and links to their websites.

Workshop Key:
AUTH – Author, ILLUS – Illustrator.
Beg – Beginner, Int – Intermediate, Adv – Advanced, Exp – Experienced.
PB – Picture Book, ER – Early Reader, CB – Chapter Book, MG – Middle Grade, YA – Young Adult, MAG – Magazine, F – Fiction, NF – Nonfiction.

Click here to download a PDF file with the registration forms for SCBWI New England’s 2008 conference and critiques at that conference.

PLEASE NOTE: As of April 2, we cannot accept any more registrations for the Saturday session of this conference. The meeting space will be filled to capacity on that day. If you haven’t already signed up, we’re sorry there’s no more room, and we’ll hope to see you on Sunday, at one of the “Encore” sessions we’ll announce in the coming months, or at our next regional conference in 2009.

Here is a complete list of the publishing professionals who will be providing one-on-one critiques at SCBWI New England’s 2008 conference, in alphabetical order.

Portfolio critiquers are designated with an asterisk.* All others will critique manuscripts.

Please follow the critique application guidelines carefully when applying for a critique slot.

Illustrators attending SCBWI New England’s 2008 conference, “Take Flight” and enter the Illustration Poster Showcase!

For the 2008 conference, illustrators can participate in an anonymous, themed, and juried poster competition. Create and show your best piece of final art on the theme “Take Flight.” A jury from the conference faculty will judge the posters on their storytelling, character, setting, color, focus, and composition.

You won’t want to miss the 2008 SCBWI New England conference, to be held April 11-13 at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Nashua, New Hampshire.

Friday, April 11th, will feature a late afternoon workshop for making the most of your conference experience and an exciting Cabaret Night with special guest performers, snacks, cash bar, and DJ.

Saturday, April 12th, will feature keynote addresses by author Laurie Halse Anderson and illustrator Kevin Hawkes, one-on-one critiques with publishing professionals, and nearly two dozen workshops offered in four breakout sessions to help you “Stretch Your Wings.”

Sunday, April 13th, will feature an interview with keynote speaker Laurie Halse Anderson and two breakout sessions of intensive workshops on self-promotion and marketing, building and maintaining an online presence, writing basics, developing effective critique groups, and an intensive illustrator’s academy.

Registration will probably begin in late February! Watch this website for more announcements!

On Saturday, October 20, SCBWI in Northern New England will host an ENCORE! day of workshops from the 2007 spring regional conference. If you missed this conference or any of these workshops, this is your chance to catch up and hone your storytelling skills.

This mini-conference will take place at the Boys & Girls Club of Salem, New Hampshire, from 9:00 to 5:00. Please bring your own lunch, as food will not be provided.

For information and a simple registration form, download this PDF file. Additional information on the presenters and location below. Registration deadline is 6 October.

On Saturday, October 27, SCBWI in Southern New England will host an ENCORE! day of workshops from recent regional conferences. If you missed any of these workshops, this is your chance to catch up and hone your storytelling skills.

For this event, SCBWI New England is teaming with the Alliance for the Study and Teaching of Adolescent Literature at Rhode Island College in Providence. The registration fee includes a buffet lunch.

For information and a simple registration form, download this PDF file. Additional information on the presenters and location below. Registration deadline is 12 October.

SCBWI New England seeks proposals from experienced writers, artists, and publishing professionals for workshops at its 2008 annual conference, to be held at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Nashua, New Hampshire, April 11-13. The theme for this conference is “Stretch Your Wings.” Proposal deadline is October 1, 2007.

Download Detailed CFP
Download Workshop Rubric
Download Continuum Guide

And that’s a wrap! If you’re on this list of first names and check numbers, we’ll see you in Nashua.

Last Update: 17 May 2007

August 3rd - 6th, 2007

Full conference information including schedule, faculty, and registration is now available at the main SCBWI website: http://www.scbwi.org/events.htm.

All active SCBWI Members should look for the conference brochure in the mail later this month, but get a jump on our special workshops that require pre-registration and sign up now online! Space is limited and these will go quickly!

Meet your 2007 New England SCBWI Conference manuscript and portfolio critique faculty!

The brochure and registration form for New England SCBWI’s Annual Conference is now online in PDF format. The conference will take place in Nashua, NH on May 18-20, 2007.

Move fast if you want a manuscript or portfolio critique because those must be postmarked by April 18, and the deadline for First Look/First Page submissions is April 28.

2007 Conference Brochure

2007 Conference Registration Form

Our annual SCBWI New England Conference is a three-day event May 18, 19, and 20, 2007 at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Nashua New Hampshire.

Friday, May 18, is our Nuts and Bolts day concentrating on marketing and promotion. The keynote speaker will be Stephen Fraser, literary agent from the Jennifer DeChiara Literary Agency in New York City. The afternoon will also offer two workshops choices and will close with a marketing questions and answer panel with Stephen, Alexandra Penfold from Simon and Shuster, Yolanda LeRoy from Charlesbridge and Theresa Howell from Northland Publishing.

Saturday, May 19 is a broad conference day for emerging and experienced writers and illustrators. We are delighted to have Bruce Coville and Sid Fleischman as keynote speakers, along with workshops, manuscript and portfolio critiques, First Pages, and First Look workshops, door prizes, book sales and signings.

Sunday, May 20 will be a workshop day dedicated to revision and strengthening the craft of writing. Our keynote speaker is Cheryl Zach, author of many young adult and mystery novels. Attendees will have workshop choices both morning and afternoon with books sales through out the day.

Here’s some basic and miscellaneous information about SCBWI New England’s annual conference in Nashua on 18-20 May 2007.