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

Whispering Pines, being held March 27-29, 2009, is a writers’ retreat for the serious writer. This retreat, limited to 24 full time participants, is an opportunity to 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!

Saturday only participants will enjoy presentations from author, Ellen Wittlinger and senior editor, Jennifer Rees. Afterwards, visit with other professionals over a relaxing lunch that boasts an outstanding menu. Although one-on-one critiques are not included, genre-based peer group critiques take place all afternoon.

Sunday only participants will enjoy presentations from our author/illustrator, Maryann Cocca-Leffler, and editor, Sarah Shumway. Enjoy the company and professionalism of other participants over a delicious lunch.

On Saturday, November 15, SCBWI in Southern New England will host ENCORE 2008, a day of four workshops from recent regional conferences. If you missed any of these workshops, this is your chance to catch up and hone your storytelling and marketing skills.

For this event, SCBWI New England is teaming with the Alliance for the Study and Teaching of Adolescent Literature (ASTAL) at Rhode Island College in Providence. The registration fee of $50 includes a buffet lunch.

For information and a simple registration form, download this PDF file, print it, fill it out, and mail it in. Additional information on the workshops and presenters is below. The registration deadline is 3 November.

Directions to Rhode Island College.

SCBWI Salons are gatherings for published authors and illustrators of children’s books…

…to share ideas, triumphs, and struggles
…to discuss what SCBWI-NE can do to help us as published members
…to grow as artist
…to be inspired by experts in the field
…to get connected

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.

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

The retreat, limited to 20 full time participants, was an opportunity to work intimately with professionals in an idyllic setting. Participants had the opportunity to work with others who are committed to quality children’s literature in small groups and also benefited from a thirty minute one-on-one critique with an assigned mentor. The setting allowed for quiet meditation, networking, and attention to participants’ individual projects in a “design your own retreat” format.

Participants enjoyed presentations from award-winning author Mark Peter Hughes, Charlesbridge Publishing editor Emily Mitchell, illustrator Ilene Richard, and Candlewick Press associate editor Kaylan Adair. Thanks to everyone involved for another successful event!

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.

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.

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