Registration for SCBWI New England's 2010 Annual Conference opens on Monday, 8 February! This conference will take place on 14-16 May at the Courtyard Marriott in Fitchburg, Massachusetts, with the big day being Saturday, 16 May.

Keynote speakers are author Cynthia Leitich Smith, illustrator Marla Frazee, and editor Allyn Johnston. Attendees can sign up for quick queries with agents, manuscript critiques, and portfolio reviews. Ordinary registration includes lunch and a selection of workshops and intensives for children's writers and illustrators at all levels.

Visit this site for a complete listing of workshops and to register for the conference and extras. See you in Fitchburg!

• Conference Schedule
• Workshop Descriptions
• Faculty Bios
• Manuscript Critique Guidelines
• Special Conference Offerings: Conference Orientation, Quick Queries, Peer Critiques, Special Interest Groups, Meet & Greet, Poster Showcase, Genius Bar, Marketing Consultations
• Conference FAQs

*Illustration by Nicole Tadgell

Attention, illustrators: An Ann Barrow Scholarship winner will be selected by the selection committee and awarded to an illustrator who is registered for the 2010 New England SCBWI Conference. If you are attending the 2010 conference, please consider applying. The scholarship pays full tuition for the 2011 conference.

In her memory, SCBWI New England will award a scholarship to the 2011 New England conference (THE 25th Anniversary!).

To apply for the Ann Barrow Illustrators Scholarship, send 10 images on a non-returnable CD to:
Margo Lemieux,
Box 583,
Mansfield, MA 02048.

All CD's must be clearly labeled. The CD must be both Windows and Macintosh compatible. Files on the CD must be in JPEG format only (we will not accept any other file format for submission) using the following specifications:

• File size should not exceed 1MB
• Image resolution should be exactly 150 DPI (not smaller or larger)
• Artist name should appear on the artwork

Entries that do not follow the above guidelines may be removed from the jury process at the discretion of the committee. SCBWI: NE will not be responsible for entries that do not respect the guidelines above, defective media, or CD's which can't be read on our computers. Please test your CD before sending to insure that your files will open directly from the CD.

The applicant MUST be registered for the 2010 conference.

The scholarship is for tuition only and does not cover any other expenses such as editor critiques, hotel or travel.

An event for published authors and illustrators of books for children

Saturday, November 14, 2009, 10:00 - 2:30

Managing Your Online Presence:
Websites, Blogs, Twitter, Facebook, and More

Speakers: Mitali Perkins and Deborah Sloan

Worried your publisher can't do enough to get your work noticed? Feel constrained when it comes to time, money, or technological know-how? Learn some simple tips to streamline your use of websites, blogs, Facebook, Twitter, videos, and other online promotional tools.

Mitali Perkins is the author of Rickshaw Girl (Charlesbridge) and Secret Keeper (Delacorte). She has taught seminars on author branding and online promotion at various writers' conferences.

Deborah Sloan connects books and readers through her marketing and promotion firm Deborah Sloan and Company, her Picnic Basket blog for teachers and librarians, and the newly created KidsBuzz.

Schedule:
10:00-10:30 Registration and Networking
10:30-12:00 Presentation and Group Discussion, Part 1
12:00-1:00 Lunch and Networking
1:00-2:30 Presentation and Group Discussion, Part 2

Location:
Hartman Hall, Acton Congregational Church
12 Concord Rd., Acton, MA
$35.00 for SCBWI members, $45.00 for non-SCBWI members
Box lunch provided. Bring your own coffee or tea.
Limited to 50 participants

Click here for a registration form.

Directions:
From the south and west:
Take I-495 to Exit 28. Turn left onto Route 111. After about 3.5 miles, turn left onto Route 27/Main St. Turn right onto Concord Rd. at the town green. The church is on the left. The parking lot entrance is just past the church.

From the north:
Take I-495 to Exit 28. Turn right onto Route 111. After about 4 miles, turn left onto Route 27/Main St. Turn right onto Concord Rd. at the town green. The church is on the left. The parking lot entrance is just past the church.

From the east:
Take Route 2 to Exit 42. Turn right onto Route 27/Main St. Turn right onto Concord Rd. at the town green. The church is on the left. The parking lot entrance is just past the church.

Questions? Email Melissa Stewart.

AND

Passion and Process vs. Product and Promotion: A Group Discussion

Saturday, September 19, 2009, 10:00 - 2:30, in Acton, Massachusetts

An event for published authors and illustrators of books for children

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

The topics for the 19 September Salon are--

Taking Your School Visits to the Next Level: Q&A with Two School Visit Coordinators

Two experienced school visit coordinators describe their idea of the perfect author/illustrator visit and offer advice for making your programs better than ever.

Passion and Process vs. Product and Promotion: A Group Discussion

Passion led us to become authors and illustrators and we spend hours of time creating our works, but sending them out into the world is a job most of us weren't expecting. We will discuss how to balance time spent making books and time spent marketing them.

Schedule:
10:00-10:30 Registration and Networking
10:30-12:00 Presentation and Group Discussion
12:00-1:00 Lunch and Networking
1:00-2:30 Presentation and Group Discussion

Location:
Faulkner Room, Acton Town Hall
472 Main St., Acton, MA (directions below)

Fee:
$35.00 for SCBWI members, $45.00 for non-SCBWI members.
Lunch and beverage included. Bring your own coffee or tea.
Limited to 50 participants, Attendees must have at least one book for children in print and qualify as a PAL (Published And Listed) member of SCBWI. Registrations will be accepted on a first come, first served basis. No confirmation notifications will be sent to attendees. If the program is full when your registration arrives, you will be notified by email and your check will be destroyed.

Click here to download the registration form. Email questions about the event to the registrar.

Directions:
From the south and west:
Take I-495 to Exit 28. Turn left onto Route 111. After about 3.5 miles, turn left onto Route 27/Main St. The Town Hall is across the street from the town green.

From the north:
Take I-495 to Exit 28. Turn right onto Route 111. After about 4 miles, turn left onto Route 27/Main St. The Town Hall is across the street from the town green.

From the east:
Take Route 2 to Exit 42. Turn right onto Route 27/Main St. The Town Hall is across the street from the town green.

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 continental breakfast and 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 September 1st.

Location and Directions

View Larger Map

"Choices in Narrative Voices" (1-hour workshop)
An author can describe the same series of events involving the same characters in many different ways. From one character's point of view or several? In the first person or third (or second)? In the past tense or present? From an immediate perspective or years later? In this workshop, J.L.Bell lays out six building blocks of all narrative voices: Person, Point of View, Perspective, Past & Present, Paper Trail, and Presence. Understanding all the choices available will help you select the narration that serves your stories best.

For over ten years, J.L.Bell worked for a publisher editing a wide range of titles, including two New York Times bestsellers. Since going freelance, he has consulted on books for many clients, including Candlewick, Kids Can Press, Dutton, and Little, Brown. For young readers he has written the book Soap Science, historical articles, and short stories, and he has reviewed titles for The Horn Book. He maintains a daily blog on children's books, comics, and the peculiar publishing industry at www.ozandends.blogspot.com.

"What's So Funny--and Why?" (1-hour workshop)
Whether you're writing a comic novel or a more serious piece, knowing how and when to use humor can take your writing to a new level. Any situation has the potential for humor if you know how to approach it. Ellen Wittlinger will help us learn how to use humor effectively. We will also look at a few examples of authors who are experts at making us laugh.

Ellen Wittlinger is the author of 14 novels for young adults, including such titles as Sandpiper, Blind Faith, Parrotfish and her newest book, Love and Lies. Her novel, Hard Love, won a Michael L. Printz Honor Award and a Lambda Literary Award. Many of her novels have been listed on the yearly best books list of the New York Public Library and the American Library Association. She has taught at Emerson College.

"Writing the Middle Grade Series" (2-hour workshop)
A series is the ultimate way to expand literary horizons, allowing the author to explore and develop characters over the scope of several novels. But how does it differ from writing a single title? What gives a concept "series potential"? Writer and editor Lisa Papademetriou will share her boot-camp-style approach to creating series in this hands-on creative seminar. The class will discuss several different types of series, including (but not limited to) Harry Potter, Disney Fairies, The Chronicles of Narnia, and Princess Diaries. We will explore the influence of genre on plot choices and the way story arc functions across multiple novels. Participants will come up with characters and situations for their own "high concept" series, will practice plotting, and will begin work on a mini-bible/proposal.

Lisa Papademetriou is the author of Sixth-Grade Glommers, Norks, and Me; How to Be a Girly-Girl in Just Ten Days; The Wizard, the Witch, and Two Girls From Jersey; Drop; and Chasing Normal. She has worked in an editorial capacity at Scholastic, HarperCollins, and Disney Press. Her most recent work is Accidentally Fabulous, a four-book series for Scholastic.

"Before and After" (1-hour workshop)
Submitting a manuscript to a publishing house can be nerve-wracking, but it doesn't have to be that way.  Erica Zappy will help you learn how to research publishing houses and editors, using bookstores, libraries, and the internet to your advantage.  She will let you in on how things get selected out of the slush pile (hint: it doesn't have to do with the color of your envelope), what happens when an editor likes something, how things proceed in-house, and what kind of communication goes on between the editor, the publisher, and the author.  Finally, she will share the things NOT to worry about and focus on as you wait to hear back, why it takes so long, and what to do next if you've been declined.  It's sometimes a long, slow-moving process, but the right story can find its way to the right editor with patience and research.

Besides being an Associate Editor at Houghton Mifflin Books for Children, Erica Zappy is also the series editor for the acclaimed Scientists in the Field series. She has edited such series titles as Tracking Trash: Flotsam, Jetsam, and the Science of Ocean Motion; Emi and the Rhino Scientist; and The Frog Scientist. She is the editor of Bodies from the Ice: Melting Glaciers and the Recovery of the Past and Ellis Island: Coming to the Land of Liberty. Erica has also edited a few novels, including Next to Mexico and Ghost Town, and picture books, such as the forthcoming The Little Piano Girl: The Story of Mary Lou Williams, Jazz Legend. Currently she is working on books about arctic whales, bees, bats, manatees, homeless dogs, seahorses and sea turtles.

Stories begin at a moment of change, and we, as a community of children's writers and illustrators, are currently in the midst of our own moment of change. With new technologies, the lives of the children we write for and about are dramatically different from what we experienced growing up. How do we reach our readers through these moments of change?

This is one of the largest regional SCBWI conferences, and we welcome proposals from everyone. We also encourage artists and writers of color, those who are differently abled, and others from underrepresented groups to propose conference workshops.

Conference Dates: Friday afternoon through Sunday afternoon, May 14th-May 16th, 2010
Conference Location: Courtyard Marriott, Fitchburg, MA (Note: This location is new!)
To Submit a Proposal: Please complete a conference proposal form. Separate submissions are required for multiple presentations.

Proposal Due Date: September 15, 2009
Presenters Notified By: November 1, 2009

Types of Presentations: 55-minute workshops; 120-minute intensives

55-minute presentations
What are we looking for?

• Presentations that relate to our conference theme.
• Presentations that last 55 minutes in their entirety. When planning, leave time for participant questions and any required audiovisual setup.
• A range of presentations for all SCBWI members, including illustrators and writers in all genres.
• Leveled presentations. We are not trying to find one presentation that everyone can attend. Instead, presenters should direct material toward a specific experience level. For example, an "advanced" illustration presentation should not begin with "Why you should carry a sketch book," and a "beginner's" writing workshop should not address marketing a contracted novel.
• Focused presentations with clear learning outcomes. This could mean a specific genre, style, area of craft, art medium, etc. Plan the presentation thinking, "I want participants to come away having learned these three things."
• A balanced combination of lecture-style presentations and hands-on workshops.
• Presentations with information that participants can take back to their desks to ponder and play with.
• Presentations that include a range of examples rather than drawing solely from the presenter's experience or body of work.
• Presenters who are published members of SCBWI, as well as editors, agents, MFA graduates, and other industry professionals. Past presentation experience is appreciated.

• Two hours are provided, so plan exercises or some interactive element in the workshop. An intensive should not only be a lecture.
• Past presentation experience and in-depth knowledge of the topic are required.
• Partner presentations are welcome.

Note: If you apply to present a 55-minute workshop or a 120-minute intensive and we feel your presentation may better fit the other format, we will let you know!

Every year SCBWI New England receives many excellent proposals, more than can fit into a conference schedule. Therefore, we must choose on the basis of experience, quality, variety, novelty, attendant costs, and other factors. Please use the NESCBWI Workshop Rubric included below for more explicit selection criteria and standards.

• Workshop_Rubric.pdf
• Workshop_Continuum.pdf

• Publishing 101 (for beginners)
• 1st pages review
• Chapter book workshop
• Graphic novel for writers
  
• Magazine writing
• Additional workshops in nonfiction and poetry
  
• How to give and receive effective critiques
• Technology for illustrators (Photoshop and other tools with demos)
  
• Creating online portfolios
  
• YA romance
• Changes in Publishing
  
• Online marketing/creating a brand
• Do we need to include txt, email, IMs and social networking in our stories? Do characters need cell phones?
• In children's lit, there has always been the problem of parents and how to get them out of the way. Do we now have a problem of tech? Do we need to send our characters into the wilderness or have them digitally grounded for a real story to take place?
• How do we keep books from becoming dated before they come out?
• How do we maintain our professional relationships and contacts?
• Should we blog, create MySpace or Facebook pages for our characters, and upload book trailers to YouTube?

The conference will be held in Los Angeles, CA from August 7-10, 2009.

Registration begins May 5th!

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 its published members
• To grow as artists
• To be inspired by experts in the field
• To get connected

The next New England SCBWI Salon will be Saturday, June 6, 2009, 10AM - 1PM with author Mark Peter Hughes and author-illustrator Brian Lies. After describing their own experiences, Mark and Brian will lead a group discussion of the ups and downs of promoting children's books.

Following the publication of his young adult novel, Lemonade Mouth (Delacorte, 2007), Mark Peter Hughes and his family set off on a cross-country book tour/summer adventure, which he described in a series of fun and zany blog entries. Did the trip live up to his expectations?

Brian Lies has been writing and illustrating children's books since 1989. He and his wife had already begun to implement a marketing plan for Bats at the Beach (Houghton Mifflin, 2006), but when National Public Radio's Daniel Pinkwater gave a glowing review, Brian became "an overnight success." Find out what this experience taught Brian and how it changed his own creative promotional campaign.

Schedule:

10:00-10:30 Registration and Networking
10:30-12:00 Presentation and Group Discussion
12:00-1:00 Lunch and Networking

Cost:

$20.00 for SCBWI members, $30.00 for non-SCBWI members

Lunch and beverage included. Bring your own coffee or tea.
Limited to 50 participants

Location:

Faulkner Room, Acton Town Hall
472 Main St., Acton, MA

View Larger Map

From the south and west:

Take I-495 to Exit 28. Turn left onto Route 111. After about 3.5 miles, turn left onto Route 27/Main St. The Town Hall is across the street from the town green.

From the north:

Take I-495 to Exit 28. Turn right onto Route 111. After about 4 miles, turn left onto Route 27/Main St. The Town Hall is across the street from the town green.

From the east:

Take Route 2 to Exit 42. Turn right onto Route 27/Main St. The Town Hall is across the street from the town green.

Registration Form:

Questions?

Email mas@melissa-stewart.com.

Registration for the 2009 New England SCBWI Conference will open on January 24, 2009. The conference is again taking place at the Crowne Plaza hotel in Nashua, NH, on the weekend of April 24-26. We hope to see you there!

Conference Fee Schedule:
Saturday (SCBWI members) $140
Sunday (SCBWI members) $100
Both Saturday and Sunday (SCBWI members) $225
Saturday (non-member) $165
Sunday (non-member) $125
Both Saturday and Sunday (non-member) $275

Above fees do not include critique or special event fees.
The Crowne Plaza rate for this event is $97 per night + taxes. More information about lodging is available when you register.

Conference Info:

• 2009 NESCBWI Conference Schedule (PDF)
• Editor Critique Guidelines (PDF)
• Faculty Bios (PDF)
• Special Events (PDF)
• Workshop Listings (PDF)
• Hotel Map and Directions (Google Maps)
• Ride Sharing Message Board (MyNESCBWI)
• Room Sharing Message Board (MyNESCBWI)
• Conference FAQ (MyNESCBWI)

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

Saturday, March 14, 2009, 10 -1
Building a Career as a Children's Author/Illustrator
Speakers: Author Nancy Werlin and author-illustrator Nancy Poydar

Can you make a living writing and/or illustrating books for children? Two seasoned professionals describe their experiences and lead a group discussion of this topic.

During her 18-year career in publishing, Nancy Poydar has illustrated more than twenty picture books. She is the author-illustrator of thirteen additional titles, including Zip, Zip . . . Homework (Holiday House, 2008) and the beloved First Day, Hooray! (Holiday House, 1999).

Schedule:
10:00-10:30 Registration and Networking
10:30-12:00 Presentation and Group Discussion
12:00-1:00 Lunch and Networking

Location:
Faulkner Room, Acton Town Hall
472 Main St., Acton, MA
$20.00 for SCBWI members, $30.00 for non-SCBWI members
Lunch included, limited to 50 participants

Directions:
From the south and west:
Take I-495 to Exit 28. Turn left onto Route 111. After about 3.5 miles, turn left onto Route 27/Main St. The Town Hall is across the street from the town green.

From the north:
Take I-495 to Exit 28. Turn right onto Route 111. After about 4 miles, turn left onto Route 27/Main St. The Town Hall is across the street from the town green.

From the east:
Take Route 2 to Exit 42. Turn right onto Route 27/Main St. The Town Hall is across the street from the town green.

Click here for a Registration Form.

Questions? Email mas@melissa-stewart.com.