The workshop committee of New England SCBWI welcomes proposals for the Spring 2010 conference, "Moments of Change." As always, our regional conference will have a strong focus on craft. We will also explore the ways that technology impacts our craft and community.
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.
Important Information
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?
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Presentations that relate to our conference theme.
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Presentations that last 55 minutes in their entirety. When planning, leave time for participant questions and any required audiovisual setup.
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A range of presentations for all SCBWI members, including illustrators and writers in all genres.
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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.
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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."
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A balanced combination of lecture-style presentations and hands-on workshops.
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Presentations with information that participants can take back to their desks to ponder and play with.
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Presentations that include a range of examples rather than drawing solely from the presenter's experience or body of work.
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Presenters who are published members of SCBWI, as well as editors, agents, MFA graduates, and other industry professionals. Past presentation experience is appreciated.
120-minute intensives
Intensive proposals should meet all of the criteria listed above for 55-minute workshops. Also consider the following:
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Two hours are provided, so plan exercises or some interactive element in the workshop. An intensive should not only be a lecture.
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Past presentation experience and in-depth knowledge of the topic are required.
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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.
The following presentation topics were suggested by 2009 conference participants. If you are an expert on one of these topics, we would love to see your proposal.
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Publishing 101 (for beginners)
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1st pages review
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Chapter book workshop
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Graphic novel for writers
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Magazine writing
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Additional workshops in nonfiction and poetry
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How to give and receive effective critiques
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Technology for illustrators (Photoshop and other tools with demos)
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Creating online portfolios
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YA romance
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Changes in Publishing
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Online marketing/creating a brand
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Do we need to include txt, email, IMs and social networking in our stories? Do characters need cell phones?
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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?
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How do we keep books from becoming dated before they come out?
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How do we maintain our professional relationships and contacts?
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Should we blog, create MySpace or Facebook pages for our characters, and upload book trailers to YouTube?
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