Children's Author
Join us as we celebrate and support the new independent bookstore in Oak Park, Dandelion Books. As well as exploring the store, we’ll try out some writing exercises using books from the collection, and there will be plenty of time to browse.
Where? Dandelion Books, 139 South Oak Park Ave, Oak Park, IL 60302. Information about location and parking here.
Get to know the local kidlit creatives in your area and join us for a bookish gathering. We’ll do some gentle and playful creative writing exercises, designed to kickstart new ideas and develop storycraft techniques so bring along a pen and paper. Where? La Grange Public Library, Board, Room, 10 W Cossitt Avenue, La Grange, IL 60525
Join our Near West Suburban Network together with the Chicago Southland Network for a discussion with special guest Sara Latta on writing for the educational market. We meet on Thursday, March 27, 2025, 7:00 PM via Zoom
On Valentine’s Eve, in our SCBWI Illinois network we’ll be thinking about kidlit romance. How do you create believable romance in YA? How is romance used as a subplot in different genres? And what about middle grade? We’ll look at excerpts and talk about technique. Join us and share your kidlit romance thoughts and recommendations, too. We meet online at 7 p.m. on Thursday February 13th. Click this link and scroll down to the Near West Suburban Network section to access the Zoom meeting details.
I am hosting this free online event for SCBWI Illinois networks. Join us to hear about the Middle Grade Escapaders’ journeys to publication and tips on navigating life as a debut author.
Join us and visit the Butler Children’s Literature Center in River Forest! Curator, Jen Clemons, will explain how the Butler Center’s selection of newly published books and special permanent collections can be used by kidlit authors and illustrators and also share some tidbits from her upcoming trip to Bologna Children’s Book Fair.
For our March SCBWI-IL network event, we’ll try out a mix of prompts designed to get your words flowing. You can experiment with voice, characters, settings and even new story starts. We will be meeting in person so bring something to write with. We’ll focus on writing during our meeting but leave some time at the end for those that want to share. When? Thursday March 14, at 7 p.m. Where? Meeting Room 1, Linda Sokol Francis Brookfield Library, 3541 Park Ave, Brookfield, IL 60513.
