News & Events

Crushes and Chemistry – Writing Romance for Young Readers

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.

Field Trip to the Butler Children’s Literature Center

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.
We’ll try out some writing exercises using books from the collection, and there will be plenty of time to browse. The Butler Center is a wonderful local resource!
When? Thursday, April 11, 2024
When? 7:00 PM
Where?  Dominican University – River Forest Campus at The Butler Children’s Literature Center is housed in Rebecca Crown Library, Rm 214, 7900 W Division St, River Forest, IL 60305.

 

It’s Prompt-a-Palooza!

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.

Kidlit Community

Faculty and Committee members on the eve of the conference.

This month, I was proud to be part of the organizing committee for the SCBWI Illinois conference, Prairie Writer’s and Illustrator’s Day.

This was the first time we’d had an in-person conference since the pandemic and I am still feeling the happy after effects.

The key takeaways?

  • Plenty of story craft advice.
  • Inspiring keynotes by Michael Leali and Adriana Hernandez Bergstrom about mastering the ups and downs of the artist’s journey.
  • The opportunity to chat to publishing industry professionals including art directors (Maryn Arreguin from Sourcebooks and Brian LaRossa from Scholastic), editors (Hannah Hill from Delacorte Press and Kelly Delaney from Crown Books for Young Readers), and agents (Sartiza Hernández from Andrea Brown Literary Agency and D. Ann Williams from Emerald City Literary Agency).
  • Individual feedback and a selection of panels and workshops to choose from.
  • Best of all, connecting with my supportive, creative, lively kidlit community. A huge thanks to the team on my organizing committee, especially Committee Chair, Jenny Wagh.  Roll on next year.

Preparing to moderate the publishing industry panel.

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