SCBWI Near West Suburban Network
As a network representative for the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI) in Illinois, I run an ongoing program of events for the Near West Suburban Networks. Events are free and open to members and not-yet-members. All are welcome. To see the upcoming programming in my network and also the other wonderful network offerings across Illinois, please see the SCBWI IL Networks page.
Our Spring 2024 slate of network events are as follows:
It’s Prompt-a-Palooza! March 14, 2024 at 7 p.m.
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. Location: Meeting Room 1, Linda Sokol Francis Brookfield Library, 3541 Park Ave, Brookfield, IL 60513.
Field Trip to the Butler Children’s Literature Center April 11, 2024 at 7 p.m.
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! Location: Dominican University – River Forest Campus at The Butler Children’s Literature Center is housed in Rebecca Crown Library Rm 214
The Right Path for Your Picture Book: Prose, Poetry, or Something In-Between? May 9, 2024 at 7 p.m.
In this online event, award-winning picture book author and poet Michelle Schaub will share her journey in writing her most recent picture books A Place for Rain and Leafy Landmarks: Travels with Trees. She’ll discuss the decisions she made along the way to find the right form for these projects, which both started in prose and diverged into poetry and something in-between. She’ll share tips and pitfalls for writing in rhyme and discuss how using poetic language can add pep to any picture book project.Learn more about Michelle and The Rhyme Doctors at www.michelleschaub.com and www.rhymedoctors.com. Click this link to join the event.creative writing workshops
I run a series of classes, both online and in person, including:
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- Storytelling in Word and Image (Grades 4 +)
- Story Builder Workshop Series (Grades 4+),
- Writing City: An Enriching Literary Experience (Grades 5 +),
- Story Explorers (Grades 1-2), and
- Zoom Story Shorts (an online class that promotes a daily short burst of creativity).
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