2024 Webinar Banner Culturally Sensitive Critique Groups (2).png

Webinar: Creating in Community

Oct 22, 2024

Online event

Description: You already know: Working with a critique partner or group can help improve your creative projects! Incorporating useful feedback into your art or writing can make the difference in whether your work attracts attention from an agent, gets accepted by a publisher, or wins an award. The best critique environment is a supportive, collaborative, safe space. It sparks vulnerability, transparency, and creativity while offering feedback that builds up writers’ confidence—in their work and in themselves. Equally true: in partnerships or groups with diverse creators, it’s important to foster a welcoming environment for creators of differing identities or cultures—or whose work centers characters or nonfiction/fiction themes outside your lived experience. Building on her experience as a writing coach and as a sensitivity reader for publishers of adult and KidLit titles, Lisa A. Crayton will explore how critique partners (and groups) can better celebrate, uplift, and empower creators through community. She’ll address topics centering diversity—such as stereotypes, marginalization, and respect— as they relate to KidLit art and writing. Lisa will also offer tips for providing better written and verbal feedback. And she’ll address your pressing questions arising from real life experiences in critique environments. The webinar is for you if you struggle with giving honest feedback when offering critiques to another creator because of the material that includes cultures, identities and/or themes different from your lived experience. Or if you hold back your heart topics or projects in a critique group because of fear of receiving insensitive comments. Or if you simply are curious about how to build a more supportive critique group. A limited number of critiques available at an additional cost.

Quick Facts

Host Region: Eastern Pennsylvania

Contact Kristen Strocchia epa-ara@scbwi.org

Cost: FREE

Critiques:

  • Premium Members=$60
  • Preview Plan=$65

*All critique proceeds will benefit the SCBWI Eastern PA scholarship fund.

Meet the Faculty

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About Lisa

KidLit author Lisa A. Crayton is a writer and editor with more than 35 years’ experience. She is the author of 18 books, including 17 KidLit titles, and the co-author of 8 other KidLit books. Her December 2023 release, co-authored with Sharifa Stevens and illustrated by Camilla Ru, is Only Light Can Do That. 60 Days MLK – Devotions for Kids. An editor and collaborative writer (“ghostwriter”), Lisa provides writing and editing services to publishers and authors that help develop and/or polish manuscripts and/or book proposals. Lisa also offers publishing clients sensitivity/authenticity readings of KidLit, and adult fiction and nonfiction titles. A co-Regional Advisor for the SCBWI MD/DE/WV Region, Lisa earned her MFA in Creative Writing from National University, and her dual B.S. degree in public relations and journalism (cum laude) from Utica College (now Utica University).

PB, MG & YA CRITIQUES available: (at an additional cost)

Premium Members=$60

Preview Plan=$65

*All critique proceeds will benefit the SCBWI Eastern PA scholarship fund.


For all submissions, format your work in 12 point font, with one-inch margins, and double spacing. (US Letter paper size-Include all materials in the same document; please don’t send two documents.)

For PB, send one full picture book manuscript OR dummy plus a 2-3 sentence pitch in the same document.

For MG & YA, send up to 10 pages of your manuscript, plus a one-page, single-spaced synopsis.

⇒Please include your name on every page of your work as a header or a footer, as well as identifying information on page one: first & last name, email address, title, genre.

⇒Please SAVE YOUR FILE as Webinar Faculty Last Name_Your Last Name_TITLE OF MANUSCRIPT as a PDF or DOC or DOCx.   

Example: Crayton_Strocchia_PURPLE CARROTS

⇒Then send your file to Kristen at epa-ara@scbwi.org. The subject should read: Webinar Faculty Last Name_Your Last Name_TITLE OF MANUSCRIPT (same as saved file name).

Submission deadline: Friday, October 25, 2024.

We anticipate critiques to be returned on or about Tuesday, November 26, 2024.