Regional virtual events

Registration closes December 22, 2024: Did you miss a free/live fall Illinois Network event? Go to SCBWI-IL 2024 Fall Recordings BY REQUEST – SCBWI and register for it for a small convenience fee. Enjoy unlimited viewings of the following fall Networks until December 22nd for $10: Launch Your Middle Grade Novel presented by Near West & Chicago's Southland Networks; Publishing Sports Graphic Novels presented by Chicago Southside Network; Self-Doubt Troll presented by Bolingbrook-Naperville Network; and Rhyme Workshop with Patricia Thot presented by Springfield Scribes.

January 11, 2025 (registration closes January 8): GRAPHIC NOVELS 101 ⭐ This will be a jam-packed introduction to the world of children’s graphic novels. We'll discuss topics like: How are graphic novels different from picture books? What’s the difference between “comics” and “graphic novels”? Why are graphic novels so popular? What’s selling particularly well in the category right now? What do you need to include in an effective graphic novel submission? How do you format a graphic novel script? What are agents and editors looking for? Who are the major players in kids graphic novels? Which publishers are doing what, and where might the industry go in the future?

January 11, 2025 (registration closes January 10): As an in-house children’s book editor for over ten years, an author of several children’s books, and Co-Founder of Red Fox Literary, LLC with Karen Grencik in 2011, Agent Abigail Samoun will present her unique perspective in navigating the ins and outs of a writing career and offer an insider’s professional advice and tips in writing your book and getting it noticed by agents and publishers. As an agent, Abigail represents authors and illustrators working in a range of genres, from board books to young adult novels. In addition to agenting, Abigail is the author of several children’s books, including Sterling Publishing’s Little Traveler board book series illustrated by Red Fox’s own Sarah Watts and What’s In Your Purse? (Chronicle).

January 13, 2025 (registration closes January 12): Join literary agent and former editor Elise Howard as she discusses the process of working with your agent on readying your work for submission. Topics to be covered will include: · What’s an editorial agent? · Submitting to an editorial agent · Finding the right editorial agent for you · Revising for submission · Ready for submission? · What exactly is “room for the editor”? · The agent’s role after the book is sold. After laying the groundwork for the subject, we will make the session as interactive as possible, in order to answer participants’ most pressing questions about the agent/author relationship and to help make your search for an agent, editorial or otherwise, as productive as possible. SUBMISSION SHINE 2025: ONLINE CRITIQUE INTENSIVE PARTICIPANTS ARE AUTOMATICALLY REGISTERED FOR THIS EVENT

January 14, 2025 (Zoom) and January 25, 2025 (in-person): Get ready to look at your writing in a whole new way…and have some fun in the process! Award winning authors Chris Tebbetts and Andrea Loney will show us what the disciplines of directing, acting, and improv have to teach us as writers. Sessions will include lecture, writing exercises, and most distinctly, scene work for your stories in progress, with volunteer actors from the group taking part in live readings (for our initial online meeting) and “play rehearsal” style staging (for our in-person workshop), all while individual authors watch, direct, and receive feedback on character, action, dialogue, voice, narration, pacing, and more. Registration closes January 12, 2025.

January 14, 2025: Join prolific author Candice Ransom for a webinar on magical realism! Walk into any Barnes and Noble or your public library’s middle grade and young adult sections and you may notice lots of books with the word “magic” in the title or a cover with sparkles or mysterious trees that imply some sort of magic. Magical realism is hot and has been for some time. In this webinar, you’ll learn what magical realism is and what it is not.

January 14, 2025: Most authors don't have an accounting degree--but Khadijah VanBrakle does! Set yourself up for tax prep peace of mind this year as Khadijah presents basic accounting principles and simple record keeping practices to help face this annual obligation. Caveat: This session is not a substitute for getting tax advice from a Tax Professional familiar with your specific situation.

January 15, 2025: There is something special and memorable about a great rhyming picture book text, whether it is humorous or heartfelt. We’ll examine several picture books to explore how writers create great rhyme. We will learn how rhyme, rhythm, repetition, and refrain all work together to enhance a text. We’ll discuss writing “by ear” as well as understanding some of the technical aspects and terminology of writing metered verse, including rhyme scheme, perfect rhyme, near rhyme, meter, scansion, stressed and unstressed beats. A handout will be provided with notes, resources, and mentor texts for further study. We’ll apply our knowledge by writing some rhyming verses of our own, and discuss strategies for revision. A recording will be available to registered participants for one month after the event. PLEASE NOTE - You must register before the event in order to have access to the video.

January 16, 2025 (registration closes January 15): Is it a presentation? Or a performance? Based on his own experiences, Merrill Rainey will discuss tips and tricks on what makes a successful school visit. He will also cover the importance of knowing your worth, knowing your audience, and why you should have a contract in place before you present. Add-on portfolio critique opportunities are available! Merrill Rainey is a picture-book creator and paper-toy-maker who explores creativity and imaginative play. Current titles include Roar! I’m a Dinosaur, Oink! I’m a Pig, and the Color, Cut, Create series. His newest title My First Town: A Building Block Book is a modern take on the classic children's building block toys. Merrill also works for many children’s magazines like Highlights, Ranger Rick, and Humpty Dumpty.

January 16, 2025 (registration closes January 14): Most YA authors rely on their memories of adolescence to write teen characters. No matter how vivid your memories are, the fact remains that teenage brains function differently than adult ones. These differences are deeper than the poor impulse control that makes you want to scream, “What were you thinking?” As a high school teacher who writes for teens, here are four things about the adolescent mind presenter Sam Cameron thinks every YA writer should know in order to write fiction that will hook teen readers.

March 3, 2025: Explore excerpts from published middle-grade and young adult novels in verse to examine elements and choices that create powerful impact. Consider ways to make your own poetry come together to make a satisfying and striking overarching story. A limited number of MG/YA Novel in Verse OR PB manuscript/dummy critiques available.

March 8, 2025 (registration closes March 7): With a wealth of high-octane experience in Hollywood & Nickelodeon - combined with a genuine support for writers and their best interests - Eddie Gamarra will share insider tips on how and where to pitch ideas that could get your book a fighting chance. Former college professor and now media right consultant, Eddie Gamarra was most recently VP, Literary Affairs where he scouted, acquired, and developed books & other IP for Paramount's Nickelodeon & Awesomeness brands. His client roster included NYT best-selling authors & illustrators as well as Oscar, Emmy, Annie, Caldecott, Newbery, and Geisel winners/nominees. He has a BA from Vassar, a Masters from NYU, and a PhD from Emory.

March 13, 2025: Whether you are writing an epic fantasy with dynamic world building, a suspenseful thriller, a creepy horror, a dramatic family saga, a charming romance, or an otherworldly adventure, it is important to build characters who are complex and distinct. Each character has a backstory and personality that provides them with dimension, and that character's background should influence how they communicate and connect with others. In this workshop, we'll talk about the different ways we can enhance a character's voice through dialogue and other forms of communication. A limited number of MG & YA critiques are available at an additional cost.

April 5, 2025 (registration closes April 4): Just like first impressions, first pages can matter a lot. They help set up reader expectations, as well as reader anticipation. How do you polish your first page to where it needs to be to get a reader hooked? We'll be looking at examples of strong first pages and discussing what makes them work, as well as chatting about what might NOT work on a first page. Presented by Foyinsi Adegbonmire, Editor at Feiwel & Friends, an imprint of Macmillan Children's Publishing. She was named a PW Star Watch Honoree and her acquisitions include New York Times-bestseller Ace of Spades by Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé and Indie Bestseller Dear Wendy by Ann Zhao. When not reading or thinking about her very large TBR pile, she can be found watching Black sitcoms from the 90s/early 2000s, obsessing over crafting, or being sucked into Twitter and TikTok (@Foyinsi_Pub).

April 17, 2025 (registration closes April 16): How Imposter Syndrome can affect creators, agents, and even editors at all points in the writing, querying, submissions, and editorial process, and how to battle through it in your own writing and publishing journey. A limited number of PB, MG and YA CRITIQUES available at an additional cost. (Note: Those who register for POCONO BELIEVE 2025 are automatically registered for this event.)