Serious about improving your craft? SCBWI's regional events provide opportunities for professional growth and help you connect with a supportive, creative community.
Wed Jan 8, 6:30-8pm, location TBD with Zoom option Writing an effective synopsis is an essential skill for writers who submit their work to publishers. Join Lisa Kaniut Cobb, author of The Netahs YA fantasy series, to learn to craft synopses from elevator pitches to 500-word descriptions. We’ll also review submission guidelines and work together to make your synopsis fit the guidelines and get your writing noticed. Please bring a summary of your WIP. Questions: Contact the YA team at kdmwriter@gmail.com. RSVP form coming soon!
Wednesday, January 8, 2025, 5:30-7:00pm on Zoom. We'll start the new year by focusing on our writing/illustrating goals for the coming months/year. After making our New Year's resolutions, we'll spend time doing critiques. Writers, bring up to 1500 words of a manuscript; illustrators, bring your equivalent. Contact Karen Lee Boardman at rmcwyomingconnect@gmail.com for more information or for the Zoom link if you aren't on the Wyoming list.
Saturday, January 11, 2025, 1:30pm at the Denver Art Museum. Join fellow RMC Illustrators for a visit to the Wild Things: The Art of Maurice Sendak exhibition at the Denver Art Museum. No RSVP needed, but tickets are required, even for museum members. Many time slots have already sold out and you may want to purchase in advance. Learn more here: https://www.denverartmuseum.org/en/blog/plan-your-visit-wild-things-art-maurice-sendak .
Sunday, January 12, 1:30-4:30pm at Fire Station 19 (on Research, between Lexington and Chapel Hills). Ready for a new year of storytelling? Join us for an inspiring session designed to get your creative juices flowing. Remaining Time: Critiques, if interested--bring 5-8 copies of your work in progress (up to 5 pages or 1500 words) to share.
Monday, January 20, 2025, 6:00-8:00pm. The Zoom Link will be shared in reminder emails in January. Learn how easy it can be for writers and illustrators to use Canva to create graphics for marketing, social media, flyers, etc. Presenter Michelle Schaub will walk us through the basics of using the free version of Canva to design visually appealing materials, even motion graphics! Contact: Julie Rowan-Zoch (jrzoch at gmail dot com) - no RSVP necessary, but please email if you are not already on the NoCo list.
Thursday, January 23, 2025, 6:30-7:30pm. Query letters are the intersection of creativity and professionalism, and a necessity for those creatives who wish to publish traditionally. Join Roxanne Troup to learn how to write a great query letter and what it takes to stand out from the crowd. It's easier than you think! RSVP for the Zoom link: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdyXUAtq0t5Ak6W1ojHA3cUwC6-c8jhyhhoX-rsgtkpLViB-A/viewform. Everyone who RSVPs will receive an email with the link the week of the event. Email Laura Perdew (at LMPerdew at gmail dot com) with any questions.
Saturday, January 25, 11:00am-1:00pm at Southglenn Library, Rooms A & B, 6972 S Vine Street, Centennial, CO. Denver South Connect member Nina Snyder will give a presentation on unreliable narrators: From picture books through young adult novels, unreliable narrators can offer a unique twist on traditional narratives. Although it can be tricky, the technique can draw in readers and keep them guessing until the last page. Questions: Contact the Denver South Connect team (Jenny Johnson and Stacey Simmons) at rmcdsouthconnect@gmail.com. RSVP: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeLDaHEufHJv2Pnzyg24KtKC4heiPKfbfuYQ0NijyOqvcu5dw/viewform
Monday, January 27, 8:00am, live on ZOOM. Have you ever wondered what the criteria for the Newbery Award is? Or what librarians really think of the books that are chosen? Join Mary Kuehner, RMC-SCBWI member and early literacy librarian, as well as other librarian friends and your fellow authors and illustrators to watch the award announcements LIVE on Zoom as they happen. As the awards are announced, we'll be chatting about our favorites, cheering for the winners, and generally feeling the kidlit and library joy. Join us prior to the announcements, which begin at 8:45, to learn a little about how the awards process works (at least the stuff we can tell you), what might happen during deliberations, and how the awards criteria can differ - from librarians who have been part of the process! Copy and paste this link in your address bar to register via Zoom: https://scbwi.zoom.us/j/99960198037
Saturday, February 8, 2025, 10:00am-12:00pm. Topic: We will be sharing our writing and illustrating goals for 2025 and ways we stay motivated throughout the year. Remaining time will be for critiques: Please submit up to 650 words of a ms, query, pitch, etc. to wendisilvano at gmail dot com if you are interested. First submitted will be first critiqued until time is up. Zoom link will be sent to those who RSVP a few days prior. Any questions and to RSVP, contact Wendi at the email above.