SCBWI Pennsylvania: West

Looking to explore your passion for writing or illustrating children's books? As a member you'll gain access to an array of helpful resources, including information on upcoming events, opportunities to connect with other professionals in the industry, and valuable insights on the art of creating and publishing children's books.

We will be meeting at Bakery Square Plaza and eating dinner at Alta Via Pizzeria, followed by a discussion afterward in the indoor dining hall outside the pizzeria. Bring your manuscript or portfolio and we will give you tips on how to enhance your submissions before the conference. We can tell you what to expect, offer travel advice, help suggest speakers for the undecided, and more! First conference? No problem--we've been there! All are welcome, even folks who won't be able to attend the in-person conference or folks who wish to attend the virtual conference instead. See you there!

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 but limited! 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. This Zoom webinar will take place Thursday, Jan 16 2025 at 7pm EST.

Word and image meet in the picture book dummy. Whether you’re a picture book author struggling to pace your story and make it the right length, or an illustrator aspiring for more dynamic visual storytelling this workshop is for you. Here’s an opportunity to understand the form of a picture book. We’ll discuss pacing text and image, choosing what to illustrate, narrative imagery, storyboarding scenes and staging characters, elements of page layout, repetition and variation, visual tension and resolution, research, and character consistency. This zoom webinar will take place March 10, 7PM EST.

Sketchy Characters is a group of Picture Book writers and artists. We meet in person monthly for writing and sketching and exercises, coffee and casual conversations. Our illustrators work in both digital and traditional mediums. We also talk about upcoming event ideas. This is a supportive community of artists committed to the Kid Lit craft – join us!

Meet with us for a casual, all-inclusive night of drawing and brews at Trace Brewing in Bloomfield (4312 Main St, Pittsburgh PA 15224) Upcoming dates: Nov 14. Open to members and non-members alike!

The best way to get inspired to write is to read, and to read lots of different kinds of books! SCBWI PA West is launching a book club with a monthly online zoom meeting to discuss our reading. We would love to have you join us!