On Your Holiday Wishlist: 2012 Conference Tuition?

Registration will be in mid-January, but why not ask for conference tuition this December? Instead of that deluxe Justin Bieber parfum collection. Do you really want to smell like teen spirit when you could, instead, be making great strides in your children's book career?

We're thrilled to announce the speakers (and scroll down to find out about groovy new opportunities we'll have at our conference happening April 21-22, 2012  at the Redmond Town Center Marriott (opportunities hipper than the word "groovy" for starters):

SCBWI Western Washington's 21st Annual Conference: 

A Parade of Words and Pictures

Artwork from Balloons Over Broadway. Copyright © 2011 by Melissa Sweet. Used with permission Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. All rights reserved.

Keynotes! Top L-R: Sweet, de la Peña, Becker, Vail, Hale

Keynote illustrator Melissa Sweet has won many awards, including a Caldecott Honor. Check her out on the Martha Stewart Show!

When keynote author Matt de la Peña isn't writing award-winning novels and picture books, he's teaching creative writing to adults and talking to kids all over the place.

Winner of oodles of awards and accolades, including SCBWI’s first Crystal Kite Regional Award for “A Bedtime for Bear,"keynote author Bonny Becker is a local treasure.

Keynote author Rachel Vail wowed us at SCBWI International. And we're thrilled she's written for every age,  from toddlers to teens, including those elusive beasts, lower elementary.

With an unrivaled flare for humor in his popular middle grade series, The Chet Gecko Mysteries, Bruce Hale is also a pro at reaching his target audience, whether it's at school visits, in workshops, or on Skype.

Art Directors & Illustrators! L-R Cummins, Magoon

Lucy Ruth Cummins is all over Simon & Schuster's pages! As an award-winning art director on the colophon page, and on the half-title page (and cover!) of THE TAKING TREE, which Lucy illustrated.

When he's not busy running for charities, Scott Magoon runs the risk of being too talented. He's a fantastic art director at Houghton Mifflin Harcourt in Boston, as well as an award-winning illustrator and author of numerous picture books.

Editors! Top L-R: Karre, Chang, Welch, Conescu

Andrew Karre is the editorial director of Carolrhoda Books, Carolrhoda Lab, and Darby Creek, divisions of the Lerner Publishing Group in the currently cold and snowy (odds are, right?) lands of Minnesota.  He has an omnivorous appetite for books for all ages.

Senior editor with Tor books, Susan Chang acquires fantasy and science fiction middle grade and YA novels for the Starscape and Tor Teen imprints.


Andrea Welch, fellow West Coaster, edits at Beach Lane Books's beautiful La Jolla headquarters. She adores picture books, and it's no wonder—she gets to work with the amazing Mem Fox!

Executive Editor Nancy Conescu at Penguin's Dial BFYR is a dynamo with a heart and loads of experience. Read about one of her recent acquisitions here.

Agents! Top L-R: Bent, Pfeffer, Gamarra, Richman

Whether it's commercial fiction or heart-warming picture books, Jenny Bent has made representing bestsellers a habit. Learn more about her at Literary Rambles or The Bent Agency.

With 35 years in the publishing industry before donning the agenting cloak, Rubin Pfeffer has the eye and experience it takes to find the diamonds in his submissions box. Find out more at East West Literary and see a clip of him on an editor/agent panel.

Former professor and current smarty Eddie Gamarra is a literary manager/producer with The Gotham Group, representing screenwriters, directors, animators, authors, illustrators, publishers, and animation studios around the world. He specializes in children's and family entertainment, of course!


Chris Richman, agent with Upstart Crow Literary, loves books for boys, unforgettable characters, and fantasy that doesn't take itself too seriously.

Distinguished Faculty! Top L-R: Landalf, Sauer, Sun, Lawrence

Seattle writer, dance teacher, and SCBWI WWA member, Helen Landalf's YA debut FLYAWAY, debuted this month from Houghton Mifflin Harcourt!

Tammi Sauer is a picture book dynamo (TWELVE and counting!) who has worked with Bob Shea, 2011 keynoter Dan Santat, and fellow faculty member Scott Magoon!

Senior Publicity Manager at HarperCollins, Caroline Sun's recent campaigns include Carson Ellis and Colin Meloy's Wildwood, Shel Silverstein's Every Thing on It, and 2011 National Book Award winner Inside Out & Back Again by Thanhha Lai.


Tricia Lawrence is an energetic star on the rise. As the newly minted associate agent at the Erin Murphy Literary Agency, where she is also the social media strategist, Tricia is currently building her list as well as tweeting and blogging her way around the internet.

AND THAT'S NOT ALL!

Ask to have your stocking stuffed with these incredible Friday (April 20, 2012) extras:

  Hands-on Collage Workshop with Melissa Sweet!
Illustrator Master Class with TWO Art Directors!
Fiction Intensive with Matt de la Peña!
Non-fiction Intensive with Andrew Karre!
Published Pros Workshop!

It's going to be another, incredible conference—won't you join us? Registration opens online in mid-January! Watch this blog, @scbwiwwa, and your inbox for news. Don't forget to make sure your SCBWI International membership is up to date to receive any and all conference tuition discounts!