Inside Story is on November 4th!

Don’t forget! Inside Story is coming up on Saturday, Nov. 4., 2:00pm until 4:00 pm, at the downtown Bellevue Library (1111 110^th Ave. NE in Bellevue).

Meet and greet 17 local children’s authors and illustrators including: Ruth Austin, Bonny Becker, Martha Brockenbrough, Dori Hillestad Butler, Laurel Gale, Melissa Goodman, Lois V. Harris, Amanda Hosch, Kelly Jones, Suzanne Kaufman, Karen Lewis, Margaret Read MacDonald, Lisa L. Owens, Michaele Razi, Karen S. Robbins, Laurie Ann Thompson and Wendy Wahman.

Hear 2-minute “behind the scenes” stories from each author or illustrator about their recently published books. Win (and purchase) autographed books. Mingle with your fellow children’s book lovers.

Hope to see you there!

WWU Children's Literature Conference and nErDcamp Bellingham registrations are open!

Register now for Western Washington University's 15th Annual Children's Literature Conference on February 24th. All the details for a fantastic day are here. Look at this faculty!

And consider making a weekend of it and staying Sunday for the 4th annual nErDcamp Bellingham, a day of learning and sharing with teachers, librarians, authors, and anyone else who is interested, will be on Sunday, February 25. This event is like a marriage between two incredible movements: Edcamp and #nerdybookclub.

Edcamps are “unconferences,” where the day’s sessions are determined on the day of the event, and taught or led by the attendees. They are always free, and draw a wide range of enthusiastic and focused learners.

#nerdybookclub is an online movement of passionate educators and book lovers. It is a celebration of books, reading, writing, readers, and writers.

Details and registration info here.

Kid Lit Drink Night-- tomorrow in Issaquah!

Kid Lit Drink Night! Or introvert happy hour. Or whatever you want to call it. Our advisory committee is taking turns "hosting" (in a no-host bar sort of way) Kid Lit Drink Nights across our chapter. The first of the season will be in Issaquah on Thursday, October 26th! Brave the rain and lift a glass with creative comrades. 

It's very casual. It's very fun. Just show up.

Drawn to Books Show

Drawn to Books

Come celebrate forty-five illustrators from SCBWI Western Washington and Canada West and their work in the children’s book form at the Seattle City Hall from October 31st through January 3rd. An opening reception will be held November 2, from 4-6 p.m. Don’t miss this wonderful show!

See the works of:

Beth Bacon, Corianton Hale, Jason Grube, Jo Gershman, Eileen Marie, Ruthie Nicklaus, Kristin Varner, Anait Semirdzhyan, Andy Musser, Dana Arnim, Melissa Goodman, Dana Sullivan, Polina Gortman, Leslie Dresdner, Elena Stowell, Michele Kempees, Rowena Russell, Vikram Madan, Tracy Wallschlaeger, Gretchen Hansen,  Lotus Ivak, Izabela Gabrielson, Douglas Yoder, Andrea Lawson, Kathryn Taylor, Amy Hevron, Dave Wheeler, Tina Hoggatt, Aimee Dan, Kjersten Hayes, Dennis Hanks, Pam Martin, Gillian Allen, Rose Soini, Milagros Welt, Elizabeth Thieme, Alix Despard, Bryan Robles, Ellie Peterson, Krister Eide, Kelly Bahr, Suzanne Kaufman, Nicole Monahan, Suzi Spooner, Dalton Webb, Kary Lee, Helena Juhasz

Upcoming events: Kid Lit Drink Night, a kids' graphic novel class with Dana Sullivan, and more!

Meetups!

The Peninsula Network will meet up at The Pourhouse in Port Townsend for Kid Lit Drink Night on October 25 6pm, and November 15 6pm. 

Kid Lit Drink Night! Or introvert happy hour. Or whatever you want to call it. Our advisory committee is taking turns "hosting" Kid Lit Drink Nights across our chapter. The first of the season will be in Issaquah on October 26th! Brave the rain and lift a glass with creative comrades.

New! Eastside Network Writing Craft Book Club

Saturday, October 28, 2017 at 10am-12pm, Come join us for a craft book discussion and writing exercises in Kirkland. Read the book first, and come prepared to participate. After the discussion, we will delve into a few writing exercises to explore the topics covered. This new SCBWI Eastside Network group kicks off the year with the book WIRED FOR STORY by Lisa Cron. The book club is open to all and free of charge. 

Please RSVP to Renee at  mccormir@outlook.com, so we can get a head count for expected participants.

Classes!

Dana Sullivan will be offering a free class on making graphic novels for the 6-12 year old set at the Redmond Library on November 2nd. More info here. 

Book events!

October 21

Lisa Mantchev visits Secret Garden with her newest picture book, a companion to Strictly No Elephants, Someday, Narwhal.

October 22

Caldecott winner Jerry Pinkney will be at Secret Garden Books! *Flailing Muppet arms!*

October 24

Kelly Jones will be at Third Place Books to talk about her new YA, Murder, Magic, and What We Wore.

October 26

Colin Meloy and Carson Ellis come to town to talk about their collaboration on The Whiz Mob and the Grenadine Kid at Third Place LFP.

October 28

Nidhi Chanani will be in town at Third Place Books, Seward Park to talk about Pashmina, her debut graphic novel. 

November 1

Caldecott winner Phillip Stead comes to town to read Mark Twain's, The Purloining of Prince Oleomargarine, illustrated by Phillip and Erin Stead. Find him at Secret Garden.

November 6

Renee Watson will be in town to talk about her wonderful debut at Third Place Books, Seward Park.

Double-check times and whatnot with bookstores before you set out for events. If you snap a great picture, tag us at @scbwiwwa on Instagram and/or Twitter, and we'll try to repost. If you have good news or an event coming up, let us know!

Support book culture.

Support independent bookstores and libraries.

Support authors.

❤️

Peninsula and Eastside Network meet ups, and updated author events

The Peninsula Network will meet up at The Pourhouse in Port Townsend for Kid Lit Drink Night on October 25 6pm, and November 15 6pm. Everyone welcome!

New! Eastside Network Writing Craft Book Club

Saturday, October 28, 2017 at 10am-12pm

Come join us for a craft book discussion and writing exercises in Kirkland. Read the book first, and come prepared to participate. After the discussion, we will delve into a few writing exercises to explore the topics covered. This new SCBWI Eastside Network group kicks off the year with the book WIRED FOR STORY by Lisa Cron. The book club is open to all and free of charge. 

Please RSVP to mccormir@outlook.com, so we can get a head count for expected participants.

We've updated our autumn events page with these meet ups and a few more book events, including Jerry Pinkney at Secret Garden! Check out the full list and make sure you didn't miss anything here.

We'll see you there!

Tell Me a Story Art Show Opens October 6!

TELL ME A STORY:
ILLUSTRATIONS BY THE LOCAL CHAPTER OF THE SOCIETY
OF CHILDREN'S BOOK WRITERS AND ILLUSTRATORS

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 6, 5:00-7:00 PM
University House Issaquah
22975 SE Black Nugget Rd, Issaquah, WA
The SCBWI is an international organization established in 1971 that supports the broad range of skills and interests involved in creating children's literature. This exhibition showcases charming and whimsical fine art children's storybook illustrations that have been made by the local chapter of the SCBWI.

Enjoy fine wines, hors d'oeuvres, and live music by Eric Madis and Mitch Pumpian.

Exhibiting Artists: Dana Arnim, Anne Belov, Mike Cressy, Robyn Chance, Kathryn Dennis, Gretchen V. Hansen, Tina Hoggatt, Matty Mitchell, Anna Jean Nelson, Diane Solvang-Angell, Hannah Stephens, Nicole Stremlow Monahan, K.L.Taylor, Kristin Varner, Eli Christopher Voigt, Tracy Wallschlaeger, Shane Watson, Dalton Webb, Milagros Welt

Curated by: June Sekiguchi and Anna Macrae
This exhibition is on display until January 21, 2018.

New Write for Children Class with Jolie Stekly

Disappointed that the UW Writing for Children's class is canceled? Instructor Jolie Stekly has set up a new course! It starts in less than two weeks, and there's a registration discount until Saturday! 

How long have you been involved with the local children’s and YA book community?
I started by taking a course with the beloved Peggy King Anderson fifteen years ago, not knowing a thing and then realizing how much there was to learn. Peggy’s class introduced me to the SCBWI and the SCBWI opened up a talented and generous community. 

How will this series be different from the UW Continuing Education program?
Other than the location and offering it at nearly half the cost, not much will be different. I won’t be able to offer continuing education credits or clock hours, but the course content will be the same, and I still plan to bring in guest speakers, which students really love. 

Do attendees share their work? Is it optional?
They do share their work. Sharing starts in small groups. I don’t require anyone to do anything, but I’ve never had anyone not want to participate. Peer critique is so valuable. This class is a safe place to share. Writers gain so much by learning to give feedback to others, and the feedback received is invaluable to writers. 

How has teaching affected your own writing process?
I often feel I’m the lucky one. You’ve probably heard the expression, “If you want to master something, teach it.” I can’t say I’ve mastered anything, but I have learned immensely from every person who’s been in one of my classes and from teaching each and every session.  

What has been the highlight of your teaching path so far?
The people! Teaching in this industry, particularly this series of classes, has brought the most amazing people into my world. Each year when the course ends, my connection with the students does not. We remain peers and friends, staying in touch. With many, I get to continue to act as coach and/or instructor. I’ve also had the good fortune of offering classes to those who’ve completed the course and still want to continue to learn, grow, and meet goals. This creates new relationships between the different class years. And now, six years in, I’m starting to attend book launches to celebrate students’ books. How cool is that? And there’s many other success to cheer on, as well: completing projects, signing with agents, receiving manuscript requests, awards, etc. 

I’m most proud of the strong peer relationships that develop out of this series of classes. They are some of the strongest I’ve ever seen. I could gush on and on about they ways in which these groups support each member and continue to work toward their goals. Fostering those peer connections is important to me.

Testimonials and more registration details for the Writing for Children class available on Jolie's website. 

October 11th and 12th: Extraordinary Editor Events, plus the K.I.S.S. Art Show

SCBWI Western Washington presents our Extraordinary Editor Event with Liz Kossnar from Simon & Schuster, and our K.I.S.S. (Keep it Simple, Silly) Art Show, on Wednesday, October 11th, 2017 in Demaray Hall at Seattle Pacific University.

Please join us for the K.I.S.S. Art Show with our talented local illustrators (6:15-7pm) before our evening with Liz Kossnar (7-9pm) where she will present: 

The Publishing Odyssey: Avoid the Sirens and Other Useful Tips

This presentation will liken not only the writer’s journey but also an editor’s journey to the publishing industry – and how they’re related to each other, giving a glimpse inside the publishing house but also an editor journey into a publishing career. And how these two journeys intersect and build on each other, giving a glimpse into the “other side” of publishing.

Parking is free in many of the Seattle Pacific University lots after 6 p.m. Please check signage in the lot for exceptions to this.

$10 for SCBWI International members
$15 for non-members

Free for Passport Holders (Still haven’t bought your Passport? Purchase it here.)

AND don’t miss Liz Kossnar’s Master Class on October 12, 3-5pm, SPU, Otto Miller 127, where she will present:

Building a Platform: Online and in Person
No matter which stage of the publishing process you are at, it’s important to get your name (or #brand) out “there.” This may seem daunting, especially for authors who’d rather write than self-promote, especially when it comes to navigating the many types of social media and being social in the real world. This workshop will take you through the basics of establishing a platform, and networking online and in person to help you throughout your writing career.

You must register in advance. Sign up for Liz's Master Class here.