There’s not enough time or money to go to all the writing conferences one wishes to attend, however getting a participant’s viewpoint is often valuable.
The Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators has been a worthwhile organization for me to belong to because of their newsletters, booklets, and free market guide to publishing for children.
Here are several tips for writing contemporary and middle grade fiction from the SCBWI Conference.
This year’s SCBWI conference folder. Artwork by David Diaz, design by Sarah Baker
The Winter Conference of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators in New York is kind of like a massive family reunion, with all 1,000+ people having a love of children’s literature in their blood. It’s very cool for me to break away from my full-time day job as a middle school teacher and attend this annual gathering of creative people who all want to be published or work in some capacity with kid lit. While this love of children’s literature is the common denominator at the conference, the attendants are diverse people with myriad interests. Because of this, my ears naturally perk up when speakers address diversity in publishing.
The SCBWI did not have a specific panel or break-out session dedicated to diversity in children’s publishing, but speakers included Raul Colón, Shadra…
View original post 836 more words