Announcing Winners of
LA19
Scholarships for IPOC Women
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SCBWI is very proud to announce the first annual winners of the IPOC Women’s Scholarship for the Los Angeles Summer Conference. This Scholarship, which is sponsored by Matt de la Peña, grants an all-expense paid conference to two indigenous women or women of color. The 2019 winners are
Rehannah Khan
and
Kelly Baptist
. Khan and Baptist were selected out of a pool of over 100 applicants by judges
Pat
Cummings, Matt de la Peña, Meg Medina, and Traci Sorrel.
Rehannah Khan
, who introduced herself as an Indo-Trinidadian Muslim Woman, is completing a young adult multicultural fantasy novel called “The Mermaid Pools” for her MFA at the University of the West Indies. She is active in her regional chapter and said, “Special thanks to the Caribbean South Regional Advisor Marsha Gomes-Mckie and everyone at SCBWI who made my initial entry into the SCBWI community possible.” She hopes to publish “The Mermaid Pools,” and possibly a sequel or two, work she believes will “entertain and inspire, even educate, young and older readers alike, on under-represented cultures, sub-cultures, and hybrid (or hyphenated) identities.”
Kelly Baptist
describes herself as “a mom of five writing along the edges of life”. She lives in Michigan, where she is working on a young adult novel entitled “Roses are Red” about a teenage boy’s complex relationship with the legacy of his grandfather, a civil rights legend. She has published a short story in
Flying Lessons & Other Stories
, an anthology edited by Ellen Oh. Her goal is to “put out a book every year for the next five years and be a catalyst in the lives of kids and young adults. I want to create work that kids can see themselves in and can gather hope from.” You can follow her on Twitter @kellyiswrite.
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Two Charities Chosen for Books For Readers 2019
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We’re very excited to announce this year’s recipients of SCBWI’s
Books For Readers
initiative; these two great organizations get books into the hands of kids in challenging circumstances. It’s only through your gracious book donations that we are able to provide a library of high-quality books to the
Madison Reading Project
in Wisconsin and
REACH, Inc.
in Hampton Roads, VA.
Madison Reading Project says that their goal for 2019 is “to provide 40,000 high-quality diverse books and 125 public events with literacy programming and outreach to underserved children in South Central Wisconsin.” REACH, Inc “promotes literacy for children who are at-risk and homeless throughout Coastal Virginia.”
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Happy Book Birthday Special Promotion
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It still might be flip-flop weather, but publishers—and SCBWI—are already thinking about back-to-school season. To celebrate, we are bringing back a wonderful promotional opportunity through Happy Book Birthday. For the months of September and October, two winners will be chosen. Both winners will be interviewed about their upcoming books, which will be shared in the following month’s edition of
Insight
, as well as have the chance to create a one-minute video promoting the book. This is a chance for teachers, librarians, and fellow book creators to get a glimpse into you, your process, and your work.
Submissions for books published in September will begin on
July 15
, and will continue until
August 20
; submissions for books published in October will run from
August 15
until
September 20
. Though this promotion is only for books published in those months, Happy Book Birthday runs every month. Ten copies of the winning book each month are purchased by SCBWI and donated to a worthy organization promoting children’s literature.
For details about how to submit to Happy Book Birthday and participate in this amazing opportunity, see our submission page
here
.
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We at SCBWI are currently at work planning the next New York Winter Conference, which will take place February 7-9, 2020.
The New York Conference will keep the format of the past two years: smaller masterclass sessions offering a deep dive into craft. This means that spaces will be limited, so keep an eye on registration dates.
NY20 will also mark our last conference at the Grand Central Hyatt, as the hotel will be
closing down
later next year. Though we must say goodbye to
Grand Central Station, SCBWI has just agreed to hold our New York conferences in 2021, 2022, and 2023 at the New York Hilton, located in the very convenient and thriving area of midtown at 54th and 6th Ave. The dates for 2021 will be February 19 through 21, a little later than usual, so be sure to make a note of that change. The Hilton has a large and lovely conference area offering many opportunities for break out sessions and an elegant main hall for our Golden Kite Gala. The Hilton's room rates for 2021 are a very attractive $189 per night.
Registration for NY20 will open in October 2019. Check future issues of
Insight
for announcements of keynote speakers and workshop instructors.
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Students Win Scholarships for LA19
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Madeline Olsen
and
Meaghan Klinker
won the Student Writer Scholarships for the 2019 Los Angeles Summer Conference.
Olsen, working on her MFA in Writing for Children and YA at the New School, submitted a YA Western fantasy called "Sidewinder." The judges were impressed with her canny world building, where monsters and sorcerers lurk in a classic desert landscape.
Klinker is an undergrad at Virginia Tech, pursuing dual degrees in Science and English. Her YA fantasy manuscript "Desideratum" opens with a refreshingly funny demonic summoning as the protagonist mulls over whether to sell his soul.
CLICK HERE
to read about how to apply for the Student Writer Scholarship.
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HQ and Region Unite to Bring SCBWI to Decatur Book Festival
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The Southern Breeze region and SCBWI headquarters are teaming up to enhance our presence at the
Decatur Book Festival
(DBF) taking place over Labor Day weekend, August 30 through September 1, in Georgia. Southern Breeze has done a wonderful job representing SCBWI at the DBF, one of the largest independent book festivals in the country with 85,000 attendees.
Headquarters is always looking for opportunities to support regional efforts of building awareness for SCBWI members and their work. Southern Breeze RA Claudia Pearson commented on exhibiting at DBF: “We started small last year, and decided to go bigger this year—big enough to have speakers and space for an audience. With support from HQ and members who will be attending, we hope awareness of SCBWI and that its mission will grow as a result of these efforts.”
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Don't Forget to Update Your PAL Status
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To participate in the 2019 Recommended Reading List, you must be registered as a PAL member. SCBWI PAL members have published at least one book with a traditional publisher on our list of qualified
PAL publishers
. If this applies to you, manually change your status by going to your
Member Profile
on
SCBWI.org
and scroll down to the
Publications
section. Here you can 'add' or 'edit' the information for any given book; pick a publisher from the drop-down list of PAL publishers and click 'save' to update your work. Once this is done, your profile will automatically update to display your PAL status.
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Listen to the Music: Engaging Readers Through Shareable Playlists
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Stephanie Garber's
Legendary
playlist on Instagram
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In our social media-driven world, it is crucial for writers and artists to consistently engage with their fans on platforms like Twitter and Instagram. Unfortunately, content doesn’t grow on trees, and creators must work overtime to sustain interest in their work. Enter the universal language of music, a simple way to invite readers into the creative process and engage young people where they live online.
Spotify is a music streaming service developed in 2006 to meet the growing demand for free, easily accessible music. With 217 million monthly active users, Spotify has surpassed its competitors to become the major hub for music streaming. A key part of Spotify’s appeal is its social component; users can track what their friends are listening to, and it is easier than ever to share personal curated playlists with the world. Authors like Stephanie Meyer, Rainbow Rowell, and Angie Thomas have Spotify accounts where they post playlists dedicated to a single novel. For example, the playlist for Thomas’ most recent novel,
On the Come Up
, is full of Kendrick Lamar, the Notorious B.I.G., and other music her rap battling protagonist would treasure. In a bid for increased exposure, Spotify co-signed on the playlist, releasing it under the brand’s official creator account.
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A native of Ohio, Kristy Hunter graduated from Vanderbilt University and the Columbia Publishing Course before beginning her publishing career in NYC—first as an editorial intern at Bloomsbury Children’s Books and then as a book publicist at Grove/Atlantic and Random House Children’s Books. In 2014, she happily made the switch to the agenting side of the industry and was closely mentored by Deidre Knight, president and founder of the Knight Agency.
As an associate agent, Kristy enjoys bringing a unique perspective to her clients thanks to her diverse publishing background. She currently represents MG, YA, and adult fiction and is always looking for high-concept projects with unique and captivating voices. When she’s not curled up with a fantastic book or manuscript, she can be found hiking with her dog. For more information on her wish list, check out the
Knight Agency’s Submission Guidelines
page. You can find details about her recent sales on Publishers Marketplace.
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Draw This! is our monthly prompt word for illustrators.
Congratulations to the June winners! The June prompt word was
"Camp"
Click
HERE
to view the June Gallery
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July's prompt word is:
"It's Not Fair!"
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Want to see your face in
Insight
? Send your photos to
faces@scbwi.org
or post on twitter using the tag
#facesofscbwi
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Paul O. Zelinksy, Sophie Blackall, Christopher Myers, Yuyi Morales, Selina Alko, and Stephen Savage collaborate on mural at Brooklyn Public Library.
See mural pictures at
PW
.
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SCBWI member Candy Gourlay promotes
Bone Talk
in Telford
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Former SCBWI Draw This! winner Vashti Harrison rocks her signing at BEA
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Travis Jonker and SCBWI Board member Meg Medina, who had just accepted the
2019 Newbery Medal at ALA
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