Dear Members,
As we bear witness to the events taking place across our country, the SCBWI Executive Committee would like to express our support for justice for Black people everywhere. We create books for children, books that will influence what kind of adults this generation of children will become. It is unacceptable to ignore racial inequity and systems that continue to oppress the Black community. At SCBWI, we are examining our policies and executing plans to increase programs and actions that promote more inclusivity and equity.
We applaud the contributions of our African-American members who create books that provide perspective on our history, who are developing a canon of work that tells the untold stories from the point of view of many people, not just the majority. Yet we acknowledge that these voices are still underrepresented in our membership. We can do better to boost this important work and these talented creators, and we will.
Personally, I feel this is a time for those of us who are white to look within to examine our own attitudes and behaviors about race, to think deeply about what biases we may be harboring, and to reflect on how we can use our intellectual, emotional, and financial resources to boost the struggle against long-standing racial injustice. Every member of the dominant culture needs to find new ways to listen, learn, and take action. Look to your work to model values you believe in. Look to your community for ways you can use your access to send a strong message or promote change. If you can, donate to organizations that support Black lives; SCBWI has compiled a
list of organizations
where you can contribute. I myself have donated to several organizations that stand for equity and inclusion, and I know members of our Board of Advisors are doing the same. My hope is that all of us will do what we can to reduce the gap between “us” and “them” and know that in safeguarding human rights for one group, we are safeguarding them for everyone.
We are influential. We are powerful. Let’s commit to using our power to acknowledge injustice, to struggle against prejudice, and to take a stand.
Lin Oliver
Executive Director
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SCBWI Announces 2020 Crystal Kite Winners
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The winners of the 2020 Crystal Kite Awards have just been announced! Given to books in fifteen regions that represent excellence in the field of children’s literature, the Crystal Kites Awards are peer-selected, voted on by SCBWI members from local regions. Congratulations to the 2020 winners of this prestigious award and their wonderful books, proudly presented here by regional division.
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Atlantic
(Pennsylvania, Delaware, New Jersey, Wash DC, Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland)
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Mid South Division
(Kansas, Arkansas, Tennessee, Kentucky, Missouri, Mississippi, Louisiana)
POETREE
by Shauna LaVoy Reynolds, illustrated by Shahrzad Maydani
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Mid West Division
(Minnesota, Iowa, Nebraska, Wisconsin, Illinois, Michigan, Indiana, Ohio)
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New England
(Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island)
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South East Division
(Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Alabama
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South West Division
(Nevada, Arizona, Utah, southern Idaho, Colorado, Wyoming, New Mexico)
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UK, Ireland
THE TIDE
by
Clare Welsh by Ashling Lindsay
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Western Division
(Washington, Oregon, Alaska, northern Idaho, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota)
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DW 2.0: Second Slate of Free Digital Workshops Launches This Week
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It’s coming…. SCBWI’s second slate of digital workshop programs featuring renowned children’s book creators, editors, agents, and art directors. SCBWI Digital Workshops 2.0 will take place
live via Zoom
and are available
free of charge
to any SCBWI member anywhere in the world.
This second slate of free webinars includes six sessions taught by editors Deborah Halverson and Tiff Liao; authors Tracey Baptiste, Beth Kephart, and Lesa Cline-Ransome; and author/illustrator Vashti Harrison. Topics covered in this new series include worldbuilding, memoir writing, character development for authors and illustrators, picture book biographies and more! For the full lineup and schedule, click
HERE
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Summer Spectacular Registration Continues to Soar: Spaces Still Available
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2020 Summer Spectacular art by Junghwa Park
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When registration for the SCBWI Summer Spectacular opened on May 13, demand was so high that we broke the internet--twice. Fortunately, there is still time to sign up for our first all-digital conference.
On Friday, July 31, the Spectacular kicks off with a Friday night conversation between two industry legends, Philip Pullman and Arthur Levine. The all-star event continues with an Agents Panel, Editors Panel, and craft-based discussions between Kwame Alexander and Raul the Third; Laurie Halse Anderson and Meg Medina; Mac Barnett and Jon Klassen; Judy Blume and Lin Oliver; Jeff Kinney, Lin Oliver, and Henry Winkler; Grace Lin and Alvina Ling; Jason Reynolds, Caitlyn Dlouhy, and Nic Stone; Jane Yolen and Heidi Stemple; and Jacqueline Woodson and Nancy Paulsen.
In true SCBWI Conference fashion, the Spectacular includes extra events like a Portfolio Showcase, online Member Bookstore, Social Twitter Chats, an Instagram meme contest, and various consultations. The excitement lasts from July 31 to August 4.
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All About Memes
Prepping for the Summer Spectacular Humor Contest
By Avery Silverberg
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This year's Summer Spectacular will feature an Instagram Meme Contest. If you're wondering what that's all about, we have a guide for you.
Chances are, if you write for anyone within the age brackets between 13-18, you have heard the word “meme” referenced once or twice before. If you’ve opened a social media app within the last 24 hours, you’ve probably seen one, laughed at one, possibly even shared one with a friend. And if you haven’t experienced meme culture yourself, your readers definitely have – not only have they, but they live through them, communicate through them, snap them, tweet them, Tik Tok them, Instagram them — you get the picture. But what’s so rarely discussed in the upper MG/YA world is how we can use them to both cultivate our audience and our fellow writers following our social media accounts.
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2020 Emerging Voices Winners
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Nicole Green
,
Fatou Hymes,
and
Sahtinay Issac
are the three talented winners chosen for the 2020 SCBWI Emerging Voices Award.
Fatou Hymes
won for JINX, a middle grade novel about an African boy whose magical powers cause trouble in his village.
Nicole Green
describes her winning contemporary YA manuscript ENVY as "a sinister twist on The Parent Trap", about a teenage con artist who catfishes her long lost twin.
Sahtinay Issac
won for LOOKING FOR THE EID MOON, a picture book introducing children to the Muslim holidays Eid Al Fitr and Eid Al Adha.
The winning manuscripts will be made available to select agents and editors via a secure website.Green, Hymes, and Issac will also each receive free tuition to the SCBWI Summer Spectacular and a manuscript consultation with an agent or editor.
The On-The-Verge Emerging Voices Award is part of the SCBWI’s ongoing effort to foster underrepresented voices in children’s publishing.This is made possible through the generosity of Sue and Martin Schmitt of the 455 Foundation.
CLICK HERE
for more information on the Emerging Voices Award.
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SCBWI Announces First Winner of A. Orr Fantasy Grant
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Image from
In the Ice King's Palace
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SCBWI is thrilled to announce the first ever winner of the A. Orr Fantasy Grant.
Ellen Goff
won for her Young Adult manuscript
Midnight Midnight
.
The A. Orr Fantasy Grant was established this year by SCBWI member
Michele Orr
in honor of her sister,
Alice Orr
, who passed away last year. Alice, under the name A. Orr, wrote two fantasy novels, The
World in Amber
, and
In the Ice King's Palace
published by Bluejay Books in 1986 and 1987. Michele funded this grant to honor her sister's legacy and give support to promising Young Adult and Middle Grade SFF writers.
The winner, Ellen Goff, will receive free tuition to the SCBWI Summer Spectacular, a manuscript consultation with an agent or editor, and a cash prize of $600.
CLICK HERE
to learn more about the A. Orr Fantasy Grant.
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Why Books About Hard Topics Are Essential
by Donna Gephart
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I had a secret fear when I attended Solis-Cohen Elementary School, which I carried with me every day, along with my books. My classmates, I was convinced, would tease me for wearing the same thing to school every day because I owned only two pair of pants and a few tops.
Then I borrowed the book
A Hundred Dresses
by Eleanor Estes from the Free Library of Philadelphia. Dear reader, it blew my pint-sized mind.
The main character, Wanda Petronski, was made fun of for wearing the same thing to school every day. How did she deal with that? I had to know. Wanda, it turned out, had a unique, creative response. This slim book was everything to my young soul as I lived with financial challenges throughout childhood.
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Spotlight on Bookshop.org
by Avery Silverberg
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When COVID-19 forced the closures of non-essential businesses, independent bookstore owners feared for their stores more than ever before. We’ve watched Amazon wipe out Borders, and other bookstores; none of us want to face a reality in which Amazon is the only bookstore left standing. Book people need the feel and love of a hometown literary hub and we want to support the people who work tirelessly to run those stores.
This is where BOOKSHOP.ORG comes in – the brilliant new startup website launched in January of this year, with the mission of helping indie bookstores thrive and take consumers away from conglomerate chains like Barnes & Noble and Amazon. Customers are able to choose to purchase their books from a specific independent bookstore affiliated with Bookshop.org, or from the site itself. Independent bookstores choosing to sell through the site receive a 30% profit from every sale. This is appealing especially to smaller indies who may not have a popular online presence, or those who are not able to do curbside pickup.
What makes this site unique from anything we’ve seen before is the ability to not
have
to choose a particular bookstore from the site if you don’t want to. As Time Magazine puts it, Bookshop.org, “has become a unifying force, raising hundreds of thousands of dollars for local stores desperate for an alternate source of revenue.”
CEO Andy Hunter, and publisher at Catapult, knew there was no real way of being able to compete with Amazon – instead of viewing it as competition, he looks towards Bookshop.org as a means of
survival
geared towards the support of independently owned bookstores.
Soon, we’ll all be walking through the aisles of our favorite independent bookstores again. And thanks to Bookshop.org, we can make sure they will still be around for that to happen.
Instagram: @bookshop_org
Twitter: @Bookshop_org
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Introducing Camp SCBWI, A Digital Directory
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This summer, we’re bringing the outdoors inside with CAMP SCBWI, a digital directory of sleepaway camp activities for kids and adventurous adults. Inspired by our favorite childhood memories and movies, CAMP SCBWI will be a virtual hub where readers can stay active and connected to their favorite creators as they discover new ones along the way. In addition to the directory, we’ll also have a weekly Instagram Live activity, led by a fabulous PAL member, so readers from around the world can connect in real-time (thanks, technology!). Just because we’re staying inside doesn’t mean we’re not having fun!
Launching
June 29
and spanning the entire month of July, CAMP SCBWI will feature activities in the following categories: nature & the outdoors, movement & sports, arts & crafts, science & tech, food & nutrition, theater & book readings, and bonfire activities.
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SCBWI Exclusive With...
Janna Morishima
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Janna Morishima is an agent and founder of Janna Co., a literary and illustration agency specializing in children’s and YA graphic novelists and visual storytellers.
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Draw This! is our monthly prompt word for illustrators. Artists can post their DrawThis! entries on Twitter and Instagram. View the April entries by searching the tag #SCBWIDrawThis.
Congratulations to the May winners! The prompt word was
"Masks"
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June's prompt word is:
"Justice"
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