Charlotte Wenger of Prospect Agency received over 20 applications from prize steward and Equity & Inclusion Team member Effie Koliopolous. The winner will receive a written critique and a 30-minute Zoom about the submitted work-in-progress or portfolio from Charlotte Wenger, Prospect Agency.

This downstate Illinois retreat will feature in-person consults with industry professionals, quiet writing time, guided creativity exercises, sessions on how to create a media kit and author bio, good food, camaraderie and the spectacular river views.

For conference comfort, attendees will choose and book their own lodging. If you are considering attending, we recommend you book a room soon. This summer tourist destination is in high demand but many bed & breakfasts and hotels are nearby. Most meals are included in the attendance fee.

The event will be especially useful for people who have a complete PB manuscript or a well-developed MG or YA novel.

The Becky Mabry Scholarship will cover the attendance fee for Riverside Writing Retreat and is open to applicants who have not yet published a work of fiction with a mainstream publisher. Applications due May 14.

Author, journalist and teacher Beth Finke will lead a discussion on ways writing memoir and first-person narratives could apply—and benefit—the writing you do for children.

—Click to join LIVE Zoom Meeting on Thursday, May 12 at 7PM

—A recording will be made available on our Recordings BY REQUEST page beginning on May 16.

Questions? Email Sarah Hammond, SCBWI-IL Oak Park Network Rep