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Hello Kidlit Creators...
Happy New Year!
January can be a tough month in the northeast, but there is a lot to look forward to in 2026.
To start with, let's celebrate the light and warmth that children's literature brings to the world. Thank you for the energy and effort you put into creating books for children, and into supporting your fellow creators.
Speaking of bright times ahead, the Winter Conference in NYC is coming soon-- January 16-18. Have you registered? If not, there's still time. Link to register. We'll be there!
Kim, Lizzie & April - The RT Team
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Elizabeth Savanella is stepping down from her role as Illustration Coordinator for the Westchester Team.
At a Creative Jam last spring, Lizzie was the first friendly face of SCBWI to greet me. I was a little anxious about what to expect at my first event. The meeting location had to be changed at the last minute, and she waited for me to arrive so she could make sure I got the news about the change. She spent most of the meeting listening, answering questions, and making me feel like I belonged in this community. I had so much fun that first meeting, that I went home and registered for the New England conference, and then became a volunteer myself. Lizzie recently organized and co-led our wonderful "Empire State 24-Hour Children's Book Challenge," which engaged participants from around the word. Check out her wonderful art.
~ April Castoldi, ARA
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SCBWI Westchester Virtual Event
with Karen Boss, Sr. Editor, Charlesbridge
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Pointing Your View as You Start and End Your Manuscript
3/12, 7-8:30pm EST, Virtual
Let's look together at two important decisions for any manuscript: point of view and how to begin & end the story. We'll discuss different points of view, including first, second, third, and close third. And we'll home in on strong starts and powerful endings to up the oomph for any work for kids (picture books and novels both).
Click for more Information and to register
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Westchester Members:
Call for Picture Book Illustration Art
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"A WELLSpring of Picture Book Art: Inspiring Emotional Connections"
Call for Picture Book Illustration Art!
The Pod by Cocoa Compassion, in Dobbs Ferry, has offered our SCBWI chapter its exhibit space -- 7 feet (W) by 8 feet (L) with clip hangers for hanging art-- to showcase A WELLSpring of Picture Book Art: Inspiring Emotional Connections. Our chapter's illustrators and author/illustrators are invited to submit one piece of picture book art representing your illustrative style, whether published work, work in progress, or a piece from your illustration portfolio.
The exhibit is scheduled for the month of May, with an opening event on Sunday, May 3, 2026 and submissions for organizers to view due by Monday, April 13, 2026.
For more information, and to let us know of your interest,
please complete this form by 1/31/26.
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About the Pod:
"We craft bean-to-bar chocolate to create direct, global markets for cocoa farmers and to locally support mental health and wellness programs. By linking chocolate production at the source with mental health initiatives, we aim to drive positive change in both cacao farming communities and our local neighborhoods."
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A self-described former New “Yaw-ker,” Allia Zobel Nolan is now living in New England with her husband, two rescue cats and a rescue hound who was in a puppy mill. A former book editor, she has traditionally published books for children and adults. But she self-published her two most recent picture books, “Finding Harmony: The Kitten Who Taught Friends Kindness” and “Why Can’t My Brother Be More Like My Cat?”
Read more here.
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Chapter member Aimee Lucido’s most recent middle grade novel incorporates comics, poetry and crossword puzzles to tell the story of two sisters as they navigate sixth grade. Read on to learn how she came up with the idea for the story and the format, and what it was like to work with the book’s illustrators—twin sisters.
Read more here.
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Chapter member Gail Schlenger is a retired special education teacher who writes picture books. In this interview she discusses her second and third books, explains her writing process and shares what she’s learned about self-publishing now that she has several books out in the world.
Read more here.
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KidLit Open Mic. Event a Success
| | Thank you for all who came to our KidLit Open Mic at Libri in Yorktown Heights on December 7. As audience members, we heard a wonderful variety of stories, and as readers, it was great to get feedback from a supporting group of fellow creators. Read more... | | |
Buy Local - From our Own
SCBWI Westchester Artists
| | Check out these shops with art and cool products designed by our own SCBWI Westchester creators. | | |
Would you like to have one of your illustrations or patterns showcased on the SCBWI Westchester webpage? We'd love to use it!
Add your art to this folder at any time to participate. Check out SCBWI Austin page to see how it will look.
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Have a blog post idea, interested in interviewing your local bookshop owner or children's librarian? Contact Anne Vaccaro Brady
NOTE: To receive blog posts in your email box the day they go live, click on the "Follow" tab at the bottom of the screen on the SCBWI Westchester blog homepage and add your email address. https://scbwiwestchester.wordpress.com/
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• Do you have a book publishing? Let us know!
Click here to fill out our New Book Form.
• Do you have an event you'd like to add to our calendar?
Use this form: Member Events
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In person
Creative Jam
with our host, April Castoldi, ARA
At our December Meet-up, we took a few minutes to write postcards to Gov. Kathy Hochul to encourage her to sign the "Freedom to Read Act." (She vetoed the bill on 12/19). To find out more about the bill, read here.
There is no Creative Jam for January due to the holiday.
The next Creative Jam is
Thursday, February 5, 2026
7:00-8:30pm
(more info - scroll down page)
Take 3 Wine Bar & Café
3rd Floor
Jacob Burns Film Center, Pleasantville
More info?
westchesterny-ara@scbwi.org
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Member Meet-up Opportunity
Interested in meeting members in your area? Opting-in means you will receive a group email where it will be up to members to reach out to one another for meet-ups. More opt-in groups have been added.
Register here
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Local Resources...
Have a local resource you'd like to share? Fill out our form here.
(Not endorsed by SCBWI)
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Reminders:
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Some email programs may cut off our newsletter. Don't forget to click view entire message
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Check out our Member Calendar to stay up-to-date on events. Please bookmark it, and check it before you go to an event for possible last-minute changes! All events will have a final update 30 minutes prior to start.
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Please choose your home regions. It helps us send targeted emails to members who are local to us and helps keep unwanted emails from filling your inbox.
Here's how: Log in to the SCBWI website and go to
Member Home > My Profile > Edit My Profile. Scroll down the settings and click the arrow beside “Set your home region, and then add other regions you’re interested in.”
Thank you!
The RT Team
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Around the Regions...
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Kansas-Missouri: 1/7 Free Zoom Workshop Goals Setting for Authors with author Abbi Lee. (more info)
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Registration is open for both the 2026 Winter Conference in New York City and the Virtual Winter Conference. (more info)
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Eastern PA: 2/12 Querying From Both Sides of the Trenches (more info)
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Indiana: 2/14, Jump Scares & Cozy Horror: Writing Spooky Stories for Young Readers, Zoom (more info)
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Indiana: 3/7, Tricking Your Brain into Plotting for MG & YA (more info)
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"These events below are not organized by SCBWI
and we are not liable for the information presented."
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2/11- 4/1 Developing Your YA/MG Fiction with member Tina Tocco, GrubStreet, Zoom, (more info)
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3/26-3/28 Breakfast and Basics: A Children’s Book Primer, taught by member Allia Zobel Nolan Erma Bombeck Writers' Workshop, Dayton, Ohio Waitlist available (more info)
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Storystorm registration is now open! What is Storystorm? It’s a month-long story brainstorming event. Read the daily blog posts and you may win a prize! Storystorm was created by author Tara Lazar. (more info)
| | Click here to read about SCBWI's Mission, Vision, and Values | |
La Cometa
is a free bulletin in Spanish for authors and illustrators
| Suscríbase a La Cometa, un boletín gratuito en español para autores e ilustradores. | | | | |
