December 2019
Key Dates at a Glance
This Month
Dec 6: Early Bird Registration for the Golden Gate Conference ends

Dec 7 : Mid-Peninsula Get Together in Menlo Park 

Dec 8 : South Bay Holiday Meet & Greet

Dec 14: Webinar on Character Design with llustrator Eda Kaban
Looking Ahead
Jan 5: Deadline to submit for manuscript critiques (paid conference add-on)

Jan 7: Middle Grade Book Club meeting in San Francisco

Jan 24: Translation and International Kidlit Social in San Francisco

Jan 24: Webinar on Reading for Craft with Anne-Marie Strohman

Whether you are new to children’s writing and illustration, pre-published, or published, come meet new and old friends, learn from experienced industry professionals, and walk away with the creative tools to take your work to the next level in the competitive industry of children’s publishing.


Join us March 13 - 15, 2020

Note: The submission link is now live for those of you who purchased an individual manuscript or portfolio critique. Access it here. (Deadline is Jan 5.)
Early Bird Registration Ends December 6
A note from Danielle Sunshine, Regional Advisor
Dear regional members,

I hope you had a lovely Thanksgiving celebration. I can never get enough of that Texas pecan pie my mom always serves.

November was a busy month for the region. I was happy to see how many of you took advantage of the plethora of events we had up and down the peninsula.

Now that it's December, I hope you enjoy time with friends and family and join us for some regional events as well.

Kind regards,
Danielle
Want to get involved?
We are looking for an enthusiastic volunteer to be our Regional Registrar. The Regional Registrar creates event registration pages on our website while working from home on their computer. If you like to have your finger on the pulse of what's going on in the region, this is a great opportunity for you.

This is a year-round job, with a steady drumbeat of events to create. The position requires between 1-3 hours a week, all from home, online.

The right person for this job will have good computer skills, the ability to lightly edit copy provided by event organizers, and be readily responsive to email.

As with all our larger volunteer roles, the Regional Registrar will receive a discount on Golden Gate Conference registration.

Please contact Danielle Sunshine if you are interested in learning more.

Illustration Credit: Nichole Wong Forti. Visit her website here!
Local Area Events
Mid-Peninsula
Mid-Peninsula Get Together
Date: December 7th, 11-1pm

Location: Cafe Barrone, 1010 El Camino Real, Menlo Park, CA 94025
Note: Outside tables, look for the SCBWI sign
Come meet fellow SCBWI members in your area! Charlotte and Kris are the new Mid-Peninsula Regional Area Coordinators (RACs). They would love to meet you all and learn more about the kinds of events you'd like to see on the Peninsula. There will be some creative writing/illustrating ice breakers.

This event is free, but please RSVP so the organizers know how many to expect.

Santa Cruz/South

Your Santa Cruz & Monterey Regional Area Coordinators, Ashley Wheelock, Stephan Joanides, and Peter Hester would like to learn more about the people in their region.

If you live in the Santa Cruz/South area of the region, please fill out their member survey. Many thanks!
South Bay
Holiday Meet and Greet
Date: December 8, 2pm

Please join us for the SCBWI SF SOUTH BAY HOLIDAY MEET AND GREET.

It's a chance to get to know your fellow SCBWIers. We'll have snacks, drinks, a children's book white elephant (so bring your favorite wrapped book) and a game or two to kick things off.

Click here for more information and to register. It's FREE!
Your South Bay Regional Area Coordinators, Margaret Greanias and Julia Maisen, would like to learn more about the people in their region.

If you live in the South Bay area of the region, please fill out their member survey. Many thanks!
San Francisco
Middle Grade Book Club in SF
Date: January 7th at 11am

Calling all middle grade writers! We're starting a new group in San Francisco where w e'll read and analyze a middle grade novel each month with the goal of improving our own craft.

Meets the first Tuesday of the month at the Park Branch of the San Francisco Library starting January 7th. We'll discuss from 11-12 pm--and wander over to the Haight for lunch or snacks afterward.

Email scbwisfcity@gmail.com to RSVP.
Translation and International Kidlit Social
Date: January 24th at 2pm
Location: Le Marais Bakery at 498 Sanchez

Meet and greet for translators, aspiring translators, and fans of international kid lit. (Illustrators welcome, too!) Friday January 24th at 2 pm at Le Marais Bakery at 498 Sanchez.

Email  scbwisfcity@gmail.com  to RSVP.
Want to start a YA book group in SF? Other ideas for events you'd like to see or host in the city? Email Jackie at scbwisfcity@gmail.com
Online Events
December Webinar
Character Design Webinar
December 14 12:30 - 2:00pm

Illustrator Eda Kaban will discuss Character Design, and demo how to bring a design to finished illustration.


All our webinars are FREE for SF/South Members!
January Webinar
Reading for Craft
Date: January 24 11:30am 

Join Anne-Marie Strohman in our January webinar as she discusses reading to improve your craft.

Past Webinars
In case you missed them, here’s the replay for our most recent webinars:

  • November webinar: Meet the Mentors. If you missed our webinar with our fabulous 2019 mentors, don't worry, you can still watch it. You’re in for a treat! This webinar is packed with craft tips, so it is worth watching even if you are not planning to apply for the mentorship program. You can read more about the mentors and their mentees here. Details for the 2020 program are hereAnd you can watch the replay here. (If it doesn’t automatically play, you may have to download it first).



Any webinar queries can be sent to Christine at  sfsouthwebinars@gmail.com

Promotional Opportunity
Is your book coming out between September 5th 2019 and April 25th 2020 ?

The children's specialist at Books Inc. in Palo Alto is looking for recently published or soon-to-be published authors and illustrators from our region to attend Independent Bookstore Day on April 25th at their store in Palo Alto.

This event is for traditionally published authors only.

If you are interested in participating, please contact Drew Durham at  ddurham@booksinc.net
Critique Corner
Access our self serve "seeking a critique group" database through our SCBWI San Fran/South regional page. Please note: you must be signed in to the SCBWI website in order to access the database.

If you are seeking critique partners, add your name/info to the database and then take the initiative to contact writers/artists listed in your area to see if they might be a good fit for a critique exchange. Our system is “self-serve” because only YOU can determine what works best for you.
If you have any questions about Critique Connection, please contact our coordinator, Lynne Ann Biscay, at  critconnectsfsouth@gmail.com.
A Huge Thank You
to our Regional Area Coordinators
We are so grateful to this team of volunteers who have stepped up to organize events in the following sub-regions:


A huge thank you to these generous volunteers!