SCBWI-IL GOOD NEWS | April 2024
#WITW2024 • ALLERTON • April 29 - July 14
SUBMIT | REVISE | RESUBMIT | REVIEW + RETREAT!
INTENSIVE + IN-PERSON
Laurel Symonds (Agent, KT Literary) 
INTENSIVE
NaShantá Fletcher (Design Director, Cottage Door Press) • Jessica Saint Jean (Agent, Jill Grinberg Management) • Louann Brown (Novelty Books-What Have You Been Missing?) • Denise Holmes & Catherine Velasco (Turn Your Manuscript Into a Baby Board Book for Fun, Profit & Revision
• Alice McGinty (How to Give & Receive Supportive Feedback)
• Rob Sanders (Making Your Writing Personal and Universal—Inviting Readers In) • Laura Vecchiolla (PsyD, CT, Responsible Representations of Trauma) Jennifer Wagh (Pacing and Page Turns to Hook Your Reader)
2.5 hours from Chicago | Indianapolis | St. Louis |Under 4 hours from Louisville
ASSEMBLE AT ALLERTON

Has it been awhile since your online critique group met up in person?

Are you looking for a critique group and some structure to get your mss or dummy submission-ready?

Consider WORDS IN THE WOODS: Allerton to reconnect with your kidlit community!
And the winner is...
The WITW Committee is reviewing applications and will release the name of the winner shortly...stay tuned!
UPDATE: PRIZES & OPPORTUNITIES
SURVEY: FUTURE OF OUR REGION
SPEAK NOW about how YOU want to be a part of the SCBWI Illinois Community. Build friendships and exercise your creativity. SURVEY will remain open until MIDNIGHT June 1st.

Chicago Southside Network
Chicago Southside Network Representative Addie Grosse is looking for a co-rep to help bring programs to Hyde Park, if you are interested, please reach out.

Email Addie Grosse for more information.


Prize steward and Equity & Inclusion Team member Alina Celeste Hevia received more than a dozen applications for the 2024 Many Voices Prize!

Our Region is grateful to offer this opportunity with the support of a generous and anonymous member benefactor THANK YOU!


Watch for the announcement of the winner on our SCBWI-IL YouTube Channel, in May.

AVAILABLE THROUGH APRIL 7

Enjoy UNLIMITED viewings of these recorded Illinois programs with a small convenience fee.

This month, (5) recorded Network Events are offered for unlimited viewing.
Your fee supports Illinois’ free events & opportunities like Networks (offered online or in-person for free) and scholarships and mentorships.
Unlimited Viewing | $10
THANK YOU to the volunteers who create & host these monthly meetings for our Region.
Southside Chicago
Editor Talk with Josh Gregory
Bolingbrook-Naperville
Musicality in Manuscripts
Near West | Oak Park
A Day in the Life of a Children's Librarian
Rockford Network
Author visit with Lorelei Savaryn
Chicago Area Illustrators'
On Nature Journaling
Thanks for your support!
FOR PUBLISHED MEMBERS
NEW BOOK?

Calling for 2024 book releases to announce in Spring & Fall Prairie Wind's "Season's Crop"
Congratulations to
Sarah Aronson who received the Prairie State Award for Exellence in Children’s Writing at IRC
Volunteers Make
IRC a Success

Thanks to Louann Brown, Juli Canveny & Jen Wagh who oversaw our efforts to promote PALs and their books at Illinois Reading Council in Springfield, March 13-16!

We’re grateful to all our published members who sent us (2) books + promotional pieces.

Volunteers handed out 300 promotional pieces to teachers and librarians to view a slide show of Illinois PALs!

Thanks to Jen Wagh, Sarah Aronson, and all the PALs who helped to create and distribute it!

UPCOMING OPPORTUNITIES:

AISLE CONFERENCE, Champaign, NOV 7-9

#ReadALOUDIllinois
Date TBD


NETWORKS HIGHLIGHT
Oak Park & Near West Suburban Network
IN-PERSON
Thanks to all our Network Reps for creating exceptional spring programming!

FIELD TRIP: Butler Children's Literature Center

Join us and visit the Butler Children’s Literature Center in River Forest! Curator, Jen Clemons, will explain how the Butler Center's selection of newly published books and special permanent collections can be used by kidlit authors and illustrators and also share some tidbits from her upcoming trip to the Bologna Children’s Book Fair.

We’ll try out some writing exercises using books from the collection, and there will be plenty of time to browse. The Butler Center is a wonderful local resource!

  • When: Thursday, April 11, 2024

  • Time: 7:00 PM

  • Where: Dominican University - River Forest Campus | 7900 W Division St, River Forest | Rebecca Crown Library | Rm 214
APRIL REGIONAL CALENDAR
No foolin', ILLINOIS…there's a shower of
GOOD NEWS!
Share yours on our Google Groups with the subject April Good News!

SCBWI member illustrators please make sure you are on the illustrator Google Group! To be added email Allan Woodrow