In This Issue
(Scroll down for details!)

  • A note from Regional Advisor Danielle Sunshine
  • Illustrator Day in October: Registration is still open for a few remaining spots.
  • September webinar: Ask the Regional Team
  • More webinars: Links to other region's upcoming webinars
  • Critique Connection: Learn how to connect with critique groups and partners
  • Bookstore events: Save the date for upcoming November bookstore events
  • Asilomar registration coming soon: Registration opens October 28th
  • Community Announcement: Our very own Lin Oliver is visiting our region!
A note from Danielle Sunshine, Regional Advisor
Hello Regional members,

We hope your fall is off to a nice start! We had a wonderful webinar this month with Lisa Papademetriou, writer, teacher, and founder of the cloud-based writing tool Bookflow.pub. Titled, "Finish that novel: the flexible fiction framework," the webinar offered listeners an opportunity to learn about plot sign-posts, the three-act structure, theme and how to stay motivated through the long process of writing a novel. It was informative and fun. We hope you will join us for our next free webinar later this month. See details below.

We are also looking forward to our annual Illustrators' Day, October 12 at the Fort Mason Firehouse in San Francisco. We will be joined by Ellice Lee and Alexandra Boiger, two superstars of children's literature. Looking forward to seeing you there!

Our regional reorg is in the works. We hope to introduce you to our new regional Area Coordinators soon. In the next year, these wonderful volunteers will be planning more monthly events throughout the region, hopefully closer to you. For those who are interested in volunteering, we are still looking for a member to help plan our (bi)annual writer's retreat.

As always, if you have questions or ideas, or want to get involved, please contact me or another member of the regional team. We are always happy to chat and get to know our regional members.

Until next month,
Danielle
Illustrator Day - October 12, 2019
Registration is still OPEN, only a few remaining spots left!

Date: Saturday, October 12, 2019 from 8am - 4pm

Location: Fort Mason Fire House in San Francisco

Join superstars in the children's book world for a full day of ideas and learning about industry and craft. You won't want to miss it! We have planned great talks that will benefit all stages of your career, whether you are just starting out, or a seasoned professional. 

Our Keynote Speakers, author/Illustrator  Alexandra Boiger  and Art Director  Ellice Lee  will be joined by   an all-star faculty, including: 

Author/illustrator Susan Gal
Author/illustrator Charlotte Cheng
Author/illustrator/educator Julie Downing
Agent Minju Chang
Art director  Melissa Greenberg

In addition to their individual Keynote presentations, Alexandra and Ellice will speak about their collaboration process on the #1 New York Times bestseller picture book series  She Persisted . And, as always, we'll have presentations, critiques, a portfolio showcase, and plenty of opportunities to connect with faculty and peers.

Minju Chang will share with you tips and tricks to catch an Agent's eye.

Julie Downing, Susan Gal, and Charlotte Cheng will discuss the value and importance of a critique group and share their personal experiences on how it has improved their craft and help develop their stories.

Click through to our registration page for more details on the full faculty, agenda, and exciting extras.

NOTE: Several of the critique reviews are sold out, but if you are interested, please sign up for our waitlist in case of cancellations!

We hope to see you there!

September Webinar: Ask the Regional Team
Ask the Regional Team
September 27, 2019, 12:00 PST

This month, meet our very own regional team! Come ready to ask questions and learn more about SCBWI and our region. It will be particularly useful for new members but everyone is welcome.

Looking ahead: We have a rich lineup of upcoming webinars:

In October, Agent DongWon Song, with Morhaim Literary, will present, "How to Pitch."

In November, Kathi Appelt, Mina Witteman, Marilyn Hilton, Erin Dealey, and Christy Hale will talk about their experiences mentoring members of our region.

In January, local writer and teacher Anne-Marie Strohman will present, "Reading for Craft."

In February, local writer and ukulele player Tim McCanna will present, "Rhyming in Picture Books: Dos and Don'ts."

All Webinars are FREE for SF/South Members!
Webinars outside our region
Many regions put on webinars and make them available to SCBWI members from other regions. The Nevada region curates a list of upcoming webinars from around the world. Click here to see all the amazing content available in the coming months.
Critique Connection News
Our new system for connecting members with critique partners is up and running! You can access our "seeking a critique group" database through our SCBWI San Fran/South regional page. Click here! 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.
 
Besides the database, you can also meet potential critique partners at our local bookstore events.  Each event coordinator will have a sign-up sheet for people seeking critique partners. Following the event, we will “connect” you via email.
 
Also, consider attending the bookstore meet-up at Linden Tree Books in Los Altos on Sunday, November 3 from 4:30PM - 6:30PM. The panel discussion topic will be “Successful Critique Groups: How They Support Us in Our Publishing Goals.”
 
If you have any questions about Critique Connection, please contact our coordinator, Lynne Ann Biscay, at  [email protected] .
Bookstore Events Coming Up Soon
We hope to announce details soon for at least two free bookstore events in the November timeframe. For now, please SAVE THE DATE for:

November 3rd at Linden Tree in Los Altos, CA at 4:30 pm
November 11th at Books Inc in Campbell, CA at 7:00 pm

Golden Gate Conference 2020 at Asilomar
We are so excited to announce the dates, theme, and headliners of our next Golden Gate Conference at Asilomar!

The conference will take place March 13-15, 2020. The theme this year- "Your Weekend MFA"- is very craft-focused. Attendees are sure to go home with loads of new knowledge. Headliners include Cynthia Leitich Smith, award-winning author and instructor, and Scott Campbell, an award-winning illustrator.

Registration goes live on Monday October 28th at 9am.

Mark your calendars for registration, as the spots go fast, especially for the faculty critiques and extras.

At-A-Glance:
  • Date: March 13-15, 2020
  • Location: Asilomar, Pacific Grove, CA
  • Theme: Your Weekend MFA
  • Registration begins: Monday October 28th at 9am

More details to come soon!

Community Announcement

Kepler's Literary Foundation is hosting our very own Lin Oliver, executive director of SCBWI , and her writing partner Henry Winkler, best known for his roles in Happy Days and Barry. They are visiting to introduce their new laugh-out-loud out-of-this-world middle-grade series,  Alien Superstar , about an alien who somehow lands in Hollywood and becomes a teen sensation. We would love to see a good showing from our region to support Lin!

Date And Time
Sat, October 5, 2019
3:00 PM – 4:00 PM PDT

Location
Kepler's Books
1010 El Camino Real
Menlo Park, CA 94025
We're looking for your ideas for how we can make this newsletter more fun and more useful. Send us your suggestions! Contact Laurel at [email protected].