May Fest 2019

Date/Time Date(s) - 05/11/2019 2:00 pm - 5:00 pm Annual MayFest Event, May 11,2019 Venue TBA, but as of now it will not be at USD. IMPORTANT – Please check below for changes to the submission process. Also, watch here for updates on breakout sessions and added faculty. MayFest – One of the highlights of the season featuring: 2 one-hour sessions in the main room and optional in-person critiques with local editors, agents, and authors. Participants may also sign up for professional headshots with Roxyanne Young. 12:00-4:00 p.m. In-Person Critiques and/or Headshot (Space is limited. Participants will be emailed their appointment time and are asked to arrive 10 minutes early)You must be registered for May Fest. Optional In-Person Critiques with local editors, agents, authors and illustrators (10 min) Optional Headshot with award-winning photographer, Roxyanne Young 2:00-4:00 p.m. Breakout Sessions Venue TBA, but as of now it will not be at USD. Edith Hope Fine – Jump, Froggies! A Beginner’s Guide to Writing for Children Michael Mahin – The Best Lessons from the Best Books on Writing Sarah Baker – Bring Your Portfolio for Review and Guidance in a Group Setting 4:20-5:20 p.m. Networking with editors and agents (light refreshments will be served) Pre-registration is required. You must be registered for the May Fest event to participate in the optional in-person critique and/or headshot. Registration is open. Breakout Session Faculty

Edith Hope Fine – Jump, Froggies! A Beginner’s Guide to Writing for Children Do you dream of writing children’s books but don’t know where to start? This information-packed session covers both the magical and the mundane of children’s publishing. Get specific tips: Ways to research the field, jump-start your creativity, strengthen your writing, get writing credits, deal with rejection, and stay motivated. Discover how to self-edit and stay on track. Pick up ideas on submitting your work, getting published, and marketing. Edith Hope Fine is an award-winning children’s book writer with nineteen published books. She runs our San Diego Chapter’s PAL (Published and Listed) Members group. This class is aimed specifically at those new to the field and is based on Edith’s book, Jump, Froggies! Writing Children’s Books: 89+ Beginner’s Tips. Michael Mahin – The Best Lessons from the Best Books on Writing – Join Robert F. Sibert Honor-winning children’s author Michael Mahin for a deep dive into craft as he digs into his favorite books on writing and shares some of the lessons that helped him find success. Learn why your main character must die, how neuroscience science can make writing easier, what a glass of water has to do with character development, how the sequence approach to plot can help you better understand 3-act structure, and much, much more. Mahin holds a PhD in American literature and is an obsessed reader and blogger about books on craft. His non-fiction picture books Muddy: The Story of Blues Legend Muddy Waters and When Angels Sing: The Story of Rock Legend Carlos Santana (both from Atheneum) were both Jr. Library Guild Selections and have received many honors, including a California Reading Association Gold Medal, making the NPR Best Books List and The New York Times Best Books for Kids Lists, and, most recently, earning a Robert F. Sibert Honor and a Pura Belpre Honor for Illustration from the American Library Association. He is also a produced screenwriter whose horror movie Reborn recently won Best Sci-Fi Film at “Another Hole in the Head,” San Francisco’s oldest genre film festival. To learn more about him, visit www.MichaelMahin.com .

Sarah Baker – Portfolio Reviews – Thinking of submitting your portfolio to the SCBWI LA Conference? Looking for ideas to improve your portfolio? Sarah will discuss positive aspects of each portfolio in a group setting and provide insight into how the artist might improve the portfolio. Additional details for the Portfolio Showcase will be available soon. She is the Associate Exectuive Director of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators. In addition to guiding the organization with executive director, Lin Oliver, Sarah runs all programs and benefits for illustrator members, and art directs all SCBWI publications. Before coming to the SCBWI eight years ago, Sarah designed children’s books at Penguin Young Readers Group. She graduated from UCSB with a focus in fine art, and currently lives, illustrates, and throws pottery in sunny Los Angeles with her husband and two young daughters. Critique Faculty (We plan on adding one or two more to this list, watch here for their names) Jennifer Azantian – Agent/founder, Azantian Literary Agency. She graduated with a B.S. in clinical and developmental psychology from the University of California, San Diego where she was an executive editor for the Triton Psychology Report. She began her agenting career first as an intern and then as an assistant and associate at the Sandra Dijkstra Literary Agency. In 2014, she founded Azantian Literary where she focuses primarily on fiction for mg, YA, and adult readers. She is committed to guiding the careers of both new and established voices, particularly those who have been historically underrepresented. Whether a heartwarming contemporary, a speculative mystery, or a grand epic fantasy, she looks for the universal truths in stories that connect us all. You can learn more about her on the agency website: www.azantianlitagency.com and probably far too much on Twitter: @jenazantian. Jennifer will critique MG, YA and author/illustrator MG/YA Graphic Novels. Deborah Halverson – She is the award-winning author of Writing Young Adult Fiction for Dummies and Writing New Adult Fiction, the teen novels Big Mouth and Honk If You Hate Me, the picture book Letters to Santa, and three books in the Remix series for struggling readers. Formerly an editor at Harcourt Children’s Books and now a freelancer specializing in Young Adult/Middle Grade fiction, New Adult fiction, and picture books, Deborah has been working with authors—bestsellers, veterans, debut, and aspiring—for almost twenty-five years. She is also the founder of the popular writers’ advice site DearEditor.com and serves on the advisory board for the UC San Diego Extension “Children’s Book Writing and Illustrating” certificate program. www.DeborahHalverson.com. Deborah will critique PB to YA, but she does not comment on art in a PB Dummy. Steve Mooser – He is the co-founder of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators, having begun the organization with Lin Oliver in 1971. As President Emeritus he continues to edit the SCBWI Bulletin and consults on SCBWI programs and initiatives. He holds a Bachelor degree in film and a Master degree in Journalism both from UCLA, has published over 60 children’s books, and is the recipient of The Eric Carle Mentor Award, The Southern California Children’s Literature Council Dorothy McKenzie Award and the Christopher Medal for The New York Kids Book. He is a frequent speaker at domestic and International Conferences on issues related to children’s literature, and in particular the digital revolution and what it means for the future of children’s books Steve will critique PB and MG, but not YA. Nephele Tempest – Agent, The Knight Agency, she joined The Knight Agency in January, 2005, opening the Los Angeles-area office. As an agent, she works with a number of talented writers, assisting them to hone their skills and build their careers. Nephele comes from a diverse publishing and finance background, having previously worked on the editorial side of the business, as well as for several major New York investment firms as a financial advisor and later a financial marketing and communications writer. Her previous experience provided her with insight into multiple aspects of the publishing industry. Nephele will critique all sub-genres of MG and YA fiction, no non-fiction. Kayla VernonClark – Editor, Kane Miller Books, as well as a member of the marketing team. She is committed to the company’s mission of bringing perspectives the world over into the hands of children. Kayla will critique MG and any longer works in any age or genre, no PB.

Andrea Welch – Executive Editor, Beach Lane Books, a San Diego-based imprint of Simon & Schuster. She has the pleasure of working with a long list of wonderful authors and illustrators, including Liz Garton Scanlon, Denise Fleming, April Pulley Sayre, and Ekua Holmes. Recent celebrated books she has edited include Life by Cynthia Rylant, illustrated by Brendan Wenzel; The Antlered Ship by Dashka Slater, illustrated by Terry & Eric Fan; and the New York Times bestselling LMNO Peas series. Andrea will critique exclusively picture books. Sarah Baker – She is the Associate Exectuive Director of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators. In addition to guiding the organization with executive director, Lin Oliver, Sarah runs all programs and benefits for illustrator members, and art directs all SCBWI publications. Before coming to the SCBWI eight years ago, Sarah designed children’s books at Penguin Young Readers Group. She graduated from UCSB with a focus in fine art, and currently lives, illustrates, and throws pottery in sunny Los Angeles with her husband and two young daughters. Sarah will do in-person critiques of Art and/or PB Dummies 11:30 to 1:30. In addition, she will review participants Illustrator Portfolios in a breakout session from 2:00 to 4:00. **PLEASE NOTE IMPORTANT CHANGE ** All material submitted for critique must be turned in at Chapter Meeting on April 13th preferably prior to meeting from 1:30 to 2 pm OR Mailed to the chapter at PO Box 799, Spring Valley, CA 91976 Postmarked by Monday, April 8th. We will not be accepting emailed manuscripts after all for this year. For Copy of Submission Cover Sheet click here . WRITERS: Please bring the complete manuscript for picture books (max 8 pages) or a one-page synopsis and the first fifteen pages for longer works to the April 13th meeting or email by April 9th. Manuscripts must be submitted in standard manuscript format – double-spaced, with 1 inch margins and Times Roman 12 pt font. Please include your name and contact information in the upper left hand corner, the type of genre (picture book, middle grade, young adult, or non-fiction etc.) in the upper right hand corner of the first page. See also https://www.scbwi.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/From-Keyboard_2014.pdf for information on proper manuscript format. Note: Critiquers with an asterisk below are available to both writers and illustrators. ILLUSTRATORS: Please bring hard copies to the April 13th meeting OR Mailed to the chapter at PO Box 799, Spring Valley, CA 91976 Postmarked by Monday, April 8th. We will not be accepting emailed manuscripts after all for this year. Please include 2-3 images from the same story. AUTHOR / ILLUSTRATORS SUBMITTING DUMMIES: Please bring the complete manuscript in manuscript form AND a copy of your dummy to the April 13 meeting. Both are required by the critiquers. Please follow the manuscript submission directions above. Please include your name and contact information in the upper left hand corner, the type of genre (picture book) in the upper right hand corner of the first page. Must be With Your Submission: Place the cover sheet, find copy here, on top of your manuscript. Use a paperclip. No staples. Please list your first three choices of critiquer in order. We will try to accommodate your requests, but will carefully place your manuscript based on the critiquers preferences. If the material you are submitting has previously been reviewed by one of the critiquers and you would prefer a different critiquer, please let us know by checking the box on the right.

Register at https://sandiego.scbwi.org/events/may-fest-2019/

Texas: North