We had some technical difficulties, so forgive the late notice. We swanted to let you know about a new class starting week with the warm and wise Katherine Grace Bond. Through her teachings I started to open up, with not only my writing, but my heart. --Cassy Hollan Sharing your work is an act of... Continue Reading →
Our 2017 Art Show Winners!
A jury of faculty judges reviewed all of the portfolios for our 2017 SCBWI Western Washington Juried Portfolio Show. We heard over and over how impressed faculty and attendees alike were with the overall level of artistic talent. While voice, flow, and execution came through across the portfolio show, our jury found that the following... Continue Reading →
Kazu Kibuishi Keynote: Failing Safely–Learning from Mistakes
Kazu Kibuishi never set out to be a graphic novelist. His career started when he was only five years old, two years after arriving to the states from Japan. Once he had relieved the cash register in his grandparent's restaurant of all its quarters for video games, he was left with nothing to do to... Continue Reading →
Nonfiction that Reads Like Fiction with Stephanie Pitts
Stephanie Pitts, editor with G.P. Putnam's Sons, an imprint of Penguin Young Readers Group, feels that there are many nonfiction opportunities within the school and library market, thanks to Common Core, STEM, and STEAM. The most common type of nonfiction in picture books is the straightforward biography. Stephanie cautions that rather than a birth to... Continue Reading →
Patricia Hruby Powell keynote: Fun, folly, and the benefits of breaking the rules
Patricia Hruby Powell has lived a magical life: as everything from a dancer who toured internationally to a substitute librarian, and her books turn nonfiction into heart-filled verse. She talked to us about empathy. If you're not rich, you can read about a rich person and know what it's like. If you're not poor, you... Continue Reading →
Kazu Kibuishi: Creating Stories as an Experience
Kazu Kibuishi, writer and artist, is the mastermind behind the New York Times bestselling Amulet graphic novel series, published by Scholastic. Kazu threw a lot of the typical writing tools out the window (like the three act structure) and thought about the experience design. He wanted the story to feel like a ride. Kazu liked... Continue Reading →
David Small & Sarah Stewart: The Collaboration Tango: Creating a Picture book
David Small and Sarah Stewart are longtime collaborators on picture books and life. In this session they discuss each of the six picture books they've produced together. So much of this session is the endearing interaction between these two book creators, so I will share some tidbits of information gleaned from their back-and-forth. Sarah wrote... Continue Reading →
Patricia Hruby Powell: Digging into research
Patricia Hruby Powell is the astonishingly brilliant, award-winning author of nonfiction picture books and longer works for young readers. Her latest, LOVING VS VIRGINIA is a novel-in-verse about the landmark Supreme Court ruling on interracial marriage. She talked about researching this book, down to such details as the weather for a particular day in history... Continue Reading →
Laurie Thompson: How Finding My Tribe Helped Me Find My Voice
Laurie Thompson receives the Crystal Kite Award. Laurie Thompson is the award-winning author of both fiction and nonfiction books for young readers. Her young adult book BE A CHANGEMAKER: HOW TO START SOMETHING THAT MATTERS is an inspiring how-to guide for teens as well as the winner of the SCBWI's 2015 Crystal Kite award. Laurie... Continue Reading →
Jessica Anderson: Behind the Scenes of a Middle Grade Novel: From Submission to Finished Book
Jessica Anderson is an assistant editor at Christy Ottaviano Books, which has an affinity for illustrated middle grade books. To share a few (both fiction and nonfiction): Illustrations and photographs break up the narrative, complimenting the text but not distracting from it. Jessica takes us through the process (submission to finished book) with SECRETS OF... Continue Reading →