Wanted: Your upper MG and/or YA titles from 2015!

We still have space for authors of upper MG and YA books in the middle- and high-school "Behind the Books" session at Washington Library Association's October 15, 2016, conference! SCBWI-WWA is co-hosting this presentation to give our PAL members an opportunity to present their recent books to area teacher/librarians. 

We didn't fill all of our available time slots with 2016 books, so we're now opening up our middle- and high-school session spaces to authors with books published in 2015 or 2016. (Sorry, the elementary school session for picture books and younger MGs is full up). So, if your PAL book works for readers in 6th grade or up, and was published in 2015 or 2016, please consider joining us for a fun, easy way to help raise your book's visibility among these book lovers (and school visit influencers)!

It'll be similar to our Inside Story events, but with a greater opportunity to mingle with attendees and talk about school visits, hand out swag, etc. Learn all the details here.

Then sign up here right away, because this opportunity won't last long! 

Mockingbird Books Closes Its Doors Tomorrow!

We sadly bid you adieu

"As C. S. Lewis noted, "We read to know we are not alone."  We have enjoyed accompanying you on your reading journey and wish you many more seasons of getting lost in great books.  Although we have been selling through our inventory over the last couple of months, all remaining books will be discounted 50%." You still have some time to support this beautiful bookstore in the heart of Green Lake. They are hosting an open house on Saturday, August 27 with food, beverages, and hopefully empty shelves.  Please stop by if you are available. The Mockingbird space will become home to Little Explorers School beginning in September.  It will be great to still have lots of kids in the neighborhood. info@mockingbirdbooksgl.com phone:    206.518.5886 address: 7220 Woodlawn Ave NE                Seattle, WA 98115

Got a 2016 upper MG or YA title?

WLMA wants you! (And so do we.) We still have space for authors in the "Behind the Books" session SCBWI WWA will be co-hosting for middle-school and high school teachers and librarians at the Washington Library Association's October 15, 2016, conference. If your book was published by a PAL publisher this year — or is still to come in 2016 — and works for readers in sixth grade or up, please consider joining us for a fun, easy way to help raise your book's visibility among these book lovers (and library purchasing influencers).

It's okay if your title works for younger readers, too; this particular session is simply targeted to those who don't have picture books or chapter books on their minds... including those who work with "high/low" readers, who need heftier books but with easier reading levels.

Learn all the details here.

Then sign up here right away!

Mentors Needed for SCBWI - Oregon

                                  

The League of Exceptional Writers is looking for a few outstanding writers and illustrators for next year's season. The League is a free mentoring program sponsored by the Oregon SCBWI and Powell's. Our goal is to help avid young writers and illustrators find their fellow book people and learn about the business and craft of making books. Our past mentors have included authors, illustrators, poets, comic book and graphic novel artists, editors and literary agents. They’ve presented League meetings on everything from how book cover art is chosen to how to write a hilarious scene or a drop dead scary one.

As the Youth Outreach Coordinator I am now looking for next year's League Mentors. Every participating mentor will appear on a flyer sent out to schools and libraries all over the region. They will be put on Powell's online calendar and Powell's will order in a copy of your book to feature during the presentation. For this reason mentors need to have a book in print in a format that Powell's is able to sell. The exception would be editors, agents and art directors who would speak to the book-making profession. The Oregon SCBWI offers a modest honorarium for each mentor. Our league members especially love it when two writers present together so you are very welcome to propose a team presentation. Please email me with a proposed session topic and information about you and your books.

When: Second Saturdays from October to May from 2-3pm

Where: The Cedar Hills Crossing Powell's
            3415 SW Cedar Hills Blvd.
            Beaverton, Oregon

Who: Young avid writers between the ages of 8 and 18 are invited. In practice most of them are between the ages of 10 and 16.

The calendar for the 2016-17 school year will be:

Oct 8       Feb 11
Nov 12     Mar 11
Dec 10     Apr 8
Jan 14     May 13

Thank you very much!

Rosanne Parryrosanne@rosanneparry.com<mailto:rosanne@rosanneparry.com>

WLMA presentations — applications now being taken!

PAL members, here’s an exciting chance to introduce hundreds of state teacher/librarians to your latest book and your school visit programs! SCBWI Western Washington is hosting a session at the Washington Library Media Association (WLMA) annual conference on October 15, and you can apply to participate.

Read more about this opportunity, including FAQs, here.

The short story

Where: Highline Community College in Des Moines 

When: Saturday, October 15, 3:30 – 5:00 p.m.

Who: PAL members with titles published in 2016*, in two groups:

o   PB and elementary grade readers (pre-K through sixth grade)

o   Middle-school and high-school readers (grades 6 – 12)

How many: 20 eligible participants in each age group — first-come, first-served

Our bookseller: Secret Garden Books

How to apply to participate:

1.     First, check your SCBWI membership and PAL status and renew or update as needed. Membership status will be confirmed for all participants, so check your Member Profile at www.scbwi.org now. See http://www.scbwi.org/about/levels-of-membership-2/  for more information about membership levels. See http://www.scbwi.org/pal-publishers/ for information about PAL publishers and special circumstances.

2.     Apply to participate by completing the Google form here.

3.     We’ll confirm participation and provide more information by August 31.

Questions? Check here.

YA Novelist E. Lockhart coming to Hugo House--and a giveaway!

YOUNG-ADULT NOVELIST E. LOCKHART KICKS OFF NEW SEASON OF WORD WORKS SERIES

Series features notable writers talking about a topic of personal mastery meant to draw back the curtain on the process of writing

SEATTLE—Young-adult novelist E. Lockhart begins a new year of craft talks for Hugo House's Word Works: Writers on Writing series on September 18 at 7 p.m. in The Frye Art Museum. 

Lockhart is known for penning young-adult novels that are feminist and socially conscious, including the New York Times-bestselling We Were Liars, and her novel, The Disreputable History of Frankie-Landau Banks, which won a Michael L. Printz Honor Award and was a National Book Award finalist.

In her Word Works talk, In Praise of Style: Artifice, Punctuation, and Other Rogue Techniques of World-Building, Lockhart will dissect how certain writers, even in popular fiction, use playful and stylized language and formats to build compelling fictional worlds. Revered writers of children's, adult, and YA literature—including Neil Gaiman, Markus Zusak (The Book Thief), Walter Dean Meyers, and Lauren Myracle—will serve as a jumping-off point for the lecture, focusing on how these writers use experimental techniques without becoming gimmicky or inaccessible to readers. A Q&A with Lockhart will follow.

In conjunction with the event, Lockhart will teach a class at Hugo House on Monday, September 19. The half-day intensive workshop, Finding Your Voice, will have students look at heritage, family, fandoms, regionalisms, inside jokes, and slang vocabularies as tools for getting their own unique mind onto the page.

Lockhart (née Emily Jenkins) grew up in Cambridge, Massachusetts and Seattle, Washington, and is an alumna of Lakeside School in North Seattle. She studied illustrated books at Vassar College and earned a doctorate in English literature at Columbia University. She is the author of nine novels, including Dramarama, Fly on the Wall, and the popular Ruby Oliver series, which begins with the novel The Boyfriend List.

More information on the event can be found on the event page, and information on the class can be found on Hugo House's website.

About Hugo House

Hugo House is a place to read words, hear words, and make your own words better. Offering readings, classes, teen programs, consultations with professional writers, and more, Hugo House opens the literary world to everyone who loves books or has a drive to write. 

More Info

Hugohouse.org

Facebook.com/HugoHouse

Twitter: @HugoHouse

Open hours: Monday through Saturday, 12 p.m. to 6 p.m.

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NOTE: SCBWI-WWA IS COLLABORATING WITH HUGO HOUSE TO GIVE AWAY TWO TICKETS TO THIS EVENT, WHICH NORMALLY COSTS $12. FOR YOUR CHANCE TO WIN, JUST COMMENT ON THIS BLOG POST BELOW! WE'LL SELECT TWO WINNERS AT RANDOM.  :)

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Kid Lit Webinar!

The Ins and Outs of Building Your Niche with KidLit 411

The Joint Texas  SCBWI chapters are proud to present another webinar that all chapters can benefit from on August 30, 7:00-8:30 pm CST

Elaine Kiely Kearns and Sylvia Liu run the popular, award-winning kid lit resource website, Kidlit411.com.  In two years, they have built a loyal following and vibrant kid lit community. 

Elaine and Sylvia will share their experience with platform building and answer your questions: 

–What is a platform and why is it important? 

–What is the KEY thing to know about platform building? 

–How do you get a handle on social media and do you need to do it all? 

–How to find your niche or focus for a platform 

This event is jointly sponsored by all the SCBWI chapters in Texas--Austin, Brazos Valley, Houston, North Texas, and Southwest Texas. The webinar is $10 for SCBWI members and $35 for non-members. Members please log in to get the discounted rate. To have access to the replay, please register by August 29. 

Here is the link to the registration page: https://northtexas.scbwi.org/events/webinar-what-is-author-platform-building-anyway-the-ins-and-outs-of-building-your-niche-with-elaine-kiely-kearns-and-sylvia-liu-of-kidlit-411/

Kid Lit Drink Night - Drinks Optional

This month we are meeting at Redhook Ale Brewery. Don't let the "brewery" part fool you because this is a family affair!

http://redhook.com/

Happy Writing, Illustrating, and Merrimenting!

"SAVE THE DATE!"

Hello and happy summer to you all! Here are some important dates to look out for:

Early-AugustRegistration begins for the Weekend on the Water Writer Retreat, taking place October 21-23 at Dumas Bay Centre. A water view, great books and fabulous faculty. Could it get any better? Retreat Co-Directors Lois Brandt and Allyson Valentine Schrier are dying to reveal all, but we’re making them wait. We’re mean that way.

August 20The Great Summer Critique-nic will be held from 12 – 4 p.m. on the campus of Evergreen State College. Talk about great summer reads! Great Critter Tony D has details on our website.

Early SeptemberSCBWI Western Washington Monthly Programming Passport registration opens. Watch your email box for details!

Continuing through September 30Our Super Duper Summer Illustrator Show at the Washington State Convention Center. Have you seen this show yet? It’s already been listed as one of the top ten art shows of the west (by me). Our Family Draw-Along with the illustrators is Saturday, September 17, from 12:00 - 2:00 p.m. Don’t miss it!

Late SeptemberRegistration begins for our Illustrator Retreat at Dumas Bay Centre, taking place November 11-13. Our fantastic faculty will be a serious draw for our illustrators (get it? I slay me!), so jump on this. Illustrator Coordinator Tina Hoggatt refuses to spill the deets until you’ve reached a fever pitch.

Wednesday, October 12 is our kickoff meeting of the season.All meetings will be held the second Wednesday of the month in Demaray Hall on the campus of Seattle Pacific University. Schmoozing starts at 6:30, meeting from 7 – 9 p.m. Hugs from Kevan start at the Nickerson Street Saloon at 5 p.m.

November 15Inside Story from 7 – 9 p.m. Where, who, how? All will be revealed when Inside Story Chair Dori Butler is good and ready. But rest assured, it will be an evening to remember as our hometown heroes give us the stories behind their stories.

April 7-9, 2017SCBWI Western Washington Awesome Conference!! Oh yes, it’s back and this time it’s personal. Your Conference Committee has been hard at work wrangling amazing faculty for our awesome panels, breakouts, consults and who knows what else! We’ll fill you in once we’ve returned from the LA Conference and caught our breath.

Meanwhile, have a wonderful summer. Read a lot and write and draw even more!

Cheers from your Regional Team,

Dana Arnim and Dana Sullivan, Co-Regional AdvisorsDebbie Mickelson, Assistant Regional Advisor, Conference Coordinator, Tech Team LeadTina Hoggatt, Illustrator CoordinatorSCBWI Western Washington

P.S. Got a kid lit tidbit you want to share? Send it along to wwa@scbwi.org with the words “Chinook Update” in the subject line for our blog or post on our Facebook page.