BIG SUR WRITING WORKSHOPS

BIG SUR WRITING WORKSHOP | November 30 - December 2, 2012 | Big Sur Lodge, Pfeiffer State Park, CA

Interested in writing picture books, early readers, middle grade and YA fiction? These intensive workshops feature agents from the Andrea Brown Literary Agency; editors from HarperCollins, Little Brown, Chronicle and Philomel; and an array of award-winning authors.

As a former attendee, I can vouch for the quality of the faculty and session content--they have a track record of workshop alumni landing publishing contracts. Bring your laptop and be prepared to work and revise your manuscript!

The registration deadline for the Big Sur Writing Workshops has been extended to November 11. To complete registration, you must submit your first two pages of text, or the entire picture book text:

http://bigsurwriting.wordpress.com/register-2/register/

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14th ANNUAL SCBWI WINTER CONFERENCE IN NEW YORK

SCBWI (Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators) Winter Conference February 1-3, 2013 | New York, New York 

With an amazing line up of keynote speakers and panels, SCBWI's 14th annual winter conference promises to sell-out. Mark your calendars now! The p

rogram for February 2-3 includes:

Keynote Addresses by:
Julie Andrews and Emma Walton Hamilton
Margaret Peterson Haddix
Meg Rosoff
Shaun Tan
Mo Willems

and Up To The Minute Market Information including:
-Retail Bookseller's Panel: What's Selling Now
-What Hooks Me Breakout Sessions: led by 12 acquiring editors and 2 art directors

Registration opens October 19, 10am PDT:
http://www.scbwi.org/Pages.aspx/Current-News?SCBWI-WINTER-2013-REGISTRATION-BEGINS-OCTOBER-19TH-AT-10AM-PDT

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CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS

Call for Submissions: Harper Voyager Announces Global Digital Publishing Opportunity

"The submission portal, www.harpervoyagersubmissions.com, will be open from the 1^st to the 14^th of October 2012. The manuscripts will then be read and those most suited to the global Harper Voyager list will be selected jointly by editors in the USA, UK and Australia.  Accepted submissions will benefit from the full publishing process: accepted manuscripts will be edited; and the finished titles will receive online marketing and sales support in World English markets.

Voyager will be seeking an array of adult and young adult speculative fiction for digital publication, but particularly novels written in the epic fantasy, science fiction, urban fantasy, horror, dystopia and supernatural genres. Submission guidelines and key information can be found at www.harpervoyagersubmissions.com."

 

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PUBLISHING OPPORTUNITY FOR HAWAII WRITERS

Here's another possibility--I'm not endorsing any company or publishing contest--remember to always read the fine print.

"
Looking For Authors in Upcoming Hawaii Book!


 Become a published author in an upcoming book for worldwide e-distribution and print. Everyone is focused on 2012, politics 

and elections, economic issues, and what mainstream media is 
telling everyone about negativity.
 Hawaii Wellness Directory and Worth Grace Media are 

responding by partnering in a special creative collaboration 
to highlight messages of hope - for beyond 2012. 
Be a part of this opportunity to give your heartfelt message of encouragement, inspiration and guidance to people around the world.


DEADLINE-October 15th 2012


We are accepting 100 submissions to be featured and published in December 2012. 


Five (5) judges will be reviewing entries to select the messages that move us the most. You must live in Hawaii part-time or full-time. 
Authors will receive ongoing support via networking throughout 2013 from HWD and WGM "

www.worthgrace.com

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HAWAII BOOK AND MUSIC FESTIVAL, MAY 5-6

THIS WEEKEND: HAWAII BOOK AND MUSIC FESTIVAL:
A celebration of Story and Song on the Frank F. Fasi Civic Grounds at Honolulu Hale. FREE admission and parking.

Author Signing in the Barnes and Noble tent, Saturday, May 5, 3pm.

Keiki activities: Origami, coloring and sketching in the Keiki Activity Booth, Sunday, May 6, 1:30pm.

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SCBWI ANNUAL SUMMER CONFERENCE IN L.A.

August 3 - 6, 2012  |  Los Angeles, California
 
Get ready for an unforgettable experience with the very best in the field of children's literature! Over a jam-packed weekend you'll hear from top agents and editors on the state of the market, get inspired by award-winning authors and illustrators, discuss how to progress your career, attend small, targeted breakout workshops, connect with old friends and meet new ones!

Whether you are an author or illustrator, published or unpublished, create picture books or young adult novels, you won't want to miss the SCBWI Summer Conference.

Keynote Speakers Include:   

Bryan Collier, Caldecott honor illustrator 
 
Karen Cushman,  Newbery Medal winning author   

Tony DiTerlizzi , Author/illustrator of The Spiderwick Chronicles and Caldecott Honor recipient  

Dan Gutman,  Award-winning author

Patricia MacLachlan, Newbery Medal Winner   

Gary Schmidt, Two-time Newbery winner

Ruta Sepetys,  Award-winning (including the Golden Kite Award) author of Shades of Gray

Sara Shepard, Author of the Pretty Little Liars and Lying Game Series      

Deborah Underwood, Award-winning (including Crystal Kite Award) author 

Clare Vanderpool, Newbery medal winner     

PLUS a host of editors and agents discussing the industry from publishing houses and literary agencies including: Harper Collins, Penguin Young Readers Group, Writer's House, Scholastic, Simon and Schuster, Abrams, Random House and more.  

With your registration you get:

-Access to all conference keynotes and workshops
-The Gala Party on Saturday night (includes dinner and a drink ticket)
-Ticket to the Golden Kite Luncheon on Sunday
-Attendance to the Friday night Portfolio Showcase and cocktail party
-Chance to sell your books at the PAL book sale on Friday (some restrictions apply)
-Tea and coffee each morning
-Free wireless in your room

For an extra special weekend you can also register for: 

A Manuscript or Portfolio Consultation
The Juried Portfolio Showcase
Two of the post-conference intensive workshops (Writers choose one of two including:  9 Agents, 1 Morning;  9 Agents, 1 Afternoon; Independent Publishing; Spitshine: Polishing your Novel; First Pages; Developing your Hook; Picture Books; Revising your MG/YA Novel and more to be announced! Illustrators can register for the all-day illustrator intensive, Writing for Illustrators.)

Registration opens April 18th at 10am PDT. This conference sells out so don't delay!  

General Information:

 Conference Tuition:
Tuition includes all conference workshops & events (excluding consultations and showcases) from Friday - Sunday, August 3-5, 2012, including the dinner dance on Saturday night and the Golden Kite luncheon on Sunday. Tuition does not include the Post-Conference intensive on Monday, August 6.

Early Registration (Before June 15th):
$440 - SCBWI Member  Registration
$540 - Non-member Registration

Regular Registration (After June 15th):
$460 - SCBWI Member  Registration
$560- Non-Member Registration

 Intensives and Extras:

 MANUSCRIPT & PORTFOLIO CONSULTATIONS
$100 Individual Manuscript or Portfolio Consultation

JURIED PORTFOLIO SHOWCASE
$50 Portfolio Entry in Juried Showcase

POST CONFERENCE INTENSIVES
(Full day of programming on Monday, August 6th)
$200 -  Post-Conference Intensives for Writers
$200 -  Post-Conference Intensive for Illustrators

Venue Information:

Hyatt Regency Century Plaza
2025 Avenue of the Stars
Los Angeles, CA 90067
(800) 233-1234
(310) 228-1234

Conference attendees get a special room rate of $199 (Valid until June 1)

How to register:

You can register online at www.SCBWI.org or by phone (323-782-1010) starting April  18th at 10am PDT. You must be a current SCBWI member at the time of registration and the conference to be eligible for the member's discount.

Full conference schedule and more details will be available in Early April.

Can't attend? Follow the action virtually!

SCBWI Conference Blog
(http://scbwiconference.blogspot.com/)

In the weeks leading up to the conference, we'll feature interviews with our prestigious faculty so that you can know what to expect and look forward to. Click on the link above to see pictures and video as well as recaps of every workshop, keynote address, panel and intensive at our semi-annual SCBWI International Conferences.

 On twitter! Our speakers, attendees and bloggers will be tweeting! Follow us and the hash tag #SCBWI to get the latest.

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2012 MAZZA SUMMER CONFERENCE: CHILDREN'S PICTURE BOOKS

The Mazza Museum, which features international art from picture books, is holding its 20th Annual Summer Conference from July 16-20, 2012 in Findlay, Ohio.

Guest speakers include Carmen T. Bernier-Grand, Dan Yaccarino, Susan Stevens Crummel, Janet Stevens, Boris Kulikov, Wendell Minor, Florence Minor, Mary Higgins Clark, Loreen Leedy, David Diaz, Peter McCarty and Walter Wick. Offerings include the children's book writing strand (eligible for graduate and undergraduate credit hours), book sale and autographing by artists/authors.

A Floyd & Stella Dickman grant has been established to help librarians with registration fees.

www.findlay.edu

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OREGON COAST CHILDREN'S BOOK WRITERS WORKSHOP, SUMMER 2012

From the Oregon Coast Children's Book Writers Workshop (www.occbww.com):

This summer, July 9-13 we proudly will present the tenth Oregon Coast Children's Book Writers Workshop, www.occbww.com, in the exquisite Oregon coast town of Oceanside. 

The instructors for the workshop will include five established children's book authors (between them, specializing in YA and middle school novels, picture books, non-fiction, magazine pieces, and poetry), two children's book editors from major houses (we have yet to sign our second editor), and one children's book agent.  Summer Workshop 2012 promises to be our best yet because:

- The instructor-student ratio will be a maximum of one to seven (probably less)
- Each day you will meet with an instructor for at least one comprehensive consultation
- You can have one-on-one informal meetings with instructors each day as well
- Every student who wishes can have an anonymous first page manuscript critique by all eight instructors in front of the class
- We will offer at least twelve instructional lectures on various aspects of writing and publishing
- There will be two evening presentations by instructors
- Out-of-class consultations with instructors are available
- There will be at least two guest lectures/writing workshops
- There will be two wonderful parties (quite appropriate for friends, partners, spouses, children)

More and more of our students are publishing and signing with agents.  If you are ambitious to publish a children's book (or simply adore children's books) this is the workshop for you.   It will allow you to connect directly with authors, editors, agents who are active in the children's book business. If you go to the website and look under Evaluations, you'll see that it's received extraordinarily high praise (some listed below).

The course is available for graduate credit.

For complete information we welcome you to visit our website at www.occbww.com

There's a generous refund policy (described at the website) if you decide to register now and then later on change your mind.

Any questions, feel free to ask.

Oregon Coast Children's Book Writers Workshop
www.occbww.com

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Pen Women's 2012 Biennial Writer's Conference

Fantastic line-up of speakers...

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SCBWI-Hawaii’s Annual Conference, February 25, 2012

SCBWI-Hawaii's Annual Conference will be held at the Ala Moana Hotel from 9:00 a.m. to 4 p.m. The cost is $95 for SCBWI members and $125 for nonmembers. For details and registration see www.scbwihawaii.org. or download conference and registration information at http/scbwihawaii.org/attachments/info_and_registraton.pdf.

Featured speakers include Kendra Levin, editor at Viking Children’s books, and Peter Brown, award-winning author/illustrator of The Curious Garden and Children Make Terrible Pets.

Kendra Levin

Peter Brown

Kendra will do a general session on Viking and the kinds of books they publish, and what she specifically is looking for, and she’ll also talk about current trends in children’s publishing. She’ll also lead a breakout session called “Meet Your Character: How Motivation Drives Story.”

Peter will do a general session on leading a creative life and a breakout session called “Illustration at Work.” Kendra and Peter will also lead a First Pages/First Look general session. In addition, local author Sue Cowing and local author/illustrator Tammy Yee will lead a general session called “Book Promotion—a Do-It-Yourself Project.”

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Holiday Book Signings at Barnes & Noble!

Drop by to say hello, or have your books autographed in time for the holidays.

Saturday, November 19, 3-4pm
Barnes & Noble, Kahala Mall

Book Signing, Illustrating and Original Artwork in support of ASSETS School Book Fair

Lynne Wikoff

Tammy Yee

Saturday, November 26, 11am-noon
Barnes & Noble, Kahala Mall

Meet and Greet Mutual Publishing's Authors and Illustrators:

Michael Koyama
Deb McGuire
Matthew Kaopio
Marsha Gibson
Lynne Wikoff
Tammy Yee

 

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Not to be Missed: Fiction Workshop with Donna Jo Napoli

I took a workshop from Donna Jo, and she's stellar:

Fiction Workshop with Donna Jo Napoli
Friday and Saturday, December 9 and 10, 2011

 Donna Jo Napoli, multi-award-winning author of dozens of middle grade and YA novels and picture books (and a university professor of linguistics) will be back by popular demand for another great fiction-writing workshop. (See her website at www.donnajonapoli.com) The workshop will be held from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Friday and Saturday, December 9 and 10; Friday’s location is Paki Hale (adjacent to Kapiolani Park) and Saturday’s location is the Aina Haina Library meeting room. Cost is $200 for members, $225 to nonmembers. Enrollment is limited, and the workshop is almost full. Preference to members. To sign up and/or for more information, please email Lynne at lwikoff@lava.net.

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THE WORLD OF CHILDREN'S LITERATURE WITH AWARD-WINNING AUTHOR AND YOSEMITE NATURALIST MICHAEL ELSOHN ROSS

Passing it on...

THE WORLD OF CHILDREN'S LITERATURE WITH AWARD-WINNING AUTHOR AND YOSEMITE NATURALIST MICHAEL ELSOHN ROSS

UHM Outreach College Noncredit Workshop

Writing Your Children's Book
with Michael Elsohn Ross
Tuesday and Thursday, Nov 3 & Nov 8 • 6:00-9:00pm • UHM George Hall 214 • $65 • To register: 956-8400 or www.outreach.hawaii.edu/noncredit

"What impresses me years later is that I wrote a kids' book without knowing much about children's literature. Ignorance was bliss, because I wrote and illustrated free of the constraints of trying to fit a mold. I created with kids in mind..."-- Michael Elsohn Ross

Writing books for children is very different from other genres since the audiences are kids and the publishers, buyers, and librarians are adults. Michael Elsohn Ross, naturalist and award-winning author of over 40 books for children, offers this entertaining and informative class for anyone with a love of children's literature, and an interest in writing or illustrating books.

In his 2-day workshop, Ross explores the wide variety of styles and formats of current books, and shares some useful writing and publishing tools gleaned from his extensive experience in the field. Participants will have a chance to write and edit short pieces, as well as gain an overview of the publishing process.

Michael Elsohn Ross lives on a bluff overlooking the Merced River, right next to Yosemite National Park. Since 1975 he has worked as a naturalist in Yosemite where he continues to lead field classes for the Yosemite Association. He is the educational director of Yosemite Guides and teaches writing workshops at Cal State Fresno and other US Mainland colleges.

Ross' nature and science books include Sandbox Scientists, a guide to setting up science activities for 2-8-year-olds; Cycles, a series of books introducing young people to various cycles in nature and the environment; You're the Scientist books, providing a creative outlet for young experimenters; and The Happy Camper Handbook, a guide to help kids prepare for camping in the great outdoors. Picture books include Snug as a Bug, Baby Bear Isn't Hungry, and What's the Matter in Mr. Whisker's Room?  Turning from science to art, Ross wrote Nature Art with Chiura Obata, a biography of a Japanese-American artist who was interned during World War II and
a related title, Salvador Dali and the Surrealists: Their Lives and Ideals. Ross also added to the "World's Children" book series with Children of Northern Ireland and Children of Puerto Rico.

Visit the author's website at: http://www.bugauthor.com/

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Oregon Coast Children's Book Writers Workshop

Passing it along, from http://www.occbww.com/:

OREGON COAST CHILDREN'S BOOK WRITERS WORKSHOP, SUMMER 2011

This summer, July 11-15 we will proudly present the ninth Oregon Coast Children's Book Writers Workshop, www.occbww.com, in the exquisite Oregon coast town of Oceanside.  At this time the class is three-quarters full.  If you care to join us, probably it would be a good idea to sign up soon by using the registration form at the site.


The instructors for the workshop will include five established children's book authors (between them, specializing in YA and middle school novels, picture books, non-fiction, magazine pieces, and poetry), two children's book editors from major houses, and one children's book agent.  Summer Workshop 2011 promises to be our best yet because:


- The instructor-student ratio will be a maximum of one to seven
- Each day you will meet with an instructor for at least one comprehensive consultation
- You can have one-on-one informal meetings with instructors each day as well
- Every student who wishes can have an anonymous first page manuscript critique by all eight instructors in front of the class
- We will offer at least twelve instructional lectures on various aspects of writing and publishing
- There will be two evening presentations by instructors
- Out-of-class consultations with instructors are available
- There will be at least three guest lectures/writing workshops
- There will be two wonderful parties (quite appropriate for friends, partners, spouses, children)


If you are ambitious to publish a children's book (or simply adore children's books) this is the workshop for you.   It will allow you to connect directly with authors, editors, agents who are active in the children's book business. If you go to the website and look under Evaluations, you'll see that it's received extraordinarily high praise.


The course is available for graduate credit.


For complete information visit www.occbww.com

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The Physiology of a Broken Heart

"The course of true love never did run smooth." ~William Shakespeare, A Midsummer Night's Dream

A recently published study in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences has confirmed what we, and legions of poets, playwrights and troubadours have known all along—that being dumped hurts. Hurts like your heart is being ripped out. Literally.

Researchers at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, studied 19 men and 21 women, all of whom had experienced an unwanted breakup within the past six months. Brain imaging (MRI) scans were used to map each subject's response during two painful tasks. In the Physical Pain Task, participants experienced the application of painful and non-painful heat to their left forearm. In the Social Rejection Task, participants first viewed a photo of a friend while recalling a positive experience. Next, they viewed a headshot of their ex-partner as they recalled being rejected. Through MRI scans, researchers demonstrated that rejection and physical pain stimulated shared regions of the brain.

And how, one might ask, could one volunteer for such a lively experiment?

"Participants were recruited via flyers posted...on Facebook and Craig's List. All participants were right-handed (recall the burning left forearm) and received $175 for their participation."

That must have been a hellova flyer.

All joking aside, the study furthers our understanding of how we process pain in the complex somatosensory cortex, with implications for the management of chronic pain. A. D. "Bud" Craig, principal investigator/director at the Atkinson Pain Research Laboratory, describes how pain is processed when we stub our toe:

"Sensory neurons flash a message to the spinal cord, spinal cord neurons relay the message to the brain, and the brain decides (a) damage has occurred, (b) it has been inflicted on the toe, and (c) something needs to be done (we start hobbling, raise the foot, utter an expletive). It may feel as if our toe is throbbing, but the experience is all contained within a mental projection of the condition of our toe within our brain."

Thus pain, as explained by Dr. Donald A. Ranney, is not a sensation, but a perception:

"This perception is real, whether or not harm has occurred or is occurring. Cognition is involved in the formulation of this perception. There are emotional consequences, and behavioral responses to the cognitive and emotional aspects of pain."

"Love is the triumph of imagination over intelligence." ~Henry Louis Mencken

This perception of pain brings me back to love, for what condition is more prone to misperception? From heart to lips and ears to heart, we stumble in love—and this is where my science-loving mind deviates from the U-M study. Something lacks in comparing a scalded forearm to a broken heart. You don't pine for a forearm—your heart won't race, your breath won't quicken—and you don't plan your life and future around it. Certainly, you won't be grieving six months later over the minor discomfort you suffered for answering the university's Craig's List ad.

How does one explain the physical symptoms—the chest pain, palpitations and shortness of breath— of heartbreak? According to Robert Emery and Jim Coan, professors of psychology at the University of Virginia,

"Emotional pain involves the same brain regions as physical pain...the anterior cingulate cortex may respond by increasing the activity of the vagus nerve—the nerve that starts in the brain stem and connects to the neck, chest and abdomen. When the vagus nerve is overstimulated, it can cause pain and nausea."

This association of physical pain with emotional pain may be related to the survival of our species. Whether on the Pleistocene savannah or in New York City, we thrive in social groups, with friends and family to watch our backs. As Naomi Eisenberger at UCLA explains,

"The social attachment system is piggy-backed onto the physical pain system to make sure we stay connected to close others. Being wrenched from another or rejected by a group is painful, so we avoid it."

The problem arises when emotional pain persists. An inability or unwillingness to move through the stages of bereavement can progress to what neuroscientist Mary Frances O'Connor calls "complex grief":

"They experience a lot of bitterness and anger, that their future is senseless. They don't adapt with time as others do."

Like physical pain, emotional pain can lead to chronic, debilitating heartbreak.

"You say that love is nonsense.... I tell you it is no such thing. For weeks and months it is a steady physical pain, an ache about the heart, never leaving one, by night or by day; a long strain on one's nerves like toothache or rheumatism, not intolerable at any one instant, but exhausting by its steady drain on the strength." ~Henry Brooks Adams

©2011 Tammy Yee

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