There is always so much going on in the children's literature world in Utah, which is wonderful and fun. But you might look beyond your borders to see what's going on elsewhere. For example, Idaho. We're just up the road a ways. And we seem to become a fantastic venue for kid lit authors to visit. Just in the last few weeks, we've hosted Markus Zusak, Jennifer Neilsen, and next week will be Sherman Alexie plus Andrew Smith.
I'm most excited, of course, about our Boise SCBWI conference in April, which we co-sponsor with the Boise State University Dept. of Literary, Language, and Culture and the Idaho Chapter of the International Literacy Association (formerly the International Reading Association).
This year we have several amazing speakers, including Matt de la Pena, Suzanne Morgan Williams, Utah's own Kristyn Crow, agent Sean McCarthy, and a fantastic panel of local authors.
Our theme is diversity in children's literature, which is a super hot topic right now, and worthy of our attention and examination. This conference is for all who are interested in kit lit, whether teachers, librarians, students, parents, and, yes, authors and illustrators.
You can find more information here:
http://bit.ly/1ErbbGuAnd to register, scroll down that page and click on the link, or here:
http://idcclw.com/
Boise in the spring is a magical place, and taking the time to get away from home and focus on your craft is worth every moment.
By Neysa CM Jensen
SCBWI regional advisor for Utah/southern Idaho
You still have a few days to submit you first page picture prompt for agent Sean McCarthy from Sheldon Fogelman Agency to critique.
Illustrators: No one has sent anything for me to show off. Was “Out of this World” to hard? Heck, any animal doing human things could be considered “Out of this World”. I hope you will send something in, because it give you a chance to be seen and everyone loves the artwork.
A little bit about Sean McCarthy: He is drawn to flawed, multi-faceted characters with devastatingly concise writing in YA, and boy-friendly mysteries or adventures in MG. In picture books, he looks more for unforgettable characters, off-beat humor, and especially clever endings. He is actively looking for new clients, but he is not currently interested in high fantasy, message-driven stories, historical fiction or query letters that pose too many questions.
Here is the prompt for July:
Brian Bowes was featured this year on Illustrator Saturday. http://kathytemean.wordpress.com/2012/05/12/illustrator-saturday-brian-bowes/ I think all of Brian’s illustrations could tell lots of stories, so I think you will have fun writing for this one. You can see more of Brian’s work by visiting his website: www.studiobowesart.com
WRITERS: Please attach your double spaced, 12 point font, 23 line first page to an e-mail and send it to kathy(dot)temean(at)gmail(dot)com. Also cut and paste it into the body of the e-mail. Put “July 23rd First Page Prompt” in the subject line.
ILLUSTRATORS: You still have until July 26th to submit an illustration for June. I’m looking for illustrations that are “Out of this world”. I am going to let you interpret that and use your imagination. So show off a little and send it something for July. I will post the illustrations as they come in during the month, but I will definitely post all by July 31st. Please make sure the illustration is at least 500 pixels wide and include a blurb about yourself and a link to see more of your work. Please send it to kathy(dot)temean(at)gmail(dot)com and put “June Illustration” in the subject box.
Talk tomorrow,
Kathy
Filed under:
opportunity,
Places to sumit,
Writer's Prompt Tagged:
Brian Bowes,
Call to Illustrators,
First Page picture prompt,
Free Fall Friday,
Sean McCarthy 
