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By:
Liz Goulet Dubois,
on 3/19/2015
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The time had come… after a pleasant drive through the backroads of RI through the snow drifts and pines…
…so began the 2015 edition of the Whispering Pines Writers Retreat at the Alton Jones campus! This was a special year, though- the 20th anniversary of it’s beginning. I have been coming since I was the illustrator mentor in 2007. Every year is full of inspiration, bonding, and renewed vigor for our writing careers. It is also full of cake. SO MUCH CAKE. And food that magically appears. It is another world, to be sure.
Lynda Mullaly Hunt and Mary Pierce have been the co-directors for many years, and have decided to step down this year. There’s no way they would go out without a bang, and it started right away! KidLit Jeopardy was a great way to kick it off andstart on that bonding I was talking about. It’s always a laugh fest. My team came in 3rd place (pretty decent)!
My favorite category is BUNNIES. 
Hayley Barrett gives Lynda a going-away present…
…and it was fascinating! “Embrace the journey” was a good theme for the whole weekend. Â Â
Mary Pierce and Kristin Russo got mini trophies for being a driving force (literally) for the retreat.
NESCBWI RA Sally Riley and incoming retreat director Julie Kingsley get commemorative staplers, for holding things together. Julie will be joined by Cameron Kelly Rosenblum as co-director of next year’s Whispering Pines retreat.
Co-director Mary receives a superhero cape for going up, up, and away above the usual requirements!Â
Some of the mentors: agents Erin Murphy and Ammi-Joan Paquette, and editors Sylvie Frank, Kendra Levin, and Mallory Kass.
Laurie Murphy and Linda Crotta Brennan were recognized as the originators of the retreat 20 years ago.
Greenhouse Literary agent John Cusick gave great tips on ignoring the nagging voice that tells you you can’t write, and how to carve out legit writing time in your life. As both a writer and an agent, he knows intimately what he’s talking about.
Lynda and Mary pulled off a pretty incredible surprise by bringing back SIX previous mentors just to be on a panel about “what I wished I knew when I was starting out”. She had asked me casually to weigh in on this subject, but I didn’t know it would become a full-out panel discussion with all these fantastic writers and illustrators. Color me humbled. It was a real high point of the event!
Mentors, past and present: Lynda Mullaly Hunt, Kim Newton Fusco, Leslie Connor, Jennifer Thermes, Kelly Murphy, Erin Dionne, Ammi-Joan Paquette, Carlyn Beccia, Me, Barbara O’Connor, and Brian Lies. Thanks Pam Vaughan for this photo!
Agents Ammi-Joan Paquette and Erin Murphy turned the tables asked each other questions. Erin looks for things she didn’t know she liked until she read them; it’s the exceptions to the rules that grab her. Ammi-Joan is open to any genre and concedes that there is no one-size-fits-all path in a career.
First pages in the cozy lodge. The mentors really went above and beyond this year is their discussions of the first pages, giving us meaty and useful critiques.
Mallory Kass, Sylvie Frank, Kendra Levin, Lynda Mullaly Hunt, Ammi-Joan Paquette, John Cusick, and Erin Murphy.
Carlyn, bringin’ the glamour and spreading it around. “Give me more zhush!”
Food. So much food. Food that we didn’t have to prepare, and dishes that magically disappeared after, only to be replaced by cake. Such is the way of Whispering Pines.
Writer girls Sandy Smith Budiansky and Brook Gideon. The smiles say it all.
Senior Editor Kendra Levin, from Viking, is not only a great editor, but a life coach. It was excellent to hear how she blends these ingredients to bring out the best in each book. I won’t think of elevators the same way again!
Jennifer O’Keefe has the uncanny ability to paint gorgeous watercolors during the retreat!Â
Editor Sylvie Frank from Simon and Schuster/Paula Wiseman Books gave a great inside look at the editorial process. I loved how she makes her own dummies of manuscripts just to become one with the flow of each story. That’s dedication!
Kristin Russo stepping up and sharing her writing exercise.
Mallory Kass from Scholastic looks for books that transport the reader, and immerse them in a new world. She seeks characters that have such a unique world view that it colors the reader’s view, too. She was quite a character herself, relating publishing to the dating world in a disturbingly accurate way!
Adieu, Whispering Pines, for another year. You never fail to bring out the best in everyone.
By:
Liz Goulet Dubois,
on 4/13/2014
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It’s been nearly 2 weeks since returning from Whispering Pines, a writer’s retreat deep in the woods of the Alton Jones campus of URI. Such a beautiful setting- and a wonderful time as always. The mentors, the camaraderie, the food…everything.
Here’s Lynda introducing the mentors and helpers, who all received thematic welcoming gifts…
Animated author Audrey Vernick talked about how, beyond the craft, luck has a part in the business. She also emphasized not getting hung up on the “rules”. Â Kirsten Cappy talked about the various ways you can get the word out about your book, and how to connect in ways we maybe hadn’t thought of yet.
First Pages, as read by Lynda, Mary and Jenny. I must say, the calibre of the submissions we tend to hear at this retreat tends to be stellar!
Panelists Christine Krones, Audrey Vernick, Sarah Dotts Barley, Regina Griffin.Â
And then, there are shenanigans… photo fun, palm reading, and a failed attempt at levitation (at least in the bodily sense)!
(come on- you have to believe!)Â
Kim, Kristen, Julie, Cameron, and Janet during one of the sessions.Â
Gather ’round the inferno! The very cozy common room in the Whispering Pines lodge.
The mentors and organizers, lined up all pretty! Lynda Hunt (author and retreat co-director), Regina Griffin (Executive Editor at Egmont USA), Christine Krones (Editor at Houghton Mifflin Harcourt), Kirsten Cappy (of Curious City in Portland Maine), Sarah Dotts Barley (Editor at HarperCollins),  Audrey Vernick (author), and Mary Pierce (retreat co-director).
Christine Krones had some good advice about what today’s market needs to see in submissions, and how they can be pitched to their best advantage.
Sarah Dotts Barley talked about not revising as you go, and allowing a book to marinate for a while so you can gain perspective on it.
Regina Griffin’s talk had some great examples of the windy path that a book’s revision can take, and how nothing you write for a manuscript, even if it’s cut, is ever lost. It’s part of the process of making it better.
(I am obviously highly editing our mentors’ talks, but they were all very in-depth and chock full of good info- I took pages of notes!)
We got lucky with some nice weather that allowed us to get out an explore the grounds…
 Caroline, Laurie and Jen.
Surprise giveaways at lunch! Oh, and by the way… THE FOOD. Always wonderful here.
Three cakes a day? Well, OK, if you insist.Â
There are always good times around the table.
Awesome table-mates:Â Cameron, Julia, Regina, Sally, Kirsten, Sarah, Jen, and Laurie.Â
And now, lets reflect on the surroundings, the people, the work ahead. That’s what I am still doing now.
I had the pleasure and luck to attend the New England SCBWI’s most excellent Whispering Pines Writer’s Retreat again this year (I believe this is my 5th year). It takes place in paradise (also known as URI’s Alton Jones Campus in W. Greenwich, RI). Lucky for me, this isn’t so far to travel; yet it is like being a world away!
   We started with a first night first pages panel…
…followed by a pleasant Kid Lit Jeopardy deathmatch.
Valkyrie Lynda fields the questions while Julia Boyce writes upside down and backwards to keep score.
Events take place in and around the campus, but mainly here in the Lodge…
Retreat Directors Lynda Mullaly Hunt and Mary Pierce got the day rolling on Friday with some shout-outs to the volunteers who make it all work.
Accolades and to Laurie Murphy and Linda Crotta Brennan for their assistance!
The mentors this year were stellar!
Erin Dionne, Shauna Rossano, Mary, Sara Crowe, Lynda, Bethany Strout, and Kelly Murphy up front. Missing from this shot: Leslie Connor!
First up was my amazing illustrator friend Kelly Murphy, who was very up front and realistic about what it’s like to work with authors and publishers. Her work is dynamic and recognizably hers, no matter the subject. She takes a lot of care to do manuscripts justice in her art.
Some of Kelly’s originals were on display while she signed books.
Erin Dionne is the author of several books that are huge hits in our house. Her talk was about marketing, and it was fun to hear how she makes connections and cultivates community in the real word and online.
Author Leslie Connor had some great insight into tapping into the truth when writing. Having that element of truth allows readers to invest in your characters and care about what happens to them. Such a good point.
Food! The food is incredible at Whispering Pines. And it just keeps coming. And then the plates disappear. It’s a magical way to live for a few days!
Every meal comes with excellent conversation as well!
First pages, second night…
…followed by FIRE!
Cameron Kelly Rosenblum stokes the fire and the silly conversation, all with the same stick.
Now pretend that you have stayed up WAY past your bedtime talking, laughing, and having a great time. Good!
Shauna Rossano, Associate Editor at G.P. Putnam’s Sons, got the last morning started with some great tips on catching an editor’s eye right away by making those important first impressions.
Sara Crowe, Agent at Harvey Klinger, Inc. gave us some valuable insight into her process of reviewing books for representation. Submissions to her must not only ring true to her, but imply a way she can market it to editors.
Here’s Bethany Strout, Assistant Editor, Little, Brown Books for Young Readers. I had met her at the Blueberry Fields retreat in Maine last year, and she was just as smart and approachable here. She draws from both her knowledge and instincts to choose manuscripts for her publisher.
Alas, all too soon, it comes to a close. I love reconnecting with many of my writer and artist friends in the region here; it really is a charmed event.
Just a few of the lovely folks as seen at WP… Jennifer Thermes, Janet Costa Bates, Cameron Kelly Rosenblum, and Kim Savage.
A few parting shots, until next time…!
By:
Liz Goulet Dubois,
on 6/18/2012
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The ICON 7 Illustration Conference was held right here in RI this year, sponsored in part by good ol’ RISD. That was good news for Eric and I…we had our tickets reserved months ago, and it was finally held this week.
The weather was perfect, the city was looking’ good for the hundreds of illustrators that came to town. We didn’t manage to get to any of the workshops that occurred on previous days, beyond going to the RISD Icons art show opening at the Woods-Gerry Gallery (the show is up until June 24th, so you can still catch it).
Our first full day of stuff was Friday the 15th, and it started early. The darkly chipper Masters of Ceremonies were Jennifer Daniel and Nicholas Blechman.
Gregory DiBisceglie, creative manager for Campaign Planning and Special Projects at Macy’s, showed how he tries to raise the bar of creative experiences that Macy’s offers. Why, there’s one of his special projects now… art created by Chris Buzelli for Macy’s Flower Show.
Here’s the art powerhouse Bob Staake, with a page from one of his children’s books. He started off working in a well-regarded cartoony style, but has since morphed into more graphic looks. He says that since art is always subservient to something else, he likes to shake up his style depending on the need. He also like to surprise an art director with unique takes.
My favorite point he made was that art directors come to you because you’re a thinker. So true. Style and execution is less important than concept, so long as the art gets your point across effectively. I find this very true in product design, as well.
Christopher S. Neal, Josh Cochran, and Sam Weber came to talk about the importance of community and collaboration, as learned in the Pencil Factory studio space in Brooklyn. They not only collaborate with each other, but with lots of varied clients.
The importance of collaboration was a theme that kept popping up throughout the conference. Apparently sequestering oneself up in a studio all alone with no input is not the best way to achieve good art, or to get anything to happen with your art. Huh… go figure!
Here are the folks from the Children’s Book panel: Cecily Kaiser (Abrams), Chad Beckerman (Abrams), and Elizabeth Parisi (Scholastic), with Rachael Cole (Schwartz & Wade/Random House) as
By:
Liz Goulet Dubois,
on 8/18/2011
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So, I was in New York for the NYIGF last week, helping set up the booth for the FRED company, where I design homegoods and the like.
Setup went well- and the booth looked positively smashing, I must say!
I wouldn’t cross that line if I were you…
After, we had a little time to jump into the Museum of Modern Art’s store and check things out.
They periodically carry Fred items, and I found one of mine, the Half Pint creamer inside.
Even though it was an exhausting day of show setup, I really wanted to see if we could score some tickets to How To Succeed In Business Without Really Trying, starring Daniel Radcliffe, currently running on Broadway. Holy cow! We got tickets! In the very last row!
The coolest thing about NYC, in my opinion, is the preponderance of theater going on at any given time. You could see a new play every day, and probably never run out of options.
Here’s what the Hirschfeld Theater looks like from outside… oddly enough, there was a giant line of people waiting to get in, but because we were picking up our tickets at the box office, we went in first.
The Hirschfeld Theater has lots of (surprise, surprise!) Hirschfeld cartoon art on the walls!
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By:
Liz Goulet Dubois,
on 5/20/2011
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A couple of weeks ago I was asked to come speak to RISD students in the illustration department about my work. It was great fun to be able to go back to the very building I spent many hours in (the ISB, which hasn’t changed a bit) and talk about the post-RISD experience!
There’s the unchanged ISB. What has changed is in front of it- a beautiful waterfront complete with art tile-encrusted walkways and arches. It’s about a million times nicer than the late 80s landscape I saw as a student!
Here’s my first indication that I would have to be “professional”!
A Professional Practice flyer about me!
Check out those great student watercolor studies to the left!
My talk was mostly in the dark, with a Powerpoint display, so no pictures there! But afterwards, the students could come up and play with the array of my products, toys, children’s books and kid’s menus that I brought along.
I like seeing peoples’ initial reactions to these things… it’s very telling.
While I was in the vicinity, I had the chance to walk over to the always-fun risd/works store nearby, which is now part of the cool new wing of the museum.
risd/works carries a lot of my design items, and displays them in a gorgeous setting!
Here’s a wall o’ fun from the Fred Co. My designs shown are: CooKeys, MonKeys, EarRing, TropSticks, and Cool Jewels<
I finally got to see Library of the Early Mind, which was shown at The Rhode Island School of Design auditorium this week. It was made by Edward J. Delaney and produced by my friend Steven Withrow, and it did not disappoint! Whether you are endlessly interested in children’s books and their makers like I am, or someone who hasn’t given a thought to how and why they are made, you will find this an interesting show.
Robert Brinkerhoff, the Head of Illustration at RISD, opened the screening.
The movie itself was a montage of creators talking about the many facets of creating children’s books- from audience, motivation, and the current state of affairs in the publishing industry. It had a sort of meandering, dreamy feel as it featured different authors and illustrators talking about what led them to pursue books, what books mean in the greater sense, and where publishing is heading. I enjoyed the tone of the film and getting to personally hear from such a great array of creators.
Some of the author/illustrators in the film were on hand for a panel discussion afterwards.
Robert Brinkerhoff, Edward Delaney, Chris Van Allsburg, Steven Withrow, Natalie Babbitt, Mary Jane Begin.
We are lucky here in RI to have these local creators available and willing to be involved in an event like this!
Natalie Babbitt speaks about her experiences of having a book turned into a movie. (No, she wasn’t thrilled with the results!)
Chris Van Allsburg fields a question about one of his lesser-known books, The Wretched Stone.
Follow the link above and see if the film is coming to a screen near you- it’s well worth checking out!
It was a beautiful day in the neighborhood! Here are a few scenes from my recent book signing at Barrington Books on May 15th.
The amazing Mary Jane Begin was signing at the same time as me:
Her Willow Buds books are adorable!
Also signing later that day were Karen Dugan and Richard Evan Schwartz.
Karen has created some gorgeous books! Richard is a math guy who found a cool way to integrate math concepts into a colorful monster book.
Bonus! Lesley and Marin were there, too!
Many thanks to the staff of Barrington Books and to Anika Denise for arranging this fun day!
Oh, Mr. Blog, you have been ignored long enough.
There are many fine things going on here in the studio, but for now, here are three, count ‘em, THREE, book-related snippets!
Thing One:
It’s official! I have a new book coming out in March 2011, and I couldn’t be happier. It’s called “What Does a Seed Need?” and will be published by Grosset/Penguin. I wrote and illustrated it myself, and it will have fun-o-rama flaps and interactive bits. I will show pictures of it when I can!
Thing Two:
Last year, I illustrated a biography about Christopher Columbus, written by the delightful Marion Dane Bauer, that was designed for preschoolers. It was available only through the Scholastic Book Clubs (you know, those brochures that the kids bring home). Well, THIS year starting in August, you will be able to find the trade version at Regular Bookstores Near You! That makes me happy.
Thing Three:
I’m signing copies of my book What Kind of Rabbit Are You? at the Barrington Books Children’s Book Week Event. Barrington Books is a fabulous bookstore located (surprise!) in Barrington, RI. Signing with me at the same time (10 am-12pm) is the amazing Mary Jane Begin. There will be authors there from 10-4, so that would be a good day to come, right? Crafts and other fun stuff will be going on during the day. Come on down and say “hi”!
There you go… book news x 3!
Also known as one of THE BEST book festivals you can go to, and lucky, us, it’s right here in RI!
Every year, the Lincoln School in Providence opens up and we get treated to the best writers and illustrators currently working. That is no exaggeration! To wit:
Here’s Brian Selznick explaining some of the windy journey that led him to create The Invention of Hugo Cabret. What’s fun about this festival is that the speakers have to be ready to talk to a mixed audience of kids and adults. I find that a lot more engaging, and it seems like they feel that way too! Brian is at the top of his game- a wonderful author/illustrator, and a contemporary of ours from RISD (he graduated in ‘88, Eric and I in ‘89). Go Brian!
Here’s the amazing Lois Lowry, signing our festival poster. Our kids have read a bunch of her books, so it was a treat to see her in person.
Jerry Pinkney. What can you say about him? I’d say he’s in the Liz Top Ten of Living Illustrators. Oh, yeah- and add to that he’s a totally genuine guy who really cares about people. You can see this in person for sure, but I think it comes out in his art, too.
That’s his childhood home in the slide.
Look- there’s betty Brown getting her book signed!
Here’s Mary Ann Hoberman:
With a few fans!
Chris Van Allsburg: My old teacher from RISD!
A very popular presenter at the festival each year!
Christopher Paul Curtis gave a great talk, also geared for the mixed kid/adult audience, that had the place in stitches. Here he is coercing a boy to declare his love of reading, after which he gave him a cash “bookmark.” Ha! Hearing him describe his ascent from Detroit auto worker to Newbery and Coretta Scott King Award winner was purely inspirational.
Paul O. Zelinsky was there too…add another name to the Top Illustrator List! He’s prolific, and also seems to be able to bend his style to match a story, sometimes in very surprising ways. What an array of work…very inspiring. And very dapper to boot!
AS IF that weren’t enough, The Very Hungry Caterpillar was there, too!
I simply had to add to my signed book collection. Wouldn’t you? My only regrets are that we couldn’t see everyone there and hear all the talks. It’s pretty much impossible to do…but for however long you are there, it’s a top-notch treat and a wonderful experience. If you’re anywhere near RI next year, be sure you come to the Festival!
Where else but New York City! I just got back from a whirlwind 4-day stay in the Large Apple with some of my most excellent illustrating gal pals. Two of the aforementioned pals had their own booths at Surtex for the first time, and the rest of us went to cheer them on, help out, and walk the shows. Barb’s booth was bursting with licensing goodness:
And Monica’s was all a-flutter with fun freshness:
Barb and Monica did an AMAZING job of putting these booths together, they truly looked excellent! Surtex (or any show like this) can be grueling in terms of setup/breakdown, and manning the booth for the whole time. Way to go, girls, for managing this. We also got to see a bunch of other blog buddies and other illustrators, like Jannie Ho and Holli Conger. Very fun to see everyone converging in one place!
Laura and I also got to check out the ICFF/International Contemporary Furniture Fair.
Despite the name, there is no cotton candy or pig racing at this fair. You will, instead find things like this:
Lots of furniture, lighting concepts, and home fixtures of all kinds. I always like to check this show out since some of my Fred work falls into this genre of design. Speaking of design, here’s Laura in the fabulous Japanese pavillion:
Here’s one of Mary Beth’s two Louie-nominated greeting cards at the Stationery Show:
And OH! Look! Here’s Mary Beth with the actual Louie Award that she won! WooHoo! The Louies are given to the the best greeting cards of the previous year. MB’s cards were designed for the Museum of Modern Art, NYC.
Our hotel had excellent views of about a hundred water tanks!
And look at this ridiculously green rooftop garden amongst the grey. I never once saw anyone up there enjoying it!
As usual, you can never predict what you’ll see in New York.
Maybe you’ll see:
A ginormous button and needle. We couldn’t figure out the weird configuration of button holes on that button. Then we decided it was “art”.
I love this homage to the city’s immigrant garment workers!
Weeniemobiles…times three!
Giant rotating lobsta! And a chick in a bathing suit looking on. Weird.
Serious M&Ming going on at the 3-level M&M store…
Or, if you prefer your chocolate to be Hershey’s, just go across the street.
My hero George M. Cohan will gladly show you the way to any of the freaky sights in Times Square. Just be glad I didn’t take a picture of The Naked Cowboy.
One of my must-go-to-places in NYC…the giant Toys R Us, complete with Ferris wheel inside!
Life-size functional Tyrannosaurus? This is always amusing no matter how many times I’ve seen it.
Likewise insanely large things made out of Legos.
Speaking of which, look at these cool Harry Potter Lego guys in the FAO Schwarz:
To cap off the Surtex/NY experience, we went to Angelo’s in Little Italy for an amazing dinner. It was sort of like Federal Hill, but, um…more so!
We’ll be back next year to do it all again!
That’s right! I just came back from this year’s New England SCBWI conference. This year’s theme was “Many Voices,” and that turned out to be very fitting! On Friday night, there were many voices at the Muse Jazz Club Meet & Greet:
Very fun to catch up with a lot of friends, and of course, to have that experience of saying,”Hmmm.I know I know you…where have we met before?” It happens a lot at this conference!
Here’s Barb Johansen Newman, Carlyn Beccia, Moi, and Maryann Cocca-Leffler. And a basket of snacks.
There a was a big wall to draw on. Here’s John Bell adding something to the wall near one of Barb’s famous kitties.
This year was different for me. I was a member of the “faculty,” and I had two presentations of my own to present on Saturday. So I did get to hear the keynoters, but mostly missed the other sessions! The morning keynote speaker was the fabulous Cynthia Lord:
What a way to start the day. She was very inspiring, talking about the power there is in personal stories. She gave excellent pointers on finding the emotions in your own experiences and integrating them into your work, even if your book is pure fantasy. The emotions involved in recalling real people and experiences can add the needed depth to your characters and stories. Everyone came away from this talk feeling inspired. Everyone.
I was able to catch most of Kirsten Cappy’s session on creating marketing plans for your books that tap into each story’s unique theme. The idea of creating an individualized marketing plan for each of your books is great, and she showed some very cool examples of others who had done this.
Here’s me becoming one with my first-ever Power Point presentation. My first session was called “Books and Beyond: The Many Markets for Children’s Illustration.” I was nervous. But then, I got to talk about all the stuff I love and have been doing for a long time: magazines, toys, fabric, stationery, licensing, and everything else that requires an illustrator with a knack for children’s art. It’s a big, big, world out there, and there was not really enough time to get into it all…but I did my best!
Barb, Janet Montecalvo, and me at lunch.
Let’s see, I think I can rememeber everyone at the table! Alice (A.C.E.) Bauer, Nicole Tadgell, Charlene Willing McManis (who had the best Native American jewelry ever), Alisa Libby (who has a book that actually bleeds!), Greg Fishbone (webmaster!), Barb, the unseen Janet Montecalvo (as seen above), and me.
The lunchtime keynote speaker was Floyd Cooper. Wow. Just wow. His work is luminous and stunning, and even though he did a piece right in front of us with a kneaded eraser, I can’t fathom how he does it. Check out his website. I appreciated that he has worked in many other genres, too.
My second session was called Fun Reads: Board Books and Other Novelty Formats. As you can see, my board book session was in the Board Room (very Donald Trump!). You can picture the chairs actually filled with people, right? Mildly intimidating! But again, I got to talk about that which I love, and I brought a lot of examples of books (both my own and others) to play around with. I pretty much ignored my Power Point presentation. Oops. I sort of forgot it was there. Oh, well, no matter!
Here’s the Diversity Panel: Louise May from Lee and Low, Bobbie Combs from Two Lives Publishing, Jennifer Laughran from Andrea Brown Literary, and Floyd Cooper. Moderated by Padma Venkatraman.What an excellent, topical discussion. It was good to hear “many voices” speaking up about the challenges and necessity of getting diverse books into kids’ hands.
Here’s the adorable Kathy Weller, with her prize-winning poster! I just adore this piece she did…a favorite of mine, and obviously a crowd favorite, too! Kathy also did a great rundown of the sessions she went to on her blog, WellerWishes. She also happen to go to one of my sessions, so you can read about it from the other side…thanks, Kathy!
I wrapped up Saturday at the booksigning…here’s me and Barb and our adoring throngs of fans…LOL!
I had a blast seeing everyone there, and I hope everyone had a great time on Sunday, too!
Next year’s conference will be at The Courtyard Marriott in Fitchburg, from May 14-16. Mark those calendars!
By:
Liz Goulet Dubois,
on 3/30/2009
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Whispering Pines Writer's Retreat,
anna webman,
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Once again, I had the good fortune of going to the Whispering Pines Writer’s Retreat at the Alton Jones Campus in West Greenwich, RI. It’s not far from me, but a world away. The setting is more like something out of Maine.
Before anything happens there is food.
SCBWI’s Marilyn Salerno, editor mentor Sarah Shumway from Harper Collins, Barb Johansen-Newman, and author-illustrator mentor Maryann Cocca-Leffler.
The food is literally amazing here, and there’s plenty of it.
After dinner, Lynda gets the ball rolling with a First Pages panel.
Excellent readers!
The mentors: Author Ellen Wittlinger, Agent Anna Webman, Editor Jennifer Rees, and editor Sarah Shumway.
Here you can see the cozy fireplace room.
The girls sent me some mascots to keep me company over the weekend.
The next morning began with special helper awards.
Helper Sally Riley gets her trophy from Chief Organizer Lynda Hunt.
Laurie Murphy is at a loss for words…
Jan Kozlowski receives her very special award.
Jennifer Rees shared her editing process with us, and showed us some great examples of recent books from Scholastic.
Author Ellen Wittlinger read us some inspiring passages from well-written books, and at least 3 important points to think about in our writing!
Here is Sarah Shumway at her very cool podium giving us the lo-down about working at Harper Collins.
Laura’s trying to decide which way to go.
The view from the porch.
Mentor books for sale!
Another fabulous dinner! Honestly, it’s consistently the best food ever to be had at events like these.
Pictured here: Laura Fry, Laurie Murphy, Debra Wainwright, Maryann Cocca-Leffler, Lynda Mulally Hunt, Barb Johansen Newman, Jan Kozlowski, Mary Pierce.
After dinner, it was time for another rollicking session of First Pages!
The official mentor lineup shot!
Jennifer Rees, Maryann Cocca-Leffler, Anna Webman, Sarah Shumway, Ellen Wittlinger.
After hours fun at Laurel! Here’s Jan doing her best Vanna White impression with a fine array of themed baskets to be raffled off.
Cheers! Somehow there are always colorful beverages involved in the evening’s events.
Mary brought along Cadbury Creme Eggs. Not just the smaller, wimpier American ones, but the bigger, better British ones! This finally laid to rest the mystery of the incredible shrinking Cadbury Eggs. Americans should protest. Bring back the original sized eggs! Thanks to Mary for all the spare British ones…we’re loving them!
After another night of late-night chatting, the next day started with Barb introducing Maryann Cocca-Leffler.
Maryann has channeled all of her life experiences into her stories, and has used her winning personality and chutzpah to successfully navigate the minefield known as children’s publishing. Very inspiring.
New to the festivities this year: Children’s Book Jeopardy!
Lynda Trebek shot out the questions, and teams had only 15 seconds to guess them. Not easy!
Team 4 gets it right!
Anna Webman from the Curtis Brown Agency spoke next, shedding some light on what agents do.
Maryann signs her books for lucky children (and adults)!
The last of the themed baskets were raffled off, signifying the end of another fabulous retreat.
Basket cases!
A final look at the Whispering Pines:
See you next year!
If you’re nostalgic for retreats from previous years, follow the links:
Whispering Pines 2007
Whispering Pines 2008
Hope to see you both soon!
1 Comments on New York, New York…or, Close Encounters of the Daniel Radcliffe Kind, last added: 8/19/2011
What a great account of our amazing weekend, Liz. And I loved your wonderful pictures. Makes me want to head back NOW!!
Lovely summary and photos! Thanks for doing this! It was so fun to be a part of this special event.
You write the best posts, Liz. I felt like I was there again. Thanks for the pix, and the great reminders of some of the details that made the weekend so special. It WAS great to hang out with you!
Enjoyed reliving the weekend through your post…great pictures!
Liz, Thank you for returning us to the Pines.