Book Birthday Blog with Jacqueline Leigh

 

Welcome to SCBWI-MI's Book Birthday Blog!

Where we celebrate new books from Michigan's authors, illustrators and translators.

 

Congratulations to Jacqueline Leigh on the release of The Heritage Keeper

 

How did you come up with the idea for your book?

For decades now, along with living in Michigan I have lived in Sierra Leone, and wherever I am I treasure time alone to wonder. One day a family history question came up in our house about Sierra Leone which sent me foraging online. In the process, I came across a digitized archive of correspondence relating to the mid-19th century colonial period. I spent many hours reading and became familiar with the characters, events and policies in these letters. 

It was exciting but hard. Not the best way for our young ones to learn about our family. They would need a different way to access the information, so I started working on a middle grade nonfiction book.

Then one day as if she had leaped out to hug me, a girl named Fima took shape from a notice I was reading. It provided not only her name but the name colonizers assigned her (it’s rare to have that link), as well as her guy and his vocation! Why him? When did they cross paths? The facts were few, so I began drafting a fiction book to see what more we could learn about Fima. 

What is something you hope your readers will take away from your book?

Diversity is interesting. Neither Sierra Leone nor the Transatlantic Slave Trade is just one story. What we learn about them here may be new to them, but it also is true. I would be happy to correspond with students or classes who have questions or comments after reading the book.

They, too, can write historical fiction, using the elderly as part of their resources. I hope some would increasingly appreciate the fun and value of research. As one who has taught writing to English language learners for many years, I like to see kids experiment with new genres. There will always be more examples to pursue in their school libraries by authors like Linda Sue Park, Elvira Woodruff and Patricia Reilly Giff.

What inspires you to write?

Some stages of writing are inspiration-based. Meeting Fima was like that. I also often jot down comparisons that suddenly occur to me and later work them into poems.

Once I’m into a book, though, writing is a routine. Sometimes I have to force myself to keep to it, but I enjoy resolving ideas into just the right words. Maybe it’s that sense of accomplishment that inspires me to keep writing.

What are your marketing plans for the book and where can we find it?

Please look for The Heritage Keeper, ISBN 979-8-9903397-1-2 on Amazon and Ingram in both paperback and e-book!

I find marketing a self-published book very challenging but SCBWI provides excellent support in its publications, especially The Self-Publishing Guide.

I have sent reading copies of The Heritage Keeper to many libraries and indie bookstores in Michigan, and am advertising it on X and Instagram. I have asked people to review it. It will also be on display at three large conferences or book fairs this year. 

I like talking to groups of children who have read the book; maybe offering to do that is a way of marketing? They always want to know more about the history and how I felt while writing the book. I encourage students to tell me how they would have written certain parts if they had been the author.

What's next for you?

I am a good way through that MG nonfiction book I mentioned, Landing for Good, about the same area and people, covering this period. It could serve as a student or teaching resource where The Heritage Keeper is used in school.

I am also half-way through a second MG historical novel, set in the 1850s in Sierra Leone, also based on the true experience of a teenaged girl.

More about the book . . .

It is the 1830s and Fima has her eyes on the future. While she helps her mother run a wholesale rice shop in the Sherbro Island estuary of West Africa, her mind is on the shape her own business will take one day. Her boyfriend Kai, however, has different ideas for her. One evening, an urgent message comes from their farm upcounty, and her mother must leave. Alone in the estuary for the first time, Fima finds herself not only in charge of their rice but also of a treasured family heirloom. No question: she wants this responsibility and is ready to take it on.
 

Publisher: Self

ISBN 979-8-9903397-1-2

More about the author . . .

Jackie and her family have divided their time between Sierra Leone and her hometown, Midland, MI, since 1970. She is an ESL teacher and author, and trains facilitators for afterschool process writing clubs. She also serves on an editing team for children’s book development projects with Sierra Leonean authors and illustrators.

https://linktr.ee/leighjj 

Instagram: @jacquelinejleigh 

X: @Alienflower

 

 

Introducing the Critique Carousel Agents and Editors: Chelsea Hensley, Chad Beckerman, Leah Moss

The Critique Carousel will be back this fall for another spin! To prepare our SCBWI-MI members for this fun, asynchronous, virtual event, we are giving a sneak-peek into the faculty for the event. These ten professionals will be profiled here on The Mitten for you to research, learn, and find out as much as possible before registration.

  

In previous posts, we introduced Sarah Proudman, agent at Galt & Zacker, Jennifer Thompson, Associate Editor at Scholastic, and Laura Gruszka, junior agent at Writers House, and Katie Heit, Senior Editor at Scholastic. We also announced the scholarship for a picture book creator from a demographic, experience, or community who has been historically mis- or under-represented in publishing. Recap details are at the bottom of this post.

Today, we introduce our FIFTH critique faculty member. . . Drumroll. . .

Chelsea Hensley!

Chelsea Hensley is an associate agent at kt literary where she represents a varied list of clients writing across ages and genres and a few who are also illustrating. She began her agenting career in 2020 at kt literary and continues to build a list that reflects her own diverse tastes, from the lushest of fantasies to the tensest thrillers, steamy, hilarious rom-coms to smart sci-fi, lyrical picture books to plucky middle grade, and imaginative, innovative horror to intelligent, deeply researched nonfiction. In all areas, Chelsea enjoys bold work from ambitious creators who share her unrelenting drive to succeed in a challenging industry. Chelsea is a Capricorn from St. Louis, where she lives with a pair of very cute, though very chaotic, dogs. She enjoys D&D, Golden Girls, women’s soccer, chocolate chip cookies, and Airtable. She is a member of the AALA and serves on the board of the 501©3 nonprofit, Literary Agents of Change, which is committed to the diversification of the publishing industry in general and the agenting profession in particular. She also serves as co-director of Communications and Fundraising Committees.

Chelsea’s client list can be found here and her Manuscript Wish List can be found here.

For the 2024 Critique Carousel, Chelsea will be critiquing: 

 

·        Picture book fiction

·        Picture book nonfiction

·        Middle grade fiction

·        Middle grade nonfiction

·        YA fiction

·        YA nonfiction

 

But wait! There’s more!

Cue drumroll. . . we have another agent to introduce. . . our SIXTH faculty member...

 

Chad Beckerman!

Chad Beckerman (he/him), Agent, brings over 20 years of illustration and design experience to the CAT Agency. After studying illustration as an undergrad at RISD, Chad went on to be a Designer at Scholastic, a Senior Designer at Greenwillow Books, and then became the Creative Director at ABRAMS Kids and Comic Arts, where he spent 13 years overseeing the design of 250 books a year – from picture books, to novels, to graphic novels, and art and entertainment books. Chad is behind the aesthetic for over forty New York Times bestselling and award-winning books including the blockbuster Diary of a Wimpy Kid series by Jeff Kinney, the Caldecott honor and Coretta Scott King Award winning Trombone Story, illustrated by Brian Collier, and the Newbery Medal honor books El Deafo, and Heart of the Samurai. He brings this unique view of children's books to his growing roster of illustrators.

For the 2024 Critique Carousel, Chad Beckerman will be critiquing:

• Picture book dummy 
• Graphic novels fiction or nonfiction 
• Portfolio review

And a special note, Chad will be giving recorded video critiques. Yes, you read that correctly! Chad will be responding not with a written critique, but with a zoom recording of his review of the materials. Again, this is in place of the  written reviews. This way, Chad can also look at your website and socials to see how you are communicating to art directors, editors, and agents with your work selections. 

 

And Surprise! We have a SEVENTH faculty member to introduce. Trumpet intro. . . (or no, harp music. . . )

 

Leah Moss!

Leah Nova Moss is an associate literary agent at Steven Literary who strives to bring beautiful and unique stories to market. When she isn't being a professional bookworm, Leah can probably be found playing her harp or tending to her Stardew Valley farm. She lives in the Chicagoland area of Illinois. 

Leah’s Manuscript Wish List can be found here.

 For the 2024 Critique Carousel, Leah will be critiquing:

·        Middle grade fiction 

·        YA fiction

·        Graphic novels fiction or nonfiction 

·        Novels-in-verse

  

There you are, lovely hard-working SCBWI-Michigan members: three agents ready to receive your work at the 2024 Critique Carousel. Stay tuned for the remaining three faculty members to be introduced in August!

 

******

 

For those that need a recap:

 

Book Birthday Blog With F.P. LaRue

 

Welcome to SCBWI-MI's Book Birthday Blog!

Where we celebrate new books from Michigan's authors, illustrators and translators.

 

Congratulations to F.P. LaRue on the release of The Curse of Shadow Park

 

 

This book is part of a series. What are some unique challenges of writing a series?

Writing a series has advantages and challenges. In the Scary Shivers Mystery series, there are three main characters. They each have their own strengths and weaknesses. So, when I start to write another book in the series, I already know how the main characters will interact with each other.

One of the most rewarding challenges is the continuous development of these characters, making them fresh, fun, and interesting. I try to build on their strengths and allow them to grow with each book, a process that I hope keeps readers engaged and invested in the series.

Another challenge is finding different mysteries to solve and other twists and turns. While the books are part of a series, I strive to make sure each stands on its own and can be read and enjoyed in any order.

According to your Scary Shivers Mystery website, you've traveled to 54 countries and visited all 50 states. Are any of your stories inspired by your travel, and if so, please share. 

While I can’t point to a specific story inspired by my travels, I am happy that you asked this question. Travel opens up my imagination to the magical world out there. Seeing castles and mist-covered forests and learning about local scary legends has shown me that the unbelievable is possible.

Reading is very much like travel. The more one reads, the more they open their horizons. It doesn’t matter what you read. Reading increases your knowledge, experience, and thought processes. I write these books to show children that reading can be fun. There are many benefits to having children reading more.

What is something you hope your readers will take away from your book? 

I hope that readers, particularly children readers, will take away from my book that it was a fun read. The National Literary Trust finds that less than half (43%) of children between 8-18 enjoy reading in their free time. Many children only read by assignment. If children enjoy reading my book, I hope they are encouraged to read another book. I want children to read more.

What are your marketing plans for the book and where can we find it? 

I will be promoting it on my websites FPLaRue.com and ScaryShivers.com, and on my Facebook page F.P. LaRue.

With this being the second book in the Scary Shivers Mystery series, and with the first book, The Weeping House, winning First Place for Juvenile Mysteries and Juvenile Fantasy & Magic in the Spring 2024 BookFest Awards, I am hoping that I will get some opportunities for some interviews in media or podcasts. 

I also participate in craft shows in Southeast Michigan.

 What's next for you?

The third book in the Scary Shivers Mystery series, The Legend of the Serpent Witch, will be released in September 2024. And I am currently working on the fourth book in the series. It should be released in 2025. All of the books are being published by Mascot Books.

More about the book . . . 

A hiker vanishes in Shadow Park. Ollie and his two best friends, Mellie and Scotty, strive to find out what happened to him. As they search for the missing hiker, they must enter the Forbidden Zone of the park. Legend has it that the notorious Captain Jacques LaMal and his vicious crew of pirates buried gold treasure there.  

As they venture deeper into the Forbidden Zone, the three friends find themselves in a series of harrowing encounters. They come face to face with restless spirits, cunning thieves, and horrifying creatures. The air is thick with tension as dark forces, sworn to protect the cursed gold at all costs, close in on them. Together, they must conquer their fears as they confront evil, dark magic, and other terrifying surprises.

Will Ollie, Mellie, and Scotty solve the mystery of the missing hiker and uncover the truth about the curse of Shadow Park?

Publisher: Mascot Books

More about the author . . .  

F.P. LaRue is the award-winning author of the Scary Shivers Mystery series. The Weeping House won First Place Awards for Best Juvenile Mysteries and Best Juvenile Fantasy & Magic. The Curse of Shadow Park will launch on July 9, 2024, and The Legend of the Serpent Witch is scheduled to be released in September 2024.  

These adventure mysteries are written for middle-grade children and are designed to show them that reading is fun! F.P. is a member of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators.  

Before writing children’s books, F.P.’s career was in education. She progressed from being a teacher to the dean of academic affairs for a small Michigan college. When not writing, F.P. loves to travel, having visited all fifty states and fifty-four countries worldwide. F.P. hopes her stories inspire children to discover the wondrous adventures reading can bring―no matter their age. 

https://www.fplarue.com/ 

https://www.scaryshivers.com/ 

Facebook 

 

 

Book Birthday Blog With Wendy BooydeGraaff

 

Welcome to SCBWI-MI's Book Birthday Blog!

Where we celebrate new books from Michigan's authors, illustrators and translators.

 

Congratulations to Wendy BooydeGraaff on the release of The Haunted States of America

 

You are a contributing author to the book. Tell us about the submission process for the anthology.

SCBWI put out a call for submissions for a middle grade anthology of spooky stories, one from each state in the United States, to be published in collaboration with Henry Holt/Godwin Books. This sounded fun to me—I love both horror and middle grade, and the idea of putting them together—well, I got to work. I wrote, revised, brought the story to my critique group, revised again, had a few more readers look at it, and then I submitted it.
 
I tried to forget about it. I worked on other things. A year and two months passed before I received the email informing me that my story was chosen to represent Michigan.   

What was the inspiration for your story? 

First, I remember hearing about The Bermuda Triangle as a child, and being completely entranced with the idea of a mysterious place where ships and planes disappear.
 
Michigan, too, has such a place. The Michigan Triangle is found over the deepest part of Lake Michigan where all sorts of spooky happenings have taken place since the 1800s. Ships have vanished, blocks of ice have fallen from the sky, a flight over the lake disappeared—all without wreckage or evidence. Not until recently have aerial photos and deep-sea dives provided proof of over 1500 shipwrecks in Lake Michigan. I wanted to write about that.
 
Second, I had gone with my family on a vacation to Ludington, where we visited Big Sable Point Lighthouse, which is said to be haunted by one of its keepers. I knew the story had to be rooted in a specific place and time, and I decided on a summer vacation in Ludington.
 
Third, I loved Choose Your Own Adventure books as a child, and had been thinking about writing in that style. So the story came to me in second person. I had a lot of fun with it! 

Salad Pie, a picture book, was your first published book. You also write short fiction, poetry, and creative non-fiction which has been published in magazines and literary journals. Tell us more about your creative process and if you have a favorite genre.

My creative process is messy! Also, moody. When I sit down to write, I usually have a form in mind, based on the character or setting I intend to explore. I get down whatever it is, fairly quickly. The longer I write, the messier it is, and by that I mean, it’s filled with fragments and placeholder words and dashes. I usually do my first drafts on my laptop.
 
I try to stay with one project long enough so I can see its final shape in my mind’s eye, because when I pick it up again, I want to remember what I was trying to do initially, while also letting it sit for long enough so that I can revise clearly. The first drafts are a haze, while my revision process is honed and precise.
 
I really love poetry, fiction, nonfiction, each of them in their own way, and I read widely. If you really pressed me, I’d say fiction is where I’m most at home, with the short story form being one of my favourite spaces to spend time. But I can’t live in one literary world; I crave all of it.

What are your marketing plans for the book and where can we find it?

Because anthologies have more than one author, events usually have a few contributors. There will be several events around the country, and I am in the process of organizing a few bookstore and panel events with contributors in adjacent states. I’ll be joining Shanna Heath, who wrote the Ohio story, in Kalamazoo’s Book Bug on July 9. You can follow @mackidsbooks on Twitter, Instagram, and/or TikTok, and you can check the news and events sections of my website where I post any signings, panels, or readings. We’ve begun a Spotify playlist for the book too.

What's next for you?

I have a few poems coming out in literary journals, and I’m collaborating on a middle grade project with a fellow writer and friend. The Haunted States of America will be out July 9, 2024, but it's available for preorder now!

More about the book . . .

From the publisher: Fifty two different stories. Fifty two different Authors. Endless fright for all ages.

Every state has an urban legend that evokes fear and curiosity in equal parts, and we've chronicled all of these logic-defying horrors here in The Haunted States of America anthology.

From the Jersey Devil to La Llorona, each story included introduces a new chill inducing, stomach churning monster, spectre, or poltergeist certain to keep you up at night. A broad ranging collection of authors, including seasoned veterans and some first timers making a fright-tastic debut, have all united to unearth the scariest lore from each state in the US, as well as D.C. and Puerto Rico. Make sure to strap in for this spooky cross country tour, but be extra careful not to let any of these terrors follow you home. 

Publisher: Godwin Books/Henry Holt

More about the author . . .

Wendy BooydeGraaff is the author of Salad Pie (Chicago Review Press/Ripple Grove Press, 2016), and her middle grade short story will be included in the upcoming SCBWI-edited anthology The Haunted States of America (Henry Holt, 2024). Her short fiction, poems, and essays have been included in Crow Toes Quarterly (a middle grade magazine), Phoebe, The Worcester Review, the Not Very Quiet anthology (Recent Work Press), and the Under Her Eye anthology (Black Spot Books). She is the SCBWI-Michigan Critique Carousel Coordinator for 2024.

@BooyTweets

https://www.wendybooydegraaff.com/ 

 

 

Introducing the Critique Carousel Agents and Editors: Katie Heit by Wendy BooydeGraaff

The Critique Carousel will be back this fall for another spin! To prepare our SCBWI-MI members for this fun, asynchronous, virtual event, we are giving a sneak-peek into the faculty for the event. These ten professionals will be profiled, one at a time, for you to research, learn, and find out as much as possible before registration.

What is the Critique Carousel, you ask?

And here’s the answer:

The Critique Carousel is a virtual SCBWI-MI event for members to receive a written* critique from an acquiring agent or editor. Participants will select a kidlit agent or editor that represents their genre (science fiction, fantasy, etc.) or age category (picture books, middle grade, young adult). Agents will have a month to read submissions and provide the critique on our standard SCBWI Gold Form. 

 

After the event and after revising their work, participants will have the opportunity to submit to their critiquing agent/editor for a period of six months. This does not guarantee representation or acquisition, but presents another opportunity.

 

*written critique—stay tuned! Most faculty will be providing written critiques. But this year, there will be ONE agent who does things a little differently. You’ll have to wait to find out who!

 

Dates: Registration will open September 17, 2024, and will close October 1, 2024. Manuscripts and portfolios will be due at midnight on October 1, 2024.

 

Information on past Critique Carousels can be found here and here. Updated information and the registration website will be posted when we have it. And, this year, we will have a stellar lineup of faculty.

So far, we've introduced Sarah Proudman, agent at Galt & Zacker, Jennifer Thompson, Associate Editor at Scholastic, and Laura Gruszka, junior agent at Writers House.

Today, we introduce our FOURTH critique faculty member. . . Drumroll. . .

 

Katie Heit!

Katie Heit is a senior editor at Scholastic working on picture books and early readers. She primarily edits nonfiction, with select fiction titles. She works with many amazing authors, including Charles R. Smith Jr., Dean Robbins, Adriana Hernández Bergstrom, Jyoti Rajan Gopal, and Nell Cross Beckerman. She is drawn to books that approach nonfiction in a kid-friendly way, and is especially on the lookout for nature and STEAM topics.

For the 2024 Critique Carousel, Katie will be critiquing: 

•  Picture book fiction
• Picture book nonfiction
• Picture book dummy

To get to know Katie Heit’s wishlist better, check out this interview, and to see some of the books she’s edited, look on her Twitter feed. Look up the authors mentioned in her bio above and find out what books they’ve published. Read them!

But wait! There’s more!

Katie has generously donated one critique to be offered to a picture book creator from a demographic, experience, or community who has been historically mis- or under-represented in publishing.*

This scholarship is open now, via this form!

The rules:

• You must be a picture book creator with a work-in-progress, either a manuscript of fiction, nonfiction, or a picture book dummy
• You must be a SCBWI-MI member. If you aren’t, now is a good time to join
• You can enter only once
• Entry ends on Thursday, September 12 at 7PM EDT

 

One scholarship will be awarded via email to the lucky picture book creator, and directions about how to upload your materials will be given then.

But, we are all winners with this wonderful opportunity to have Katie on our faculty. Thank you, Katie! And thank you, SCBWI-Michigan members for your creativity, your imagination, and your persistence on this writing journey.

*We recognize all diverse experiences, including (but not limited to) LGBTQIA, Native, people of color, gender diversity, people with disabilities, and ethnic, cultural, and religious minorities. We subscribe to a broad definition of disability, which includes but is not limited to physical, sensory, cognitive, intellectual, or developmental disabilities, chronic conditions, and mental illnesses (this may also include addiction). Furthermore, we subscribe to a social model of disability, which presents disability as created by barriers in the social environment, due to lack of equal access, stereotyping, and other forms of marginalization (with thanks to We Need Diverse Books for the language used here).

 

  

Wendy BooydeGraaff is the Critique Carousel Coordinator for 2024. She is the author of a  picture book, Salad Pie (Ripple Grove Press/Chicago Review Press), and the Michigan story contributor in the forthcoming Haunted States of America anthology, out July 9, 2024 (Godwin Books, pre-order here!). She also writes poetry, short fiction, and creative nonfiction for adults. Find out more at wendybooydegraaff.com 

 

  

Book Birthday Blog with Caroline Kerfoot

 

Welcome to SCBWI-MI's Book Birthday Blog!

Where we celebrate new books from Michigan's authors, illustrators and translators.

 

Congratulations to Caroline Kerfoot on the release of Who's This?!

 

This is your third Adventures of Fox book. Does Fox have a new adventure? Tell us about the inspiration for this book.

Fox does have a new adventure – one that involves accepting the arrival of a little brother! It was first inspired when we adopted another dog and my husband and I were observing how the two interacted. I realized that many households must experience the same when learning how to adjust to living with a new family member. I think the story could be a great tool for starting a conversation with a parent, grandparent, or caretaker about how a child feels when the family unit changes. 

What are the challenges when creating a series? 

For me, the main challenge with creating a series is maintaining consistency within the writing and illustration over several years. On the flip side, the beauty of creating a series is the ability to have recurring characters, which allows the reader to become very familiar with each one. I love that each character from the core friend group (Fox included!) can have good and not-so-good days. It’s my subtle way of showing children that no one is perfect, we all make mistakes, and that’s okay.  

You've written and illustrated your books. What is your favorite part of the creative process? 

I have two favorite parts! The first is the initial spark of the story idea – my writing process is strange, the idea comes and I let it simmer in my mind for about half a year before I sit down to write. The second is when I’m in a creative flow – I can get so focused while drawing that I completely lose track of what’s happening around me. Interestingly, this can happen whether drawing in busy public spaces or the comfort of my home with two sleepy dogs around me. My husband refers to this as my “imagination station” and I can attest that it’s a wonderful place to be.  

What are your marketing plans for the book and where can we find it? 

I’m happy that you’ve brought up marketing! Does anyone else feel like marketing their books on social media can be likened to Sisyphus rolling a huge boulder up a hill and tumbling back down again? Though maddening, I still do it and you can find Adventures of Fox on Instagram and Facebook under the handle @adventuresoffoxbooks. On Saturday, July 13th, Inscribe Books in Clarkston graciously offered to launch Who’s This?! in-store! If you’re reading this, please stop by, support a great indie shop, and say hello! I’ll also have all three books showing at the annual Detroit BookFest on July 21st, held in Eastern Market.

As far as availability, I am super humbled to have Michigan independent bookshops such as Inscribe Books, Coreander’s Bookshoppe, Schuler’s Books, and Brilliant Books offering the Adventures of Fox series in-person, and they can be purchased online via my website at https://www.adventuresoffox.com/.

What's next for you? 

Besides working on an Adventures of Fox activity book and taking on illustration projects for corporate clients, I am currently dreaming up a story for 7-10 year-old, horse-obsessed kids! It will be a departure from the Adventures of Fox series (it won’t rhyme and the drawings will all be black and white) but an extremely fun one for me to work on. I was one of those horse-obsessed little girls and diving back into that world, doing research, and even buying a new pair of leather paddock boots, has evoked so many wonderful childhood memories! Once the horse story is complete, I’ll be dedicated to working on the fourth Adventures of Fox book which will be released in 2025. 

More about the book . . . 

Fox the dog is surprised when her people bring home a new little dog named Mick. He steals the show with his dance moves and impressive tricks, garnering all of the attention of her friends. Feeling no longer important, Fox impulsively decides to run away and live with a family of bunnies. They allow her to stay, share their carrot cake, and set up a place for her to sleep. Tired from the day’s events, Fox decides to have a nap and upon waking, her new brother Mick and all her friends have found where she is. Mick reassures how special and loved she is, and they return home as a happy family.

Publisher: Self

ISBN 979-8-9862180-5-2

 

More about the author . . . 

It has been said that Caroline Kerfoot began drawing before she could talk – and this passion for creating has continued throughout her life. She holds a BFA from the Maryland Institute College of Art and an MSc in Management from the Universidade Catolica Portuguesa. Many of her stories are inspired by her adventures while studying and working as a creative professional in the United States, England, Austria, Germany, and Portugal. 

 

 

New changes hope to supercharge our SCBWI-MI shop talk format:

We are making a few changes to our shoptalk format in hopes of adding a pool of resources that the coordinators can pull from each month.

My previous years of volunteering has made me well aware of how much thought goes into creating valuable shoptalk content month after month. I recently sent out a survey to the coordinators. I wanted to get a feel for where we are now, where we are headed and what could be helpful. These two changes were born out of the responses that I received.

The first idea was for each of our six shop talks to provide us with one regional zoom each year. We will do this on even months. (now presentations for half the year are covered).

The second idea was to provide a pool of willing presenters. We all know the value of testing out our conference presentation ideas at a shoptalk. Jodi created a sign-up form for interested presenters. We hope to learn who would be interested, their topic of choice and which shoptalk they would like to present to. We’re loosely shooting for every other month kind of vibe (when possible) alternating from regional zoom to in person (as there are advantages to both).

Please see the below sign-up form to volunteer as a presenter to your local shoptalk.

FYI: The new regional zoom will start with a KAST shoptalk in the first week of October 2024.

The SCBWI-MI gets its strength from its members. We volunteer our time and expertise for the good of all. Yes, your local shoptalk needs you.


Respectfully,

David Stricklen
SCBWI-MI Shoptalk Liaison (overlord haha)