The 2008
SCBWI Oregon Annual Retreat
presented by
the Oregon Chapter of the
Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators
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October 9-12, 2008
at the Silver Falls Conference Center, Sublimity, Oregon (near Salem)
illustration by Carolyn Conahan
BROCHURES WILL BE MAILED AUGUST 15, 2008
Join us for our yearly retreat where you can energize, network,
write, draw, learn, grow, laugh, sing, and of course, take naps. The
fee includes double occupancy rooms with linens provided and more
food than you can devour, along with mind-tingling presentations and
workshops from experienced and talented speakers. Individual critiques will be available on a limited basis.
Special Guests for 2008: Janet Lee Carey, author; Dawn Prochovnic, author;Leanna Petronella, associate editor, Holiday House; Julie Romeis, editor, Chronicle Books; Barbara Seuling, author
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REGISTRATION
For a complete brochure/registration, please email your POSTAL ADDRESS to robink (at) scbwior.com. IF YOU ARE A CURRENT OREGON or SOUTHERN WASHINGTON MEMBER OF SCBWI OR A SUBSCRIBER TO SCBWI OREGON, YOU WILL RECEIVE A REGISTRATION FOR THIS EVENT.
Registrations will be mailed on August 15; there are no online registrations. Please note that we do not keep previous years' mailing lists.
COST
Early Bird Rate (before September 9) is $325 for SCBWI Members ; after September 9 the fee is $345.
Fee includes all workshops and presentations, plus double room and 3 meals a day (no private rooms available, and no campers or commuters, sorry).
LOCATION
Silver Falls State Park (and conference center) is nestled in the foothills of the Cascades, near Sublimity, Oregon, about 60 miles southeast of Portland. Click here for directions, or visit the main Silver Falls web page for snapshots and descriptions of the facilities.
THE REST
The SCBWI Oregon Retreat is friendly, relaxed, and invigorating. Your room which you may be sharing with a complete stranger is equipped with two single beds, a closet, and one little desk, but the living rooms in the lodges have tables and chairs. There are two restroom facilities in each of the four lodges, and the lodges hold 12 people in each, plus we have a couple of 3-bed cabins available. 3 meals a day are served in the cafeteria and you are guaranteed to overeat. There are well maintained hiking trails around the conference center to work off those calories and enjoy the
setting. YOU MUST BE AT LEAST 21 YEARS OF AGE TO ATTEND THIS EVENT.
The 2008 Agenda
(subject to last minute changes)
THURSDAY, October 9
3-4:30 p.m. Check-in (cash is okay, too, but no credit cards) at the Meeting Hall.
5:30 p.m. Supper in the Dining Hall
7:00 p.m. Say Hello to our Guest Speakers, then Meet and Greet with Debby “Ziggy” Zigenis-Lowery
FRIDAY, October 10
8:00 a.m. Breakfast with New Friends!
9:00 a.m. Morning announcements
9:15-10 a.m. Mini Book Launch (you must pre-register and have books for sale)
10-11:30 a.m. Jane Lee Carey, author Story CPR: How to Revive a Failing Story Have you tried again and again to revive a story? Feel like giving up and stuffing it in your sock drawer? Wait, it’s not too late. Learn how to resuscitate your fiction using Story CPR (Character Plot Renewal). Bring your manuscript and your questions and let’s get started. (Novels for Middle Grades, Tweens and Young Adults).
11:30 a.m. Retreat time (work, relax, take a walk with a new friend, it’s up to you!)
12:00 noon Lunch and booksales
1:00 p.m. Julie Romeis, editor: Pt. 1: Picture Books Rule Every editor will tell you that there are specific rules you must follow to sell your picture book to a publisher: don’t rhyme, don’t try to teach a lesson, and never, ever write a story about a kid who won’t eat his vegetables. But why do we have these rules? And more importantly, when can you break them? This workshop will help writers to better understand what editors are looking for, and what they can do to improve both their storytelling and their chances at getting published.
Pt. II: We See Things Differently: An Introduction to Chronicle Books Not only is Chronicle Books one of the only major publishing houses based on the west coast, but we also embody a unique philosophy and approach to publishing. Get an inside look at how Chronicle functions as a publisher and what kinds of books we are looking to acquire.
3:00-5 p.m Critique Group Meetings and Individual Critiques (schedules will be posted for Fri & Sat)
3:00-5 p.m. Critique Group Meeting with Barbara Seuling (limited enrollment, pre-registration required)
5:30 p.m. Supper with friends
7-8:30 p.m. Open Mike/MIC (sign up in advance and please, limit your time to 5 minutes)
SATURDAY, October 11
8:00 a.m. Breakfast with old friends!
9:00 a.m. Morning Announcements
9:15-10 a.m. Portfolio Presentation (illustrators - show off your stuff!)
10-11:30 a.m. Barbara Seuling, author: Promises, Promises How is an opening sentence like a promise? The opening lines of a book can be a powerful suggestion to the reader that there is something ahead that will interest him. It could be a question raised, an interesting voice, something dramatic, like a challenge, or a surprise, or a piece of information that whets the reader’s interest. We’ll talk about how you, as an author, can deal with the promises you make. Bring opening lines of your own or published works to use for discussion.
11:30 a.m. Retreat time
12:00 noon Lunch and booksales
1:00 p.m. Leanna Petronella, editor: Writing Your YA Novel Every year there is a new slew of best-selling YA novels that find large audiences and win rave reviews. Why are these books special? What elements make these novels true standouts? Conversely, what are the writerly tics that can sentence a YA manuscript to repeated rejection? Attend this session to tease apart what makes a great YA novel work and what routes to avoid when crafting your own YA novel.
3-4:00 p.m. Illustrator Networking Session with Robin Koontz
3-5:00 p.m Critique Group Meetings and Individual Critiques
3-5:00 p.m. Critique Group Meeting with Barbara Seuling (limited enrollment, pre-registration required)
5:30 p.m. Supper with friends
7-8:30 p.m. OPENMIKE/MIC:(sign up in advance and please, limit your time to 5 minutes)
SUNDAY October 12
8:00 a.m. Breakfast
9:00 a.m. Dawn Prochovnic, author: Shake It Up, Baby! A dynamic critique group can be a source of encouragement and support, and it can help you take your writing to the next level. But how do you keep your critique group (or your individual critique process, for that matter) from falling into a rut and growing stale? This session will explore best practices for staying fresh and maintaining high group productivity over time. Gain insights from veteran critique group members, and share some ideas of your own!
11:00 a.m. Check-out time (by noon, please)
12:00 noon Lunch, evaluations, and fond farewells, sob!
CRITIQUE GROUP MEETINGS: Facilitated critique groups will be formed at the retreat to meet in the afternoons from 3-5. Bring part of a manuscript to share (7-8 copies), and be ready to make long-lasting and very valuable friendships. A copier is available on the premises on Thursday and Friday only.
Our Faculty
Janet Lee Carey’s award winning novels are translated into many languages. She tours the US and abroad, teaches novel writing, and presents at conferences and schools. Most recent books: Dragon’s Keep -ALA Best Books for the Teen Age, Booklist and School Library Journal starred reviews. The Beast of Noor -Nominated Edgar Award, BookSense Choice, Wenny Has Wings- Mark Twain Award 2005, Sony Feature Film, Japan 2008. Janet is currently writing three new novels under contract. She is a founding member of the groundbreaking online book community, readergirlz - www.readergirlz.com. See more about Janet and her books www.janetleecarey.com.
Dawn Prochovnic is the author of the forthcoming picture book series, The Sign Language Story Collection, and the founder of SmallTalk Learning, specializing in sign language workshops for hearing kids and their grown-ups. Dawn loves to teach almost as much as she loves to write, and her workshops have been featured on AM Northwest, MORE Good Day Oregon, and KGW News Channel 8. As the mother of two young children, Dawn carves out creative time in between slumber parties and soccer games. She credits her critique group for keeping her on task when it would be easier to procrastinate! Find out more at www.SmallTalkLearning.com.
Leanna Petronella is Associate Editor at Holiday House. Some of her upcoming titles include My Darlin’ Clementine by Kristiana Gregory and Celia’s Robot by Margaret Chang. Before working at Holiday House, she was an Assistant Editor at Abbeville Press.
Julie Romeis is an Editor at Chronicle Books, where she is developing middle grade and young adult fiction as well as picture books, chapter books, and exciting new formats. Julie began her career at Bloomsbury Children’s Books as one of three women who launched the U.S. children’s division in 2001. There she worked on books for all ages, editing titles such as Chicks and Salsa, Ophelia, and The Extraordinary Adventures of Alfred Kropp, which has been published in several countries around the world and been optioned for film. Julie is especially committed to nurturing and developing new and undiscovered talent.
Barbara Seuling, the author and sometimes illustrator of more than 70 books, is a former children’s book editor. Her books range from picture books like Winter Lullaby, illustrated by Greg Newbold, and Drip! Drop! illustrated by Nancy Tobin, to a popular middle grade series about a boy named Robert, to a guide for children’s writers on How to Write a Children’s Book and Get It Published. Barbara runs the Manuscript Workshop in Vermont, writes a regular column for Once Upon a Time..., a magazine for children’s writers, and is on the board of advisors of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators. She lives in New York City and spends summers in Landgrove, Vermont. Her website is at www.barbaraseuling.com.