presented by
the Oregon Chapter of the
Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators

October 9-12, 2008
at the Silver Falls Conference Center, Sublimity, Oregon (near Salem)
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
The 2008 Agenda (subject to last minute changes) THURSDAY, October 9
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.
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, its 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.