FALLING LEAVES 2009: PICTURE BOOKS MASTER CLASS

Nov 13-15, 2009 >>>
Our second annual master class was held at Silver Bay on Lake George. Our focus this year was on picture books. Look to the right for pictures.

Conferences and Events

Conferences and other events are posted below. Also feel free to view information and pictures from previous conferences and events (also below).

Falling Leaves 2009: Picture Books Master Class (Silver Bay, NY) -- November 13-15, 2009

The SCBWI Eastern NY chapter offered a successful Falling Leaves Master Class Retreat held at the beautiful Silver Bay on Lake George in New York. This year's theme was picture books!

We had five wonderful editors: Alexandra Cooper from Simon & Schuster; Ruta Rimas from Balzar & Bray (Harper Collins); Liz Waniewski from Dial Books for Young Readers; Erica Zappy from Houghton Mifflin Books for Children; and Rotem Moscovich from Cartwheel/Scholastic.

Each participant received a one-on-one 25-minute critique from one of these editors. In addition, each editor provided a hands-on workshop and writing exercises in the evenings.

After a wine and cheese reception and dinner on Friday, we enjoyed workshops by Alexandra (What is a Picture Book?) and Ruta (What Makes a Book Great?). On Saturday evening, Rotem and Erica gave a show-and-tell presentation on Picture Book Aesthetics, which captured the attention of all. Liz dove into the business side of things with her presentation. And since the weather didn't cooperate for our bonfire, we stayed in Watson around the fireplace for cocoa and cookies!

We sat down in groups without the editors on Saturday morning for group critiques with fellow writers. And we finished out the weekend with a round-table discussion led by the editors Sunday morning.

Mid-Hudson Valley Conference (Poughkeepsie, NY) -- June 13, 2009

Children's Books, Note by Note

The SCBWI Eastern NY chapter is pleased to announce that its 13th annual Mid-Hudson Valley Conference will be held on Saturday, June 13, 2009 from 8:00am to 4:00pm in Poughkeepsie, New York.

Registration is now closed. Thank you to all who registered!

FACULTY:
We are overjoyed with the diversity of our participants this year! We look forward to welcoming our faculty: Eleni Beja, an editor with Holiday House Books for Young People; Lisa Graff, associate editor with Farrar, Straus and Giroux Books for Young Readers; award-winning author, Alan Katz; award-winning author, Elizabeth Cody Kimmel; Laurent Linn, art director with Simon & Schuster Books For Young Readers; Newbery Medal-winning author, Linda Sue Park; and artist and writer, Kyra Teis.

Our additional critique staff includes: Tracy Marchini, an agent's assistant at Curtis Brown, Ltd.; Alexandra Penfold, associate editor with Paula Wiseman Books at Simon & Schuster Books For Young Readers; and Meredith Mundy Wasinger, senior editor with Sterling Publishing.

For more information about our faculty and the sessions they will be presenting, please view the brochure (PDF).

For questions not answered by the brochure and registration form, please contact Karen Orloff at (845) 896-8038 or e-mail Val Marchini at valmarch@optonline.net.

Falling Leaves: A Novel-Writing Master Class (Silver Bay, NY) -- November 21-23, 2008

The SCBWI Eastern NY chapter is excited to report on the success of its first Novel-Writing Master Class, a weekend of writing and inspiration with both authors and editors held in beautiful Silver Bay on Lake George in New York. Please see pictures below!

We had 35 people attend and a waiting list. Participants were selected based on their 20-page manuscript submissions.

We had five wonderful editors: Alexandra Penfold of Paula Wiseman, Jennifer Yoon of Candlewick, Sarah Shumway of Harper, Elizabeth Law of Egmont, and Caroline Abbey of Bloomsbury. Each participant received a one-on-one 25-minute critique from one of these editors. And each editor provided a hands-on workshop and writing exercises in the evenings.

After dinner on Friday, we had a workshop on Building Character with Alexandra and Jennifer. On Saturday evening, Elizabeth provided a First 2 Page critique session for half of the group, while the other half enjoyed an exercise on Voice with Caroline and a Pitch and Package session with Alexandra.

We sat down in groups without the editors on Saturday morning for group critiques with fellow writers, and we finished out the weekend with a round-table discussion with the editors Sunday morning.

Feedback from Attendees

"The weekend was awe inspiring. My novel had a real ah-ha moment. I'd do it again in a heartbeat." ---Syrl Kazlo

"I am so glad to be a SCBWI member and was doubly honored to attend this special weekend. My critique group floored me with the quality and variety of their writings. I will never forget Saturday morning's critique session. The hours flew by and we left so charged, it did feel 'magical.' I was amazed at the quality of the writing I heard read out loud by each writer. I am usually a nervous public speaker, but I wasn't that morning. The editors were so informative, approachable, and nice to talk with. I enjoyed their sessions and learned a lot about publishing and our craft. All of my time spent at Lake George felt special. The memories created at Silver Bay will always be cherished by this writer." ---Laurie Treacy