Serious about improving your craft? SCBWI's regional events provide opportunities for professional growth and help you connect with a supportive, creative community.
Sat Dec 7, 11:00am-1:00pm at Sheridan Library, Thersa Dando Meeting Room, 3425 W. Oxford Ave, Denver We are so lucky to have author/illustrator and Co-leader of our Rocky Mountain SCBWI region, Stan Yan, to teach us about the illustration program Procreate (as requested by some of our members). Even authors can benefit from knowing some of what goes into crafting illustrations using this popular tool. Bring your questions! During the second half of our Connect, bring a work-in-progress to critique. For critiques, bring six-eight copies of a PB manuscript; the first five pages of a longer work, a query letter, illustrations, or similar. If you'd like, bring a festive snack to contribute to our holiday lunch, but come either way. RSVP: Please use this form to RSVP (may need to cut and paste link): https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdYaxtsT2XGxh4E2iErDe3m2vY-uUWBplD4CqgaujFQmZ06vw/viewform Contact Stacey Simmons or Jenny Crooks-Johnson at rmcdsouthconnect@gmail.com with any questions or concerns.
Sun Dec 8, 1:30-4:30pm at Fire Station 19 (on Research, between Lexington and Chapel Hills) Join us for an informal get together celebrating the holidays and all we've accomplished this year. We'll play games, eat food, and have a book exchange. Bring an appetizer, drink, or goodie to share and an in-good-condition book for the exchange. (Book does not have to be new.)
December 11, 5:30–7:00pm This month, we’ll continue our discussion of queries/pitches/synopses and then share strategies to stay connected to our muse when holidays disrupt our creative work routine. Come prepared with your revised query/pitch and ways you’ve tried to keep your creativity flowing through past holidays (even if they didn’t work). Let’s also set goals to help us get the new year off to a good start. Contact karenlee at rmcwyconnect@gmail.com for more information or for the Zoom link if you are not on the WY list.
Wed Jan 8, 6:30-8pm, location TBD with Zoom option Writing an effective synopsis is an essential skill for writers who submit their work to publishers. Join Lisa Kaniut Cobb, author of The Netahs YA fantasy series, to learn to craft synopses from elevator pitches to 500-word descriptions. We’ll also review submission guidelines and work together to make your synopsis fit the guidelines and get your writing noticed. Please bring a summary of your WIP. Questions: Contact the YA team at kdmwriter@gmail.com. RSVP form coming soon!
Saturday, January 11, 2025, 1:30pm at the Denver Art Museum. Join fellow RMC Illustrators for a visit to the Wild Things: The Art of Maurice Sendak exhibition at the Denver Art Museum. No RSVP needed, but tickets are required, even for museum members. Many time slots have already sold out and you may want to purchase in advance. Learn more here: https://www.denverartmuseum.org/en/blog/plan-your-visit-wild-things-art-maurice-sendak .
Sunday, January 12, 1:30-4:30pm at Fire Station 19 (on Research, between Lexington and Chapel Hills). Ready for a new year of storytelling? Join us for an inspiring session designed to get your creative juices flowing. Remaining Time: Critiques, if interested--bring 5-8 copies of your work in progress (up to 5 pages or 1500 words) to share.
Monday, January 20, 2025, 6:00-8:00pm. The Zoom Link will be shared in reminder emails in January. Learn how easy it can be for writers and illustrators to use Canva to create graphics for marketing, social media, flyers, etc. Presenter Michelle Schaub will walk us through the basics of using the free version of Canva to design visually appealing materials, even motion graphics! Contact: Julie Rowan-Zoch (jrzoch at gmail dot com) - no RSVP necessary, but please email if you are not already on the NoCo list.
Thursday, January 23, 2025, 6:30-7:30pm. Query letters are the intersection of creativity and professionalism, and a necessity for those creatives who wish to publish traditionally. Join Roxanne Troup to learn how to write a great query letter and what it takes to stand out from the crowd. It's easier than you think! RSVP for the Zoom link: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdyXUAtq0t5Ak6W1ojHA3cUwC6-c8jhyhhoX-rsgtkpLViB-A/viewform. Everyone who RSVPs will receive an email with the link the week of the event. Email Laura Perdew (at LMPerdew at gmail dot com) with any questions.
Saturday, January 25, 11:00am-1:00pm at Southglenn Library, Rooms A & B, 6972 S Vine Street, Centennial, CO. Denver South Connect member Nina Snyder will give a presentation on unreliable narrators: From picture books through young adult novels, unreliable narrators can offer a unique twist on traditional narratives. Although it can be tricky, the technique can draw in readers and keep them guessing until the last page. Questions: Contact the Denver South Connect team (Jenny Johnson and Stacey Simmons) at rmcdsouthconnect@gmail.com. RSVP: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeLDaHEufHJv2Pnzyg24KtKC4heiPKfbfuYQ0NijyOqvcu5dw/viewform
Monday, January 27, 8:00am, live on ZOOM. Have you ever wondered what the criteria for the Newbery Award is? Or what librarians really think of the books that are chosen? Join Mary Kuehner, RMC-SCBWI member and early literacy librarian, as well as other librarian friends and your fellow authors and illustrators to watch the award announcements LIVE on Zoom as they happen. As the awards are announced, we'll be chatting about our favorites, cheering for the winners, and generally feeling the kidlit and library joy. Join us prior to the announcements, which begin at 8:45, to learn a little about how the awards process works (at least the stuff we can tell you), what might happen during deliberations, and how the awards criteria can differ - from librarians who have been part of the process! Registration details TBA.
Saturday, February 8, 2025, 10:00am-12:00pm. Topic: We will be sharing our writing and illustrating goals for 2025 and ways we stay motivated throughout the year. Remaining time will be for critiques: Please submit up to 650 words of a ms, query, pitch, etc. to wendisilvano at gmail dot com if you are interested. First submitted will be first critiqued until time is up. Zoom link will be sent to those who RSVP a few days prior. Any questions and to RSVP, contact Wendi at the email above.