2007 SCBWI Conference

Wow! I just returned from the 2007 SCBWI Conference in L.A., and my mind is still reeling. Four Golden Kite awards were awarded this year, to Tony Abbott, Larry Day, Russell Freedman and Walter Dean Myers. It was great to hear each of them speak about their own writing journeys and to honor their work. As always, Lin Oliver and Stephen Mooser did an incredible job with the conference. It was both informative and fun, and run so smoothly you'd think these huge things did themselves. As a mere retreat coordinator for our local SCBWI, I know that's not even close to true. It was a special treat for me to have a chance to talk to Newberry Award winner Susan Patron. She's such a gracious and talented writer, and it was great to find out that, like me, she doesn't outline her novels. Rather, she delves into it and lets the story unfold -- not without a general sense of where it's going to end up, of course. Currently, she's working on the sequel to The Higher Power of Lucky. John Green, Looking for Alaska, received four ovations after his dynamic keynote talk entitled "All Writing is Rewriting." There were wonderful sessions by author/illustrators (Peter Brown's keynote was humorous and interesting as he retraced the steps in his career, as was a keynote by editor Allyn Jonston and author/illustrator Maria Frazee on how they work together). Agents Kate Schafer and Tracey Adams did a great job of comparing two very different literary agencies, one large and one small. I also attended Kate Schafer's breakout session in which she provided indepth information and advice on an agent's role and how they can help writers. The line of people waiting to talk to her at the end of her session suggested it could have gone considerably longer. There were so many excellent speakers and sessions, it would be impossible to review them all here. One of the best perks of these conferences are the writers you meet, like two special ladies from Oklahoma, Sara McAlister and Susan Meyers (Callie and the Stepmother, a delightful chapter book) whom I hope to stay in touch with. It is SO worth attending these national conferences whenever possible. All in all, the conference was motivating, educating and uplifting, and I found myself ready to hit the keyboard again when I returned home.