Writer Wednesday: 2011 SCBWI Conference & NaPiBoWriWee Wrap Up!

Writer Wednesday: 2011 SCBWI Conference & NaPiBoWriWee Wrap Up!

 

Time for another "Writer Wednesday" blog!

Hi! Welcome to WRITER WEDNESDAY. I know it’s been a few weeks but better late than never… here is my wrap up blog about the 2011 Society of Children Book Writers & Illustrators (SCBWI) national conference!

As many of you know, my life has been pretty crazy busy as I help wrap up our fifth and final season of EUREKA which airs Mondays at 8 PM on SyFy. (I’m a Producer on this show). So I had to go on a “blog vacation” this summer and haven’t had a chance to post my weekly daily-themed blogs.

Fortunately, I’m back! So for this week’s WRITER WEDNESDAY blog, I figured I would FINALLY post pictures from the annual SCBWI conference. Because of my schedule, I was not able to attend the conference. Instead, I stopped by over the weekend to see some friends and reunite with some of the wonderful writers who participated in my annual National Picture Book Writing Week (aka “NaPiBoWriWee”). (NaPiBoWriWee blog here: https://paulayoo.com/napi/ and info here: https://paulayoo.com/napi/?p=11)

For more info on SCBWI and the conference, check out these links:

http://www.scbwi.org/

http://www.scbwiconference.blogspot.com/

(Keep reading after the jump to find out more about this year’s conference!)

Below are some pictures from this year’s conference… enjoy!

Here’s picture book author and illustrator and middle grade novelist KATIE DAVIS. She’s also a fantastic book promoter who writes, blogs and tweets about the ins and outs of social media and blogging and other ways to promote your book. For more info, go here: http://katiedavis.com

SCBWI 2011 Conference: Meet Katie Davis!

I finally got a chance to meet the lovely and talented MEDEIA SHARIF in person at the conference. She is the author of the debut YA novel BESTEST. RAMADAN. EVER. (Flux 2011) and she was featured in an interview & book contest giveway on my blog. (Links here: My Q&Q with Medeia – https://paulayoo.com/blog/?p=521 and the contest results here – https://paulayoo.com/blog/?p=714) For more info, go here: http://www.medeiasharif.com/

Here's me & Medeia Sharif, YA novelist of "Bestest. Ramadan. Ever."

And of course, I ran into some SCBWI conference veterans who are also illustrators and authors and all-around awesome! Click on their names to check out their websites. (L-R): GREG PINCUS, RITA CRAYON HUANG, SARA WILSON ETIENNE, KEN MIN, me, TONY ETIENNE.

Some SCBWI conference veterans! 🙂

What I also love about the SCBWI conference is that my friends all get to meet each other. I am the Kevin Bacon of Six Degrees of Separation at SCBWI! Hahaha. 🙂 For example, I did some matchmaking and got author pals MEDEIA SHARIF, JOYCE LEE WONG, and KATIE DAVIS to bond over books, writing, and kids in the hotel lobby. 🙂 (For more info on JOYCE LEE WONG, who is the author of the wonderful SEEING EMILY YA poetry novel, check out this interview here: http://www.tinanicholscouryblog.com/2007/06/joyce_lee_wong.html)

Authors Medeia Sharif, Joyce Lee Wong, Katie Davis

I also love the SCBWI conference because I get to reunite with old pals I haven’t seen in awhile. Like RACHEL RODRIGUEZ, picture book author of BUILDING ON NATURE: THE LIFE OF ANTONI GAUDI (Henry Holt ’09) and THROUGH GEORGIA’S EYES (Henry Holt ’06). We first met on a panel at the Los Angeles Times Festival of Books several years ago and bonded over our love of writing children’s non-fiction picture books. For more info on her, go here: http://rachelrodriguezbooks.com/

Picture book author Rachel Rodriguez & moi!

There were also many parties to attend at the SCBWI conference. I ran into the hilarious and amazingly talented writer/artist DEBBIE RIDPATH OHI at the Pink Taco restaurant where many folks were gathered to network, schmooze, and bond over kid lit. I am such the illustrator groupie… I am so inspired and awed by folks like Debbie who can draw such amazing pictures. AND she writes. No fair! LOL! 🙂 Her latest book is I’M BORED, written by comedian/actor/author Michael Ian Black (Simon & Schuster ’12). For more info, check her website here: http://debbieohi.com/

Meet artist/writer Debbie Ridpath Ohi!

And here is the hilarious and incredibly sweet-hearted BEN ESCH, author of the HILARIOUS YA novel SOPHOMORE UNDERCOVER (Hyperion ’09). You must check out his website and enjoy his quirky humor, I just adore him! http://www.benjaminesch.com/

YA Novelist Ben Esch!

As always, I hang out with author/illustrator DAN SANTAT and YA/middle grade author LISA YEE at our agents’ annual Writers House agency party at the conference. See how friendly and happy they look to be at this party? LOL! 🙂 Check out their websites here: http://dantat.com and http://lisayee.com

Dan Santa and Lisa Yee!

Here is the lovely and adorable EMILY ECTON, author of three Aladdin middle grade novel series – BOOTS AND PIECES, THE CURSE OF CUDDLES MCGEE, and NIGHT OF THE LIVING LAWN ORNAMENTS. She is such a FUN writer whose prose truly sparkles and is very tween authentic. She is also a writer/producer for the NPR news quiz show, “Wait Wait… Don’t Tell Me!” Check out her equally adorable website here: http://emilyecton.com/

Emily Ecton!

I also ran into fellow “Kid Scribbler” (the name of our old writers’ group) and author/power literary agent JILL CORCORAN of The Herman Agency, and writer/blogger LEE WIND. Lee and I worked feverishly together at the SCBWI conference back in 2009 as bloggers for their official blog website here: http://www.scbwiconference.blogspot.com/ Check out Lee Wind’s blog here: http://www.leewind.org/ and Jill’s blog here: http://jillcorcoran.blogspot.com/

Jill Corcoran and Lee Wind

Here are two totally talented and terrific illustrators/authors/artists, KEN MIN and SU MOON! Check out their websites here – I am such a huge fan of their amazing art! http://www.kenminart.com/ and http://homepage.mac.com/sumoon/

Ken Min and Su Moon

Here is fellow LAYA (Los Angeles YA Author) and pal MICHAEL REISMAN. Why is he wearing such fuzzy slippers and a bathrobe? Why it was for the “40 Winks” masquerade dance ball at the conference! Michael is the author of the super cool, super fun YA science fiction series SIMON BLOOM, THE GRAVITY KEEPER. For more info on his books, check out his website here: http://michaelreisman.com/

Michael Reisman!

And as expected, New York Times bestselling YA author JAY ASHER (“Thirteen Reasons Why”/Razorbill ’07) showed up in full costume for the annual “40 Winks” masquerade dance ball. He’s infamous for wearing some of the most outrageous costumes at each themed masquerade costume ball party! He did not disappoint this year, showing up as a giant rabbit. His next book with author Carolyn Mackler, THE FUTURE OF US, comes out this November from Razorbill. For more info on the non-rabbit, check out his blog here: http://jayasher.blogspot.com/

Jay Asher

National Picture Book Writing Week - NaPiBoWriWee - 2011!

And now, here are a couple pictures of my NaPiBoWriWee 2011 Reunion! Unfortunately, the reunion did not happen as planned because everyone was swamped with this year’s conference, which was a sold out frenzy of star-studded panels and lectures. Instead, we all met individually at some point during the conference – so here’s our mini reunions with NaPiBoWriWee alumni JIM HILL, HILDE GARCIA, and JENNI BIELICKI. (Click on their names to check out their websites.)

NaPiBoWriWee Reunion with Jim Hill

NaPiBoWriWee reunion with Hilde Garcia!

NaPiBoWriWee reunion with Jenni Bielicki!

Finally, here’s the lovely SONYA SONES, picture book/YA/adult fiction author and photographer and film editor and poet. 🙂 Phew! Her latest novel is an adult fiction poetry novel called THE HUNCHBACK OF NEIMAN MARCUS (Harper ’11). I will be doing a future Q&A blog with her, so stay tuned for that. Until then, her website is here: http://www.sonyasones.com/

Sonya Sones

Finally, I have to share one pic of me below from the conference… this photo was taken by SONYA SONES, who also takes unofficial author portraits of everyone at the annual WRITERS HOUSE agency party at the conference. I think she has a magic button on her digital camera that says “No Freckles.” LOL! 🙂 Thanks Sonya for my new author portrait!

My new author portrait! By Sonya Sones!

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Hope you enjoyed this year’s SCBWI wrap up blog. Stay tuned for more WRITER WEDNESDAY blogs in the near future featuring interviews with SONYA SONES, SHEELA CHARI, and SCOTT MARTELLE! And don’t forget to check out tomorrow’s TUNA THURSDAY blog. Until then, HAPPY WRITING! WRITE LIKE YOU MEAN IT! 🙂

 

9 Responses

  1. Lee Wind says:

    Paula – so fun to see you at the conference, and what a treat to see your conference weekend highlights! Thanks for sharing, Hugs, Lee

  2. Great pictures! I’m _still_ in conference withdrawal!

  3. Katie Davis says:

    You’ve made me miss being there! I thought I’d squelched my SCBWI-sickness but now I’m just – sniff – sad again. I miss everyone!

  4. It was great to meet you and everyone else. I’m crossing my fingers that I go again next summer.

  5. Paula, so fun to see you again and get to hang out, meet some of your other peeps and students in LA! Hope to stay in touch and cheering you on in your creative projects and next book! xo

  6. Rita says:

    Wow, thanks, Paula, this wrap-up was awesome!! I just got my conference pictures up, too, and of course, you are featured! Those pictures Sonya Sones took of you are stellar, by the way. New author photo for SURE. 😀

  7. TeresaR says:

    That is a terrific new author photo of you! I especially would like to meet Emily Ecton because I LOVE Wait, Wait, Don’t Tell Me. 🙂

  8. Lisa Yee says:

    Always wonderful to see you, Paula!!!!!!! (We need to hang out together more.)

  9. Loved seeing you Paula! And FANTASTIC new photo by Sonya! XOX!!!

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