Carolinas SCBWI Conference

Below are some pictures from the Carolinas conference. I had such a good time meeting some old friends, Blueboard friends, and making some new ones. I love discovering the works of authors I did not know and talking shop with other writers. Here's Donna with her new books! Right beside them are Kelly's books. She gave a fantastic talk on the history of multicultural fiction in the US. It made me realize how different the reading experience of African Americans are, compared to other people of color. I grew up in India and read plenty of Hindi stories featuring families like mine, folktales, etc. I also read a ton of British literature and tended to gravitate towards it -- Enid Blyton was my favorite author growing up. Sadly, African American children do not get to experience the depth and breadth of their own culture. Only 4% of all children's books feature a black child. Better than before, but still ... we have much work to do.

 



Below, Donna, Deana and I goof off for a minute at the agent panel. My room-mate Samatha Bell stayed up well past her bedtime, no doubt goofing off as well. We had early morning chats while I drank minty tea. She's got energy! She's a homeschooling mom of four who writes as well as illustrates. Check out her gorgeous drawings!
 



Stephanie Green talks about revision and she used Pat Schmatz's Bluefish as an example of a perfect first page. 

 

Joan Holub is one of my favorite authors (my kids' too) so it was wonderful to hear her speak about series. If you click on her website, you'll be astounded at all the covers! Which one to choose? You can't just pick one ...

Do I look as though I have a halo? Thanks to J. Ro for snapping this picture. Josh Adams presented the awards in the novel category. And I finally feel as though I'm breaking out of my non-fiction pigeon-hole with one complete YA and another nearly done.

Deana and I went to Mass at St. Vincent's Catholic Church. It really was lovely to have this respite on a busy Saturday.

Conference tidbits will follow this week as I catch up. Thank you to all the organizers for putting on a terrific 20th anniversary party! I'll be back ...

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