Schedule for NJSCBWI June 8th, 9th, 10th Conference

The New Jersey SCBWI Annual Summer Conference is June 8th, 9th, 10th, 2012 in Princeton New Jersey at the Wynham Hotel and Conference Center.   As in previous years, you will be allowed to register for three one-on-one critiques, but the second critique must be with one of our fabulous authors.

We are gearing up for our first year with online registration.  This will enable you to pick everything you want, including the times for critiques, pitches, and lunch tables with editors, agents.  We are shooting to open registration on January 15th (fingers crossed).  Even though this is a great opportunity to design the perfect conference for youself, it is going to take a good amount of work and consideration on your part. 

Once a critique time with a specific editor/agent is taken, that spot will disappear, so it will be important to sign up early to ensure you get everything you want.  That is why I am putting out the schedule for you to look over now. 

Tomorrow, I will list the critique times for all the editors, agents, art directors, and authors, so you will be able to start laying out your conference schedule and decide when you would like to fit in your critiques over the three days.  There are a few critiques being done on Friday after the Intensives, but before the Mix and Mingle and also a number of critiques at the end of the day on Saturday.  The advantage of grabbing one of these spots is you will not have to leave a workshop to have your critique or critiques and feel like you missed something.

This information is not listed on the New Jersey SCBWI website, because I have been so busy laying all this out.  I am hoping I will be able to get that job done by January 15th, too.  So if you read this blog you are a step ahead of people who may be watching the website.

Here is the agenda:

Friday June 8th

11:00 am – 12:30 pm  Registration  
    
12:30-4:30 INTENSIVE Workshops  – Additional Cost.

The Power of Prose  – Agent Scott Treimel 
Perfecting Your YA Voice – Executive Editor Krista Marino 
Crucial Steps to Revising Your Novel – Editorial Consultant Tamson Weston 
Picture Books:  Priming Your Idea Pump, Understanding the Market, Honing Your Writing Skills and Revising Your Manuscript. Editor Daniel Nayeri from Clarion
Pacing Your First Pages – Publisher Eileen Robinson from Move Books 
Working in Children’s Nonfiction – Editor Lionel Bender 
Writing Children’s Books 101 – Author Anita Nolan 
Yoga Inspired Writing  – Mimi Cross 
Illustrator Intensive – Art Director, Lucy Cummings 
Illustrator Intensive – Art Director, Katrina Damkoehler 
   
3:30-4:30  Registration  

4:00-5:00 First Timers Meeting with Ame Dyckman & Connie Colon

4:30-5:00  Meeting Editors/Agents/Authors 
 
5:10 – 5:25   One-on-One Critiques editors, agents &

5:30 – 5:45  One-on-One Critiques editors, agents & art directors.
5:50 – 6:05  One-on-One Critiques editors, agents & art directors.

6:10 – 6:25  One-on-One Critiques editors, agents & art directors.
    
5:10 – 5:30  Consultations  
5:30 – 6:00  Consultations  
6:00 – 6:30  Consultations  
    
7:00 – 7:30 pm  Registration  
7:30 – 9:30+  Mix and Mingle Editors/agents/overnighters – Additional Cost    
  
Saturday – June 9th

8:00 – 9:00  Registration & Breakfast Art Exhibit set-up 
8:40 – 9:00  Announcements Kathy 
9:00 – 9:55  Keynote – “SAY YES” Dan Yaccarino 
    
10:05-11:00 Workshops

Agents Panel – Agents 
Getting It out the Door: Are Your Synopsis and Cover or Query Letter Ready? – Editor, Harold Underdown & Publisher, Eileen Robinson
From Submission to Book Store Shelves – Sr. Editor, Alexandra Cooper 
Book Packagers 101 – Publisher, Lionel Bender 
Picture Books/Graphic Novels: How to Pitch and Submit Illustrated Projects – Editor Connie Hsu 
Writing Picture Books: from ideas to revisions  – Editorial Consultant – Tamson Weston 
First Page Session – Executive Editor, Krista Marino & copy editor, Susan O’Keefe
First Page Session – Editor, Karen Chaplin & Executive Director, Rebecca Frazer
First Page Session – Executive Editor, Regina Griffin & Publisher, Margery Cuyler
First Page Session – Sr. Editor, Catherine Onder & Editor, Heather Alexander
    
11:10-12:05 

VISITING BOOK FAIRS: WHY AND HOW? Publisher, Lionel Bender 
Re-Imagining Your Picture Book – Editor, Harold Underdown & Editor, Eileen Robinson
Villains/Antagonists/Anti-heroes – Agent, John Cusick 
Career Building – Agent, Scott Treimel 
An Agent Talks about Query Letters That Grab Attention – Agent, Stephen Fraser 
Photography vs. Imagination in Illustration – Amal Karzai 
Dog Gone: Insider secrets, from words and pictures to publication! Leeza Hernandez 
First Page Session – Executive Director/Editor, Rebecca Frazer & Sr. Editor, Catherine Onder
First Page Session – Executive Editor, Erin Clarke & Editor, Tamra Tuller
First Page Session – Editor, Daniel Nayeri & Editor, Karen Chaplin
    
12:05-1:15  Lunch  
    
1:20-2:15 

Wordless Picture Books  – Art Director, Lucy Cummings & Sr. Editor, Alexandra Cooper
Plot Points & Pinch Scenes: Using Screenwriting Techniques to Plot Your Novel – Laurie Calkhoven 
Pitch Critique Session – Agent, Scott Treimel & Editor, Daniel Nayeri
Pitch Critique Session – Agent, Sarah Davies & Executive Editor, Erin Clarke
Protecting Your Work; Protecting Expression; Basic Copyright Law for Writers – Sharon Sorkin-James 
Summoning the Muse: Let Poetry Add Precision & Punch to Your Picture Book Prose – Felicia Chernesky 
BOY & BOT: AN AUTHOR AND ILLUSTRATOR’S JOURNEY – Ame Dyckman & Dan Yaccarino 
First Page Session – Heather Alexander & Rebecca Frazer
First Page Session – Krista Marino & Susan O’Keefe
First Page Session – Regina Griffin & Erin Clarke
    
2:25-3:20 

Stretching, Pulling, Reshaping Fairy Tales, Legends, and Tall Tales – Kitty Griffin 
How To Create Unique Swag and Bookmarks – Charlotte Bennardo 
World Building in Fantasy – Christine Norris 
Self-Publishing: The Last Taboo in Children’s Writing – Carmen Ferreiro 
From Seed to Series: Developing a Chapter Book Series – Sudipta Bardhan-Quallen 
Use Academic Standards as a Key Mktg Tool – Jane Kirkland 
Illustrating in Clay – Helena Bogosian 
Yin & Yang of Character Development – Kami Kinard 
Poetry Power – Using Classic Poetic – Elements to Make Words Sing – Carol Murray 
Agent Pitches – 5 minutes with an agent. 
    
3:25 – 4:25  Bookfair – everyone 
    
4:30-5:25 

Good Bad Guys: Antagonists Who go Beyond the Stereotype – Meg Wiviott 
Quitting Your Day Job: Making a Living as a Freelance Writer – Laurie Calkhoven 
World Building for Genre Novels – John Cusick 
An Agent Talks about Query Letters – Stephen Fraser 
Pitch Critique Session – Agent, Sean McCarthy & Editor, Daniel Nayeri
Reading as a Writer – Ann DeForest 
Picture Books – Pacing and Story Arc – Sudipta Bardhan-Quallen 
Ins & Outs of Small-Press Publishing – Suzie Ismail 
Tension in Revision: Adding Tension to Reduce Revision Stress – Kami Kinard 
Working with Watercolors – Doris Ettlinger  

5:20 – 6:30 – Critiques
    
6:00- 7:30  Attendee Dinner  
    
7:30 – 9:30  Faculty Dinner  

7:30 – 10:30  Optional critiques groups  & illustrator critique groups
  
Sunday    

8:00 – 9:00  Breakfast Art Exhibit set-up 
9:00-9:55  State of the Children’s Market Report and Digital Opportunites – Steve Meltzer 
    
10:05-11:00 

Re-Imagining Your Picture Book – Editor, Harold Underdown & Publisher, Eileen Robinson
Career Building –  Agent, Scott Treimel 
Book Packagers 101 – Lionel Bender 
Summoning the Muse: Let Poetry Add Precision & Punch to Your Novel – Felicia Chernesky 
Stretching, Pulling, Reshaping Fairy Tales, Legends, and Tall Tales – Kitty Griffin 
Illustrators – Art Director, Katrina Damkoehler 
First Page Session – Executive Publisher, Steve Meltzer & Executive Editor, Regina Griffin
First Page Session -Executive Director, Rebecca Frazer & Sr. Editor, Tamra Tuller
First Page Session – Sr. Editor, Connie Hsu & Editor, Daniel Nayeri
First Page Session – Editor, Heather Alexander  &  Sr. Editor, Alexandra Cooper
    
11:10– 12:05  

Getting It out the Door: Are Your Synopsis and Cover or Query Letter Ready? – Harold Underdown & Eileen Robinson
Contracts and Negotiations – Agent, Sarah Davies 
VISITING BOOK FAIRS: WHY AND HOW? – Publisher, Lionel Bender 
From Seed to Series: Developing a Chapter Book Series – Sudipta Bardhan-Quallen 
Good Bad Guys: Antagonists Who go Beyond the Stereotype – Meg Wiviott 
World Building in Fantasy – Christine Norris 
Meter Maids: Sparkling Rhyme, Every Time – Corey Schwartz & Tiffany Strelitz Haber
PICTURE BOOK DUMMY ESSENTIALS – Dan Yaccarino 
Use Academic Standards as a Key Mktg Tool – Jane Kirkland 
Agents Panel – Agents 
    
12:15–1:10  

Beginnings Bonanza – Anita Nolan 
Agent Pitches – 5 minutes with an agent 
Tough Love: The Art of Critiquing – Ramsey, Brewster Wiersbitzky, Resides
Protecting Your Work; Protecting Expression; Basic Copyright Law for Writers – Sharon Sorokin-James 
How to Create Unique Swag and Bookmarks – Charlotte Bennardo 
Self-Publishing: The Last Taboo in Children’s Writing – Carmen Ferreiro-Esteban, Ph.D. 
Inner Lives: Acting Techniques that dig Deep into Character – Laurie Calkhoven 
Beyond the Book: Interactive Storybooks – Stacey Williams-Ng 
Pitch Critique Session – Agent, Holly McGhee & Publisher, Steve Meltzer
Chick Lit for Chicklets – Kami Kinard & Sudipta Bardhan-Quallen
    
1:15-2:25  Lunch  
    
2:30-3:30  Keynote:  “SOME CONTRADICTORY ADVICE”  Kate DiCamillo 

3:30 pm Kate DiCamillo Book Signing

I would write down the workshops that you want to take in each session, so when you see the critique times for each editor, agent, art director, author, you can work faster in figuring out your schedule.

Hope you can make it this year.

Talk tomorrow,

Kathy