SCBWI New York Conference 2025

The SCBWI conference in New York was excellent. The last SCBWI conference I'd attended was the NY conference in 2020, right before the world shut down. That was two years before I started at VCFA. Last weekend was such a joyful experience, gathering with old and new SCBWI friends and VCFA WCYA friends. Together, we learned about the craft and business of writing and illustrating for the world's best audience: children.

Here are some highlights: *An evening out with other Red Fox Literary friends

*Erin Entrada Kelly delivering her inspiring keynote (and yes, I did get a bit teary) - I was also in her creative lab, "Creating Characters Your Readers Love." Side note: In addition to Kelly's middle grade novels, Maybe Maybe Marisol Rainey completely stole my heart. Thank you, Elizabeth Curry, for recommending it to me in 2022.

*A group of us from VCFA's WCYA program had lunch together at a cute French restaurant. I loved it!

*I heard Peter Brown speak at SCBWI Western Washington years ago, and it was a treat to hear him again. The Wild Robot was his first novel, and it was inspiring to hear how he managed the project. (That's Sarah Baker, the Executive Director of SCBWI, interviewing Brown.)

*Sophie Blackall's final keynote - So, so good! What a fabulous way to send us back into the world at the end of the conference!

*Hanging out with the lovely Anita Pazner before heading home.

*Other highlights were a helpful manuscript consultation and editor Kat Brzozowski's creative lab, "Your Revision Journey." Both will help me when I revise my work in progress--and future works in progress. Keep creating, friends! Keep being the bright lights that you are!