Third Annual SCBWI-Dakotas Spring Conference

The third annual SCBWI--Dakotas Spring Conference held this past weekend in Sioux Falls, SD, was a huge hit! "Books, Art, and Beyond" offered many options for writers and illustrators alike. Our regional advisor, author Jean Patrick, did an amazing job setting up a conference that benefitted us all and, despite a raging South Dakota blizzard, a great time was had by all.

Sessions and speakers were as follows: Welcome by Jean L.S. Patrick, SCBWI Regional Advisor; Nuts & Bolts (and Great Ways to Get Your Foot in the Door) by Mary Scarbrough, Author; A Picture Book: From Conception to Birth by Tim Gillner, Art Director at Boyds Mills Press; Behind the Scenes by Martyn Beeny, SDSHS Press; Dr. Writer: A New Author's Journey from Patients to Plotlines by Susan Thompson Underdahl, Author; and First-Page Critiques by Tim Gillner, Jean Patrick and Mary Scarbrough. For the first time, our conference has grown enough to warrant breakout sessions during the afternoon which allowed conference participants to hone their areas of expertise: Illustrators Q & A with Tim Gillner; Making Book Trailers with Mark Geary; Pitch Session with Martyn Beeny; Private Critiques with Faculty; and Individual work time. There was also a Faculty Q & A panel to wrap up the conference.

I promise to blog on the speakers I sat in on soon!