SCBWI: Kidlit Forever!

I recently attended the SCBWI (Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators) Summer Conference. I learned a lot, had fun chatting with other creatives, and reaffirmed my commitment to kidlit.

The virtual format allowed people to attend from all over the world, and I enjoyed many great sessions. For example, Julia DeVillers' "Smells Like Tween Spirit: Crafting Middle Grade Characters from Early Readers to Upper Middle Grade" and Stacey Lee's "Plot, Bots & Knots: How to Fix Your YA Novel" were very informative, and "Writing from the Immigrant Experience" with Paula Yoo, Hanh Bui, Edwidge Danticat, Zahra Marwan, Maera Sriran, and Suma Subramaniam added great books to my TBR list. Of course, one of my favorites was the "Unbanning Books" panel with Jerry Craft, Gayle Forman, Betsy Gomez, Keri Lambert, Laurent Linn, and Dan Novack. Anyone can watch it on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hYHX7kb0XpY.

There were opportunities to have conversations with fellow writers as well. My current work-in-progress is a middle grade mystery, and I made connections with other middle grade writers that will be helpful in my writing. And it's always nice to meet other people who have characters running around in their heads, too!

Above all, the SCBWI conference reminded me that kidlit (children's literature) is important for kids. Books offer glimpses into other worlds and ways to look inside our own lives. They show us that we are not alone. That is vital for young people to hear. I'm proud to be part of an organization that encourages creative people in our work to help kids move through their lives with fun, humor, empathy, and grace. I can't think of a better calling for a writer.

#scbwiSummer25