What's The Deal With Agents?
a craft chat with authors Josh Funk, Rajani LaRocca, and Anna Staniszewski
Saturday, January 25, 2:00 pm
Contrary to popular belief, literary agents are not mythical creatures! They are real working professionals who can guide writers and illustrators throughout their careers. That's why it's important to understand what agents do and how they work. This informal Q&A session will tackle all your agent-related questions! Whether you're wondering about researching and querying agents, or about the nuts and bolts of the author/agent relationship, this session is for you.
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Free!
Young Voices on Difficult Topics
a craft chat with author Joe Moldover
Saturday, January 11, 7:30 pm
There's something about YA literature that opens up seemingly inaccessible topics. Author and clinical psychologist Joe Moldover will talk about the unique power of young voices to cut through the anxiety which surrounds topics we find personally and culturally difficult, freeing writer and reader alike to look at them with fresh eyes and to speak about them with clear voices. Using his own writing on gun violence as a jumping-off point, Joe will explore which topics are hard, the reasons we get stuck on them, and how a YA perspective can help.
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Free!
Writing Picture-Book Characters with Big Emotions
a workshop with editor Julie Bliven of Charlesbridge Publishing
Saturday, February 29, 2:00 pm to 4:00 pm
In this hands-on workshop, we'll look at what it means for a writer to evoke one's childlike instincts and to successfully express big emotions through a picture book character. How can we craft poignant child characters and stories that express believable, powerful emotions—without summarizing or "telling"? We'll examine examples from published picture books and use writing prompts to practice revealing various character emotions in organic, age-appropriate ways that build story.
