Breezers in Your Neighborhood: FEBRUARY!

Breezers meeting all over the region in February, so come join us!


Friday, February 7th

When: 3 - 6 PM

Where: Skyland Shopping Center
             US Highway 90
             Mobile, AL

What: Breezers Joyce Scarbrough, Candice Conner, Christa Stanley, and Lady Lester will be some of the contributing authors signing copies of Valentine's Day Pieces at Mobile Bookseller. This is the third edition of the Pieces anthology series sponsored by the Mobile Writers Guild.

Monday, February 10th

When: 10:30 AM

Where: Santa Rosa Mall Food Court
             Fort Walton Beach, FL

What: Bring a craft tip to share and up to 500 words for critique or positivity pass OR up to three illustration spreads for critique or positivity pass.

Also from Suzanne Purvis, Local Liaison in the Florida Panhandle:

Each Tuesday, we are holding a Write-in at Niceville Library. Writers will say hello and then spread out to write. We can get together around lunch and go out to eat or not. Then write again in the afternoon. This is completely flexible, so come for half a day or the full day or an hour. No RSVP is necessary, just show up and write. And if you're the only one, it's fine. Write and accomplish!



Saturday, February 29

When: 10 AM to Noon

Where: East Cobb Library
             4880 Lower Roswell Road
             Suite 510 B
             Marietta, GA  30068

What: From Kara Bietz, the new Local Liaison of the Cobb County are...

"It's a Meet and Greet! Come mingle with your fellow Cobb County Southern Breezers for a morning of discussion and idea sharing. What kinds of programming would you like to see in Cobb? We'll also discuss the upcoming WIK conference and answer any burning questions you may have about getting the most out of your conference experience. We will finish off the morning with a First Pages Panel! Polish the first 100-200 words of your manuscript for a quick critique from our panel of experts. This will be an anonymous activity, so leave your names off of your work, please!" 

Love is in the air in February and we love spreading the word about your FREE events! If you have an event coming up, let us know! Contact Cathy Hall (southern-breeze-ara2@scbwi.org) with all the details before the first of the month in which your event will occur.

On Board at the Smithsonian: Breezer Carmen Agra Deedy!

We just got big news about our own Southern Breezer, Carmen Agra Deedy!

Deedy moved with her family from Havana to Decatur, Georgia during the Cuban Revolution, and now she's a celebrated author of children's books, published in both English and Spanish. And what a storyteller! She's enthralled audiences for years, including Southern Breezers when she gave a keynote at one of our Springmingle conferences. But really, there's SO much more to this Breezer, so on to the news!

The Smithsonian Institution’s Board of Regents voted Oct. 21 to appoint Carmen Agra Deedy and Brandon Neal to the Smithsonian Libraries Advisory Board in January 2020. They will join 17 community and business leaders dedicated to building the Libraries’ collections, increasing digital initiatives, advancing education, creating high-quality exhibitions and programs and securing a financial legacy. “I am pleased to welcome Carmen Agra Deedy and Brandon Neal to our Board,” said Scott Miller, Deputy Under Secretary for Collections and Interdisciplinary Support and Interim Director, Smithsonian Libraries. “They bring with them decades of extraordinary leadership and expertise in key areas. Their outstanding work has enhanced communities around the country—Deedy through storytelling and literacy and Neal through advocacy and fundraising.”

“It is an honor to serve the Smithsonian Libraries, an organization with a venerable and storied past. As an immigrant, this appointment is especially poignant; during my formative years America’s libraries were both university and sanctuary,” said Carmen Agra Deedy. “I am elated to work with this exceptional Board, whose collective vision and quiet diligence is ensuring that the Libraries’ second century will be as celebrated as its first.”

The Smithsonian Libraries Advisory Board consists of members from across the United States. The mission of the board is to help the Libraries to provide authoritative information and create innovative services and programs for Smithsonian researchers, scholars, scientists, curators, historians and other staff, as well as the public at large.

About the Smithsonian Libraries

The Smithsonian Libraries maintains a collection of more than 2 million volumes and serves as an educational resource for the Smithsonian Institution, the global research community and the public. The Libraries are located in Washington, D.C.; Edgewater, Md.; Chantilly, Va.; New York City; and the Republic of Panama. 

There are lots of ways to connect with the libraries but here's a good starting place: library.si.edu. 

About Carmen Agra Deedy 

Deedy is the author of eleven books for children, including The Library Dragon, The Cheshire Cheese Cat, Martina the Beautiful Cockroach and 14 Cows for America, a New York Times bestseller. Her personal stories first appeared on NPR’s All Things Considered. 

She is host of the four-time Emmy-winning children’s program, Love That Book! An award-winning author and storyteller, Deedy is also an accomplished lecturer, having been a guest speaker for both the TED and TEDx Conferences, the Library of Congress, Columbia University, the National Book Festival, and the Kennedy Center, among other distinguished venues. 

Deedy’s dedication to libraries and librarians has been life-long. She served on the Dekalb Public Libraries Board of Trustees, in her home state of Georgia, as an Author Library Advocate for the American Library Association. A life-long supporter of the Smithsonian, she opened the 2016 Art of the Book Lecture Series for the Libraries. Deedy’s newest picture book, Rita and Ralph’s Rotten Day (Scholastic Press), illustrated by Pete Oswald, will be released on March 3, 2020.

Oh, the places you'll go when you join SCBWI! Big congrats to Southern Breezer, Carmen Agra Deedy! (And P.S. If you've never explored the Smithsonian Libraries, take a look! It's a treasure trove for readers and researchers: free images, educator resources, and all kinds of online digital delights--all there, just for you! And thank you to Carmen Agra Deedy for helping with the mission of this amazing library system!)

Bring Your Career into Sharper Focus with wik20 and BOOKS!

BOOKS! BOOKS! BOOKS!

At our Southern Breeze conferences, we're all about books! We can't wait to see our members' newest books! We love to buy books and get 'em signed by all those famous authors and illustrators in the kidlit world who are presenting at our conference! And we want to hear all about your newly launched books!

We have all kinds of information about books at the Southern Breeze website; it's on the Optional Activities page so if you click here, you'll find out all the details. But let's take a look at the big picture:

BOOK SALES:

Southern Breezers are invited to participate in our book sales and signings. That means if you're registered for wik'20, and you have a published book, you could be sitting at a table next to Jane Yolen, signing books. Now, we can't promise you'll be seated next to Jane but it could happen. If you register for wik'20 and sign up to sell your books by February 10th. And here are a few notes of interest:

*ANY SCBWI member attending the conference may designate a title to be included in the bookstore: it can be trade-published, self-published or indie-published, small publishers to major publishers.

*But you can only designate ONE title. Because we have so many published members, the book sales option fills up fast so please don't delay! Register now and fill out the book sales form so that your title is on the list!

*There will be a public book signing at the Homewood Library on Friday, March 13 from 5:00 until 6:30 PM. You will also have books for the Saturday signing and sales (unless you have heard otherwise from the bookseller). Saturday sales and signing will be during lunch, starting at 12:30 and lasting until 1:00.


BOOK LAUNCHES:

It's so much fun to hear our authors and illustrators tell their stories about their journey to publication! But you must register by February 2nd to be included in the book launches part of the conference! Once you are on the book launch list, you'll hear from PAL Coordinator, Heather Montgomery. She'll share all kinds of tips for the best book launch but here are a few notes of interest:

*A book launch should be no more than three minutes. And yes, they are timed. And yes, you will be politely but firmly cut off at three minutes!

*Ideally, your book should have been published within the last 12 months, but we realize that for members attending their first conference, your book may have been released at a later date. (If you have more than one book to launch, please note that you will still have only three minutes!)

*The book launches take place on Saturday from 11:30 to 12:00. Time for this activity is limited and the slots are filled on a first-come, first-served basis so please register today to assure your spot!

So books! Books! Books! (And did I mention that you probably want to register today to get your books at wik'20? CLICK HERE AND REGISTER NOW!)

Where's wik'20? So Glad You Asked!

For many years, the Writing and Illustrating for Kids Conference has been held in Spain Park High School in the Birmingham area. But when the high school became unavailable for our use, we needed to find a new conference space, so I asked Co-Regional Advisor, Claudia Pearson, to introduce you to our venue for wik’20. I have a feeling you’re going to love it! 

Welcome to our not so new venue - the Homewood Library! If you attended wik18, you might’ve already seen the Homewood Library; we held the book signing and dessert party there on Friday. It's a very nice place, and the downtown Homewood area is similar to Decatur, Georgia: walkable, safe, diverse, with lots of great locally owned businesses. 

The Homewood Library has plenty of parking and plenty of conference rooms so we can continue to offer a great variety of breakout sessions. This format has worked well for our conferences in Alabama, but too often in the past, attendees were shut out of the most popular sessions because the classrooms would only accommodate a maximum of 25 attendees. At the library, there are not only two auditorium style spaces, much nicer than the classroom auditorium at Spain Park and better suited to our purposes, but also some of the additional conference rooms will hold up to 40 people!

We love holding events at libraries for several reasons. Our alliances with librarians, local government and nonprofit organizations who support what we do, help us spread the word about SCBWI. Like Joe Davich at the Decatur Library, Laura Tucker, the Children's Librarian at the Homewood library, has held leadership positions in state librarian organizations. She is a great ally for SCBWI and a valuable liaison with those organizations. Through her, the library will promote our conference and our public activities to both librarians and library patrons.

Libraries also generate walk-through interest for our published members’ book signing and our artists’ portfolio show. And another bonus for the Homewood library: we will be close to kids! The library is near the central park area in Homewood, is only blocks away from two of the three elementary schools and the middle school, and is directly across the street from a Catholic grammar school.

There will be plenty of room to sit together for lunch at the library, spaces for critique groups to gather, a park where you can stretch your legs nearby, and a wonderful Greek restaurant across the street (Nabeel’s) if you don’t like what we offer in our box lunches from Urban Cookhouse. And it is walking distance from the Aloft hotel!


DIRECTIONS:

The Library is also easy to reach for those coming from out of town. Take I-20/59 straight into Birmingham from East or West, and take Highway 31 South to get into Homewood. If you are coming from the south you can take Highway 280, Highway 31 or I-65 to Oxmoor/Montevallo/Hollywood (it’s all the same street, just changes names from east to west LOL) and the library is right there! There are also a number of good restaurants and hotel options nearby (in case you didn’t get your reservation at the Aloft - the room block is almost all sold out).


We look forward to seeing old friends and making new ones in Homewood. Won’t you join us and bring your career into sharper focus at wik’20?

                                  CLICK HERE AND REGISTER FOR WIK’20 TODAY!

Bring Your Career into Sharper Focus with wik2020: On Beginnings, Resolutions, and VOLUNTEERING

It was a dark and stormy night...No. Strike that.

Once upon a time, there was a writer, a conference, and a volunteer coordinator. I'm the volunteer coordinator, desperately seeking, well, volunteers; WIK 20 is the totally awesome conference; and you, my sweet one, are the writer that I and the conference are after.

All of you who have attended a Southern Breeze conference know it takes a village of volunteers to pull the conference together. And we all know that writers are sometimes solitary people. It takes solitude to write, and it takes loving that solitude to make the magic happen. But then comes conference time -- and that is when we kiss our solitude goodbye for two precious days.

"BUT WAIT!" you say. "I may have to kiss my solitude goodbye for a day or two, but no one said I actually had to, um, talk to people." Here is where I must lovingly disagree. In fact, I not only want you to talk to people, I want you to put yourself into a position where you have to help them in some way! Think of this as one of your new year's resolutions: You volunteer for the conference, which makes you talk to people, and that means you meet new people, which then leads to new critique partners, and that, of course, makes you write more, and we all made a resolution to write more, right? Right! (See what I did there?)

So. Volunteering. You can do this! There are all types of things to do, from manning the registration desk, helping with book sales, helping with food, assisting with book signing, and more.

Email me, Valerie Nelan, at vmnelan@gmail.com with your interest. In addition to my undying love and affection, you'll also get a snazzy bio in the conference hand-outs (infamy!), and you're guaranteed to meet new people.

(Register for wik'20 today so you can get just the intensives, sessions, and volunteering jobs you want! See the Southern Breeze website here and sign up now!)

Big thanks to our Southern Breeze Conference Volunteer Coordinator, Valerie Nelan! You'll find her in Birmingham, where she writes very funny Middle Grade (when she's not running around, relentlessly pursuing volunteers).

Breezers in Your Neighborhood: JANUARY! 2020!

Wow, Breezers! It's not just a new year but a new decade! And though we've been extra busy, getting ready for wik'20--P.S. There's SO much this year to bring your career into focus! Register today and join us!--we've heard from some "starting the year off write" members who also have exciting plans for this month:


Tuesday, January 7th

In Alabama, from author Claire Datnow: A Behind the Scenes Glimpse into How Writers Create Science and Nature Related Narratives. The author's firsthand adventures researching and writing her Eco Mystery series will provide a road map for connecting with readers/audiences in an engaging and meaningful way. A lively discussion will follow and refreshments will be served.

When: 5:00 to 7:00 PM
Where: Hoover Public Library
             Fitzgerald Room
             Hoover, AL

This event is free but Claire asks that you RSVP to her at cldatnow@me.com. She'll have signed copies of her most recent eco mystery, The Adventures of the Sizzling Six: Monarch Mysteries available for purchase.


Also today in Florida:

Local Liaison Suzanne Purvis invites you to the monthly meeting of SCBWI Southern Breeze. It starts at 10:30 AM and they'll be meeting in the Santa Rosa Mall Food Court at Fort Walton Beach. And here's what you should bring:

1. A writing craft tip, craft book title, or a writing blog you enjoy
2. Up to 500 words of your current work-in-progress if you would like critique or positivity pass
3. OR up to three illustrations for critique or positivity pass.

It's free, y'all, so join in this fun critique group opportunity from Southern Breeze! (P. S. They meet year round!)


January 15

Deadline for applications to be submitted for the Liz Conrad Award! See the Southern Breeze website here for more information about this opportunity for our illustrators and then apply!






Wednesday, January 22nd

It's the Pre-Pitch Party! We're having a Zoom meeting from 7:00 to 9:00 PM (Eastern Time) for all those Breezers attending wik'20 who've signed up for the Pitch Party. We'll work on those :30 pitches and get them pitch-perfect for the agents and editors on the Pitch Panel.

If you've never attended an online meeting before, you'll find Zoom as easy as clicking on a link so come join us! And even if you're just thinking about registering for wik'20 and signing up for the Pitch Party, please feel free to join in the fun. It's free (but it's for members only! The link to the Zoom meeting will be in our Wonderful Wednesday newsletter coming out on January 8th.)

Questions? Contact Cathy Hall at southern-breeze-ara2@scbwi.org.


Saturday, January 25th

In Georgia, join Local Liaison Rhonda Knight for a writer's workshop:

When: 1:00 to 4:00 PM
Where: Suwanee Public Library
             361 Main Street
            Suwanee, GA

In this workshop, you'll practice how to get started in writing a children's book or story, and you'll practice how to write as a Co-author or team. There will be opportunity to share your work for feedback, so come join the fun! This event is co-sponsored by the Gwinnett Public Library, and as always, it's free. Rhonda Knight's books will be available for purchase following the workshop.

The start of a new year is the perfect time to start a new habit. So attend one of our SCBWI Southern Breeze free events in your area and watch your writing or illustrating soar! And if you have an event coming up, let us know! Contact Cathy Hall (southern-breeze-ara2@scbwi.org) with all the details before the first of the month in which your event will occur. We love to spread the word!