ANNUAL GALLERY SHOW @ Decatur Arts Festival​

ANNUAL GALLERY SHOW @ Decatur Arts Festival​

http://decaturartsfestival.com/ 

JOIN US at the Decatur Library on Friday May 26th from 7pm - 9pm

for the opening of the SCBWI Southern Breeze Annual Gallery Show featuring our PAL Illustrators!  Show is open to the public during the Decatur Arts Festival and runs through June.

This event made possible in conjunction with the Georgia Center for the Book.

TeMika Grooms

SCBWI Southern Breeze Region
Illustrator Coordinator 

Southern-Breeze-IC@scbwi.org

JUNE IS SHOW-MO MONTH!

PSSST…  in case you missed the memo,

JUNE IS SHOW-MO MONTH!

So… you SHOW me yours, and I’ll SHOW you mine…

If you’re like me, you’ve attended a Southern Breeze conference or two, and each time you left inspired by the speakers and made a solemn vow that this time, yes, this time you WOULD submit to at least one of them. Then, you get home, and the glow fades, and when you give your writing sample one last review before hitting send… you just can’t. It’s not as brilliant as you remember.  You really wish you had a set of fresh eyes to give it a quick read.

This year, you can have that set and be that set for someone-else. Give your first pages (or art portfolio) one last look, and help a fellow creative shine their work to the that ready-to-hit-submit glow as well.

 

We want you to SHOW us your work during the month of June, and then give it a final revise and SUBMIT it to the SCBWI Southern Breeze Writing Contest. The Contest Deadline is June 30^th, so we’re scheduling critique meet-ups in June at various locations hosted by our local liaisons and other willing folks.  Click here to read more about the Contest: https://southern-breeze.scbwi.org/contests/#Writing

This is what you can win:

WRITING CONTEST AWARDS

1st, 2nd & 3rd Place Winners

Each category's winning authors, titles, and manuscripts’ genres will be acknowledged in the:

      •  Southern Breeze News

      •  Southern Breeze Web Site, Blog, Facebook Pages and Twitter

      •  Winners receive a Southern Breeze, SCBWI Writing Contest Award Certificate and Button for their social media pages.

Each 1st Place Winner also receives FREE tuition to the next WIK Conference in Birmingham in March, 2017.  

Let Show-Mo help you get your pages submission ready!

It works like this: You bring your pages or paintings and then read or show your work to other writers and illustrators.  They fill out feedback sheets which they give to you that you can use to improve and revise. In turn, you listen to them read their work, or look at their illustrations, and fill-out feedback sheets for them.

HERE’S THE DETAILS:

COST:  Free and open to the public, so yes, you can bring a non-SCBWI writing friend; however, they will not be able to enter our annual writing contest.

HOW LONG: Each “live” event should last between 1.5 and 2 hours.

HOW MANY PAGES/ILLUSTRATIONS: Your pages up to ten, double spaced pages in a 12-point font. Your pages should be your best work and near submission ready. For illustrators, bring up to four illustrations for feedback. For more of the Writing Contest submission information, see http://southern-breeze.scbwi.org/contests/writing-contest/.

DETAILS, DETAILS, DETAILS:  To insure everyone is reached, where participation exceeds 8 people, we will break into groups of 4-6. This is a similar format to our conference Informal Critiques.

*HERE ARE THE SHOW-MO GATHERINGS WE HAVE ORGANIZED TO DATE:

SHOW-MO HOST                   REGION/LOCATION              DATE/TIME

ILLUSTRATOR’S SHOW-MO GOOGLE HANG-OUT*

TEMIKA GROOMS/MAEGAN PENLEY    ALL REGIONS           6/4/17, 6-7pm

  Contact Temika at southern-breeze-ic@scbwi.org, with attn: #ShowMo Illus

  *Limited to the first ten due to the nature of google hang-out

ALABAMA

MARK MCCLINTOCK                      BIRMINGHAM, AL     6/3,17        1:00-3:00 PM

Hoover Public Library, 200 Municipal Dr, Birmingham, AL 35216

  Contact: markmcclintock3@charter.net

CARRIE DALBY/MeLEESA SWANN MOBILE BAY AREA, AL 6/10/17 1-3pm

Ben May Main Library, 701 Government St., Mobile, Al 36602

  Contact: carriedalby@carriedalby.com

           

FLORIDA

SUZANNE PURVIS   NW-FLORIDA                       6/13/17        1pm - 3pm

            Niceville Public Library, 206 Partin Drive N., Niceville, FL 32578

  Contact Suzanne Purvis spurvis500@embarqmail.com, 850-897-5593           

GEORGIA

COLLEEN BENNETT                Canton, GA             6/10/17             2-4 pm
                     RT Memorial Library in Canton
     Contact Colleen Bennett at 770-314-0246 or Colleen4444@gmail.com

BOBBIE CANADA                 PINE MOUNTAIN          6/9/17 10-11:30,

Starbucks on Bradley Park Drive, Columbus, GA 31909

   Contact Bobbie at 706-604-9650.

TEMIKA GROOMES DECATUR, GA                      6/4/17, 2pm-4pm

                        Karvama Coffee House, 707B East Lake Dr., Decatur, GA 30030

  Contact Temika at southern-breeze-ic@scbwi.org, with attn: #ShowMo wrtr

CATHY HALL                         LAWRENCEVILLE GA          6/3/17, 10am-12pm

Five Forks Library (Gwinnett County) 2780 Five Forks Trickum Rd SW, Lawrenceville, GA 30044

   Contact: Cathyhall55@hotmail.com

STEPHANIE MOODY           N.FULTON CO. (Alpharetta, Dunwoody, Milton, Johns Creek, Roswell, Sandy Springs, and Cherokee, Cobb and Gwinnett Counties)

Contact:  moodyviews@bellsouth.net                         6/24/17, 10:30-12:30

Location: Northeast Spruill Oaks Library, 9560 Spruill Road, Atlanta, Georgia 30022

PAULA PUCKETT                 NORTH GA EAST     Time and location to be determined, but we'll be somewhere on location in the North GA mountains. Contact paulabpuckett@aol.com to help with this event. Thx.

TK READ                                SE ATLANTA                         6/17/17        10am-12pm

tk@tkread.com                  915 COMMERCIAL ST., CONYERS, GA 30013

PHYLLIS TILDES                   SAVANNAH, GA                  6/10/17        2pm-4pm

  Contact: artphyll@comcast.net   Location to be determined, so check back!

TRACEY M. COX       SOUTH CENTRAL GA          Date TBD
tracey@traceymcox.com          Would like to have a meeting at Giggles Cafe in Tifton, GA. Email me, if you are interested.

*Can’t make an event? Email me at tk@tkread.com and I’ll coordinate exchanges during the month so you can participate online.

Hope to see you at one of these!

Here’s to your writing success in 2017!

BEST, TK READ, Critique Group Coordinator, Southern Breeze

QUESTIONS?  WANT TO VOLUNTEER TO HOST A SHOW-MO EVENT?

CONTACT ME AT TK@TKREAD.COM

*ATTENDING A SHOW-MO EVENT? SHARE THE LOVE BY TAGGING YOUR PICS AND THOUGHTS: #ShowMo AND #SBreeze17

Why Picture Books Writers Should go to Illustrator Workshops

Why Picture Book Writers Should go to Illustrator Workshops 

Springmingle is almost sold out this year, only one spot left, but we want picture book writers to know all about the opportunity they still have to attend Illustrators Day on March 10 at the Decatur Library.

You may ask, "Why would a picture book writer want to go to an illustrators' workshop?"

I'll start with personal experience.  When I registered for my first SCBWI conference in New York all of the writers' intensives were full, but I was studying the way text and image work together in picture books at Hollins University (for my Masters in Children's literature), and decided to see if Lin Oliver would let a non-illustrator attend the illustrators' intensive. She approved and it was one of the best decisions I have made in my writing life. You can read about illustrations creating tension on a page, and I was certainly doing a lot of that at Hollins, but when it is explored in an illustration workshop the term gains a deeper meaning.

It is also hard to comprehend the full nature of the collaboration between the writer and the illustrator. Picture book writers know they need to think visually when they write, but often this comes out as detailed verbal descriptions instead of active texts that offer visual possibilities for the illustrator.
In a blog about creating SAM AND DAVE DIG A HOLE with Jon Klassen, Mac Barnett says,

"I feel like a big part of my job in writing a picture book manuscript is to create opportunities for the illustrations to do the storytelling. And really the picture book writing is the art of finishing an unfinished thing. So there were crucial things to the book that I had no idea how [Jon was] going to solve: What were the spectacular things Sam and Dave were going to miss? How would falling from the bottom of the earth work visually? And how would [Jon] indicate that they’d landed somewhere else?" http://blog.picturebookmakers.com/post/129136224036/mac-barnett-jon-klassen (emphasis added)

The art of leaving things "unfinished" for an illustrator to flesh out is often contrary to our writer's instinct to describe everything in detail for the editor and illustrator so they will see how we envision the story unfolding. Understanding what it means to leave space for the illustrator to contribute to the story is essential to writing great text.

Similarly, as writers we know to include pauses and "cliff hangers" in text that signal a good place for a page turn, but maybe we are not thinking how that will work in the illustrations. Seeing and hearing how editors and art directors structure the text and illustration together helps us understand how we can improve what we submit, make it more acquirable, and be better partners in the collaborative process. 

So if you didn't register in time to attend Springmingle'17, consider coming for Illustrator Day. You'll learn a lot and we'll get to see you at the reception on Friday night! And as an added bonus, there are still a few slots available for consultations with an agent!

Claudia Pearson
Regional Advisor
SCBWI/Southern-Breeze

The Georgia Center of the Book Event

EVENT: Georgia Center of the Book Presents...

The Georgia Center of the Book will be present a lecture series titled Why Literature Matters and How Reading Leads to Empathy by Dr. Pearl A. McHaney, Professor of Southern Literature at Georgia State University, starting on this Wednesday, January 11, 2017 at 7:15 pm in the Decatur Library Auditorium. 

The first part of the series is Connecting Lines: Building Empathy Through Literature. The topic of empathy funneled through literature, particularly relating to children, middle grade and young adults, relates closely to the We Need Diverse Books (WNDB) movement that has encompassed the book industry.  The Society of Children’s Books Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI) is an organization dedicated to supporting authors and illustrators in their journey to publication.  It supports diversity in literature and addresses the issue in an effort to promote inclusivity.  All voices are welcomed to be heard at the table in powerful storytelling.  The interview with Dr. McHaney makes a clear statement that we all have a wealth of knowledge to collectively share through the avenue of the book.

Join SCBWI members as we descend upon Decatur to discuss and learn about building community through books.  SCBWI will also host the Southern Breeze Springmingle and Illustrator’s Day at the Decatur Library on March 10 – 12, 2017.  The conference will include notable editors, art directors and agents, including Adrianna Dominquez of the Full Circle Literary Group, who focuses on acquiring diverse talent for children’s book publishing.

For more information about SCBWI Southern Breeze:  http://southern-breeze.scbwi.org/

About Why Literature Matters -  http://www.georgiacenterforthebook.org/

Interview: New Lecture Series Focuses On Building Empathy Through Books, WABE 90.1, January 6, 2017, Gabbie Watts  http://wabe.drupal.publicbroadcasting.net/post/new-lecture-series-focuses-building-empathy-through-books

PAL Luncheon at #SpringMingle - #SBreeze17

PAL Luncheon at SpringMingle
from Cathy C. Hall

As the PAL Coordinator for Southern Breeze, I get to hobnob with a lot of VIPs!

Oh, wait. You’re thinking “Very Important People” and I’m thinking “Very Interesting PALs.” That’s why I love our conferences. At Springmingle’17, I’ll catch up with the latest news from that author whose book has just released or the writer whose poem landed in Baby Bug or the illustrator whose work is highlighted in…well, Highlights!

But perhaps more importantly for our PALs is the opportunity Springmingle’17 provides for them. We’ll get together at the close of the conference, Sunday at 12:30 in the 4^th Floor Conference Room, Decatur Library, for the PAL Lunch. When you register, don’t forget to order your lunch ‘cause we have lots of upcoming events for our PAL members to discuss!

And if you’re not sure whether you are a PAL member, look for me or any PAL member. We’re the ones wearing a blue button and we’ll try to answer any questions you have. Because in SCBWI, everyone is a Very Important Person! 

REGISTRATION IS NOW OPEN! Click  :::HERE::: to log in and register.

~See you in March~

#SpringMingle Conference Book Signing - #SBreeze17

SpringMingle In-Conference Book Signing

Southern Breeze not only offers great workshops, but we also offer the opportunity to meet our faculty authors and illustrators, buy their books, and have them signed! What better way to show our speakers how much you've enjoyed what they have said? 

This year in-conference book signings schedule will include:

Patricia MacLachlan  is the author of many picture books, poetry books, and novels for children.  She is best known for the Newbery Medal book Sarah, Plain and Tall.  She later wrote the Hallmark Hall of Fame screenplays for the Sarah, Plain and Tall characters, starring Glenn Close and Christopher Walkin.Her newest books are the picture books The Iridesence of Birds, Someone Like Me, and The Moon’s Almost Here.  Her newest novel is The Poet’s Dog, and the 1017 books Barkus and Just Dance.She has lectured and taught Children’s Literature at Smith College.She lives on a hilltop in Western Massachusetts.

Jacquelyn Mitchard  is the number one New York Times bestselling author of twelve novels for adults, including The Deep End of the Ocean, which was the inaugural selection of the Oprah Winfrey Book Club and also made into a major feature film. The editor of a realistic Young Adult imprint, Merit Press, Mitchard also is the author of seven novels for Young Adults. Her work has won the Bram Stoker and Shirley Jackson awards, as well as the UK’s Walkabout Prize and was short-listed for the Orange Broadband Prize for Fiction. She is a professor of Creative Writing at Vermont College of Fine Arts and a contributing editor for More magazine. Mitchard grew up in Chicago, and now lives on Cape Cod with her family.

Along with several of our Book Launchers!

Don't forget to visit our book store at the conference to purchase your books!

REGISTRATION IS NOW OPEN! Click  :::HERE::: to log in and register.

~See you in March~

#SpringMingle - Portfolio Set Up & Viewing - #SBreeze17

Portfolio Set Up & Viewing

Are you an illustrator wondering how to set up your portfolio? Maybe you would like some new tips to incorporate into what you are already doing? What better way than to learn from a pro! Elizabeth O. Dulemba is a former Illustrator Coordinator for Southern Breeze. Check out what she has to say...

Present Your Portfolio Like a Pro

by Elizabeth O. Dulemba 

     "It seems simple once you know how it’s done, but at some point you do have to actually learn how to correctly prepare and show an illustration portfolio. Despite being used for such different purposes as interviews, presentations, or shows, there are some basic rules most professionals follow.

      First, size matters. Most portfolio shows have limitations of about 17” x 22” (closed). Keep to that size or smaller and you’ll be able to travel easily with your portfolio and use it anywhere..."

Continue reading over on Elizabeth's blog:   http://dulemba.com/index-portfolio.html

Registration IS NOW OPEN for SCBWI members! 

Click  :::HERE::: to log in and register.

~See you in March~

#SpringMingle - Dinner & Gala - #SBreeze17

Dinner & Gala

Who said conferences were all work and NOOOOOO fun? Let us set the record straight. That's not true. At conferences you meet new friends and get to have fun seeing old ones. You get to dip your toes into new adventures or plunge deeper into things you thought you already knew.
BUT that's not all that SpringMingle offers. There's a time and a place for you to let your hair down, eat some great food, grab a few drinks, and maybe even sing a karaoke song or two. It is the Dinner & Gala offered for a small extra fee on your registration. This meal is held after the Saturday day-long  part of the conference. So it's a wonderful time to sit back and relax, and enjoy time spent with fellow authors and illustrators.
If you're wanting to join in on the festivities, make sure you check the box for the Gala on Saturday night.

REGISTRATION IS NOW OPEN! Click  :::HERE::: to log in and register.

~See you in March~

Author Meet & Greet for #SBreeze16

Author Meet & Greet for #SBreeze16

~OPEN TO THE PUBLIC~

The fun doesn't stop when the conference does.
A select group of authors will be at the Homewood Public Library Sunday, October 9, 2016 from 2 pm to 4 pm. This is your chance to meet the authors, buy their books, and have them autographed.

PARTICIPATING AUTHORS: 

Bruce Coville

Don Tate 

Heather L. Montgomery 

Jo S. Kittinger 

Jodi Wheeler-Toppen 

Delia Blackstone  

Lucyann Wagner 

Kami Kinard

 

Come out and have a great time. See you there!