SCBWI Conference and School Visit this week!!

A big weekend for me is approaching! I have a SCBWI ( Society of Children's Books Writers and Illustrators) Conference this weekend. I am very excited because it has been at least three or even four years since I attended one. The New Jersey Chapter has seemed to have expanded quite a bit because they added a day. The Friday session will be an illustration intensive where I get to meet the art director fro Sterling Publishers. We were preassigned a project where we were given several choices of narratives in which to illustrate from. The story I chose was from a manuscript Sterling will actually be publishing in the near future titled Cecily Beasily. I wanted to do a montage of Cecily doing all sorts of mischievous things. I had a lot of fun with the background, too. It seems to be that getting hands deep in a messy paint splattering fiesta is my new thing. :) I am very excited to see what the other group of illustrators bring to the table and then actually get a chance to look at the work from the actual illustrator from the upcoming title visualized.

Saturday will be a day full of workshops and seminars. It is also a great networking day because we sit and eat lunch with agents, art directors, editors, and others like me in the industry. I will also be showing my portfolio this day to the art director of Simon and Schuster as well as an agent. There will be a portfolio display this year supplied with our business cards so that when people walk by they can view our work and take a card. I was also asked to bring in a print of one of my best pieces for an art contest they will be holding as well. As if this wasn't enough, SCBWI has us coming back Sunday for a few more workshops, another luncheon, and then followed by a book signing where those of us who have been published can sell books to one another. I am very excited and hope to get a lot of feedback, and hopefully some more insight how to better succeed in this industry.

Just when I couldn't think this weekend can get any more exciting I also have a school visit on Tuesday at an elementary school in Jackson, NJ. I get the opportunity to read my book A Bailar!/ Let's Dance! to three first grade classes. After I do the reading I will be showing them how to make their own maracas and teaching them a few salsa steps. I hope to take some pictures of both events and post them to my blog some time next week :)