Illinois SCBWI

Last weekend, Cynthia and I had the pleasure of attending the annual conference of the Illinois chapter of the Society of Children's Book Writer's and Illustrators (SCBWI), which had invited Cynthia to be a keynote speaker. It was a terrific chance to see old friends, meet new ones, and hear interesting things about the state of children's literature and publishing.

Other main-session speakers included Yolando LeRoy (Charlesbridge); Michael Stearns (Upstart Crow); Stacy Cantor (Walker & Co.); Nick Eliopulos (Random House); and Alisha Niehaus (Dial).

Altogether, it was an excellent event, characterized by great comraderie and Midwestern efficiency. :-). The night we got in, the group took us to dinner at the Weber Grill restaurant (barbecue was excellent) and the night after, to Uno's.

Some pictures:


I just like this one :-). The event was held at Harper College in Schaumburg and the theme was "Brick by Brick: The Architecture of our Stories," and this sign put me in mind of the Big Bad Wolf. For some reason. And, yes, for the record, the Men's Room was likewise a tornado shelter.

Carolyn Crimi and Michael Stearns engage in heated conversation while Yolanda LeRoy looks on.

Yolanda LeRoy discusses picture book layout.

The panelists (from left to right): Nick, Yolanda, Michael, Alisha, Stacy.

Alisha laughs at something Michael and I are discussing.

Thanks to everyone who drove and organized and escorted and attended!