Friday Evening Festivities (September 12, 2025)
5:30–6:30 p.m. – Informal Happy Hour Regional Meet-and-Greet
Meet other attendees (and perhaps make dinner plans) at this meet-and-greet during the DoubleTree Suites happy hour in the hotel lobby and patio.
2424 Atrium Way, Nashville, TN 37214
**Please keep in mind that the hotel happy hour is generally for those staying at the hotel, but the cash bar is open to the public! If you join us, please be mindful of hotel guests.
Saturday Evening Festivities (September 13, 2025)
4:30–6:00 p.m. – Midsouth Cocktail and Autograph Party with Portfolio Showcase (included with registration)
Come celebrate being back together again! Buy books from our fantastic faculty, as well as many Midsouth authors and have them signed! The party is from 4:30 to 6:00 p.m. in the Atrium at the Southwestern Conference Center on Saturday, September 13.
Click HERE for PAL opportunities for this party!
Click HERE for Illustrator opportunities for this party!
7:00–9:00 p.m. – Create a Scene Bash and Dinner (add-on ticket for conference attendees and faculty) ($50)
Saturday concludes with our “Create a Scene” Bash for conference attendees and faculty. Wouldn’t it be loverly if you joined us? Come From Away or come from Nashville, but come dressed as your favorite Broadway character* and join us at the always-delightful SCBWI Midsouth Bash! There will be dinner! Drinks! Kid-lit trivia! A table-decorating contest where you can WIN A FREE CRITIQUE AT OUR 2026 CONFERENCE! And of course, the annual Midsouth Award Ceremony! Don’t throw away your shot! It will be some enchanted evening, and you’ll be Les Miserables if you miss it!
-Location: Conference site! Southwestern Conference Center, 2451 Atrium Way
-$50 per attendee (Mamma Mia that’s a bargain!)
*Costumes not required but it’d sure be Wicked if you had our Six!
If you have any questions regarding dietary restrictions, please email Janet K. Lee at [email protected].
7:00–9:00 p.m. – Create a Scene Bash Centerpiece Contest (free and open to attendees of the Create a Scene Bash)
Are you crafty? Help us make our Bash memorable by signing up to decorate one of our dinner tables in a bookish or kidlit aesthetic! The designer of the winning centerpiece will receive a FREE MANUSCRIPT OR PORTFOLIO CRITIQUE at our next regional conference!
Because there are a limited number of tables available to decorate at the Bash, sign-ups to participate in the contest will be first-come, first-served until we run out of tables. If you’d like to participate, check the Centerpiece Contest box during the registration process. If selected, you will be notified via email no later than August 1.
- Participants must purchase a ticket to attend the Bash.
- Be creative! The theme of this year’s conference is “Create a Scene” and the theme of the Bash is inspired by Broadway shows. Centerpieces do not need to adhere to the themes, however we ask that it be inspired by kidlit, books, art or something in keeping with SCBWI’s mission.
Visit the Contests page for more details and to review and download the full guidelines.
Midsouth Gives Back
NEW THIS YEAR! Instead of hosting a book donation drive during our conference, the conference planning committee is launching a new program to host an annual Midsouth Gives Back campaign in memory of a longtime Midsouth member and supporter who passed away after our last in-person conference. During the Create a Scene Bash, attendees will hear more about this year’s beneficiary of the campaign: the Appalachian Literacy Initiative (a nonprofit co-founded by the Midsouth’s own Kimberly Brubaker Bradley) and its literacy work across our region.
Visit the Midsouth Gives Back page for more details about how you can participate in this campaign to put books into the hands of students and teachers rebuilding after Hurricane Helene and others supported by ALI.
NOTE: There are NO conference events or evening festivities after the Intensives conclude on Sunday afternoon.