Carolinas 2023 Fall Retreat

Karla Arenas Valenti is the author of many books for children of all ages, including the bestselling and highly-acclaimed middle grade novel, Loteria, the exciting picture book series My Super Science Heroes and the Legendarios Chapter Book series for readers who love adventure and mythology. Karla grew up in Mexico City in a house that was built around a tree. Since then she has lived at the foothills of the St. Victoire in Aix-en-Provence, hiked up Mt. Fuji while she lived in Japan, loved six years in Frankfurt, Germany, and currently lives at the edge of Lake Michigan in the Chicagoland area. Her storytelling is seeded in Mexican culture and lore, and often deals in explorations of philosophical and identity-based themes (inspiring the mind) while also taking readers on riveting magical realist adventures (inspiring the heart).

Sessions: Karla will be working with the Career Building for Creatives Track, as well as the Creative Writing Track. Additional events include Career Consultations and Manuscript Critiques, and the Faculty Q&A Fair. Karla will attend all meals in the dining hall and the Saturday Pitch Party/Portfolio Showcase.

Critique genres: PB, MG, no non-fiction

Alison S. Weiss has been in publishing for over fifteen years. She is currently acquisitions editor at Pixel+Ink (part of the Trustbridge Media Group), a publisher focused exclusively on series publishing with transmedia potential. Her series include The Curious League of Detectives and Thieves by Tom Phillips; Plotting the Stars by Michelle A. Barry; The Recess Genius by Janet Sumner Johnson, illustrated by Stacy Ebert; Clara Poole by Taylor Tyng; The Sinister Secrets of Singe by Sean Ferrell, illustrated by Graham Carter; Shiver-by-the-Sea by Erin Dionne, illustrated by Jennifer Harney; and the forthcoming Winterton Deception by Janet Sumner Johnson, among others. Alison ran her own editorial consultancy, working with publishers including Simon & Schuster, Audible, and Arctis, as well as private clients, and was editorial director at Sky Pony Press, where her list included William C. Morris Finalist Devils Within by S.F. Henson; the Project Droid series by New York Times bestselling author Nancy Krulik and Amanda Burwasser, illustrated by Mike Moran; the Timekeeper trilogy by Tara Sim; and the Mahabharata-inspired Celestial Trilogy by Sangu Mandanna. In 2016 she was named a Publishers Weekly Star Watch Honoree. She’s been trying to live up to the title ever since. You can follow her on Twitter @alioop7 where she regularly hosts #askkidlit Q&As and learn more about Pixel+Ink at pixelandinkbooks.com or @PixelandInkBks.

Read more about Alison in this interview.

Sessions: Alison will be working with the Career Building for Creatives Track, as well as the Creative Writing Track. Additional events include a Friday Intensive, Career Consultations and Manuscript Critiques, and the Faculty Q&A Fair. Alison will attend all meals in the dining hall and the Saturday Pitch Party/Portfolio Showcase.

Critique genres: PB, Chapter Books, MG, Graphic Novels. Also able to critique YA, but Alison does not accept YA.

Ann Rose is a California native who left her heart in San Diego, and now resides in Texas after a stint in Florida. Her degree is in Communication from San Diego State University, and her resume runs the gamut from Lifeguard to Business Systems Analyst, but books have always been her passion. Ann is excited to finally merge her love of literature with her past professional experiences as a literary agent with The Tobias Literary Agency after starting her career with Prospect Agency. She looks forward to helping authors build successful, sustainable careers. View full bio and MS Wish List.

Sessions: Ann will be working with the Career Building for Creatives Track, as well as the Creative Writing Track. Additional events include a Friday Intensive, Career Consultations and Manuscript Critiques, and the Faculty Q&A Fair. Ann will attend all meals in the dining hall, Lab Hours, and the Saturday Pitch Party/Portfolio Showcase.

Critique genres: All genres of MG and YA

Tracy Shaw is an award-winning Executive Art Director at Jimmy Patterson Books, handling all of James Patterson’s children’s titles from board books to YA novels. She has a Bachelor degree from RISD in Illustration, loves to sew and do crafts with her kids, and her husband is also an art director in comics so their home is overflowing with books.

Sessions: Tracy will be working with the Illustration Track, as well as the Career Building for Creatives Track. Additional events include Portfolio Reviews, and the Faculty Q&A Fair. Tracy will attend all meals in the dining hall, Lab Hours, and the Saturday Pitch Party/Portfolio Showcase.

Jen Keenan is an illustrator, art director, and multimedia artist living in Brooklyn and Woodstock, NY. Her debut art show took place in the brown linoleum speckled halls of her elementary school at the ripe age of 7. She has been doodling and dabbling in various creative mediums ever since.

Jen strives to create pieces of art that capture a sort of child-like whimsy. Her illustrative work celebrates hand-drawn imperfections, lettering, and quirky sophistication. 

She has experience working in publishing, off-air network, branding and events, paper goods and decor, print, identity, mobile and web. Selected client list include: Macmillan Children’s, Nickelodeon, Hachette Book Group/Little Brown Young Readers, Levine Querido, Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Food Network, Super Delicious, Random House Penguin, Sterling, Workman Publishing, Mental Floss Magazine and Chase.

She is inspired by vintage treasures, children's picture books, colorful textiles, food, her silly pets, and the ongoings in the world around her.

Sessions: Jen will be working with the Illustration Track. Additional events include a Friday Intensive, Portfolio Reviews, and the Faculty Q&A Fair. Jen will attend Lab Hours, all meals in the dining hall and the Saturday Pitch Party/Portfolio Showcase.

Former ARA to SCBWI Carolinas, Kelly holds an MFA in Writing for Children and Young Adults for Vermont College of Fine Arts and got her start in agenting by working as an editorial reader and assistant at leading literary agencies. She joined The Tobias Literary Agency with the merger of Raven Quill Literary Agency in 2022 and is excited to help grow TLA’s Children’s Department. View Kelly’s full bio and MS Wish List.

Sessions: Kelly will offer Career Consultations and Manuscript Critiques, as well as participate in the Faculty Q&A Fair. Kelly will attend Lab Hours, all meals in the dining hall and the Saturday Pitch Party/Portfolio Showcase.

Critique genres: PB, MG, YA, GN, fiction, non-fiction

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