Intensives

How it works

Intensives are limited to 10 participants per class
Premium Member $80
Preview Member $110

Friday 9/19 Schedule

8 – 9 am Breakfast (optional)
9 am Intensive check in
9:30 – 11:30 am Intensive

Waitlists

Submit your name to Erica Wood, [email protected], to be placed on a wait list for any sold out options.

Illustration Intensive with Sasha Illingworth

Cover Stories: Behind the Scenes of Captivating Design – A behind the scenes look at the cover design process from the perspective of an Associate Creative Director. With a focus on collaboration, creative strategy, and visual storytelling. We will explore how typography, color palettes, and composition come together to craft compelling covers that not only stand out on shelves but also serve the narrative.

Prerequisite: Each participant is welcome to bring in a cover they have created for a dummy or a create a cover for a picture book based on the following prompt, "The Days The Colors Mixed,” for ages 3-7. Plot: It’s the first day of school and hijinks happen during art class.

Novel Intensive with Carina Licon

First Pages for Novelists – Attendees will have the opportunity to share the first page of their novel (200-250 words maximum) in this small-group setting and receive feedback from Carina answering the question "Would an editor keep reading, why or why not?" Carina will expand on trends she notes in these first pages and how they relate to success or failure in the industry. Time for Q&A at the end.

Prerequisite: Attendees should submit their first page by Sept 1st. Attendees will receive a digital copy of each first page for reading along.

PB Intensive with Sylvie Frank

Dummies for Smarties – What does pacing really mean? What does it mean for a picture book to be “snappy”? And how does plot function in picture books, anyway? In this jam-packed session, we’ll take a deep dive into a mentor text, examining character, plot, design, and all the other elements that make up a well-paced book. Next, we’ll use your works-in-progress to create a dummy and examine the pacing of your own text, paying close attention to page turns, language efficiency, and emotional response.

Supplies: Attendees may bring a glue stick, pair of scissors, and/or stapler if readily available.

Career Launch Intensive with Ronald L. Smith

Building a Career in Writing – Ron will dissect his journey into authorship, encouraging attendees to explore and analyze their own career path. Topics include:

Why write for kids? Your journey as an author, dealing with internal barriers (self-doubt, motivation, permission to create, practical methods of time management, etc)
Marketability vs. creativity
Cultural considerations (who should write which stories, with regards to underrepresented characters)
Processes for a writing career: do you follow a regular schedule? How do you balance creative practice with the sometimes arduous work of writing? What resources/mentor texts do you use regularly?

Attendees will have the opportunity to set an informed intention for their path forward.