Conference Schedule

SCHEDULE IS SUBJECT TO CHANGE

8:15-8:50. Registration/Breakfast

8:50-9:00 Welcome

9:00-9:45 with Emily Keyes, Founder/Agent, Keyes Agency LLC; Michelle Z. Jackson, Founder /Agent, Jackson Literary Agency; Allison Weintraub, Associate Editor, HarperCollins; Miloni Vora, Associate Editor, Simon & Schuster; Tracy Shaw, Art Director, LIttle Brown, Books for Young Readers (LBYR) / Hachette Book Group; Christina Rodriguez-Unalt (Facilitator)

9:45-10:20 Attendee and Faculty Social

Breakout Session 1

10:30-12:00 

• Creating Characters Before The Page with Christina Rodriguez-Unalt 
• Illustration+: A Deep Dive into Illustrating For Kids Books throughout your career with Courtney Pippin-Mathur 
• Secret Writing Tricks with Sylvia Chen 
• First Pages with Linda Camacho and Michelle McAvoy

      (Round 1 critiques from 10:50-11:45)

12:00-12:45-LUNCH

Breakout Session 2

12:45-2:15 

• Digging Deeper: Using Subtext To Add Depth to Your Story with Laurie Calkhoven
• Make Your Rhyme Shine: How To Get Your Rhyming Manuscript From “Good” to “Acquired” with Rebecca Garden Levington
• Crafting a Dynamic School Visit with Picture Books with Emeline Lee
• First Pages with Linda Camacho and Michelle McAvoy

      (Round 2 critiques from 12:45-2:00)

Breakout Session 3

2:30-4:00 

• Filling The Creative Well with Courtney Pippin-Mathur
• Invoking the Five Senses: Using Sensory Details to Create Emotion in Your Stories with Laura Parnum
• Let’s Chat About Swag: Recommended Practices for Picture Book Promo with Sylvia Chen
• First Pages with Linda Camacho and Michelle McAvoy

          (Round 3 critiques from 2:30-3:25)

Keynote

4:10-5:00 Keynote Address- Ammi-Joan Paquette