Workshop Descriptions
The Hero’s Journey: Retooling Mythic Structure in Fantasy and Science Fiction with Eliot Schrefer
Whether we intend to be or not, we are steeped in the hero’s journey, whose stages are the foundations of the most popular works in our culture today (and all those story beat sheets that everyone keeps talking about). In this workshop, we’ll break down the hero’s journey, looking at why its various stages can make for great storytelling—and give an eye to where we can shake things up in order to write a story that will feel fresh and stand out in the marketplace.
A Discussion about Creating Picture Books with Antwan Eady and Theo Baker (Description Coming Soon)
Marketing as an Illustrator with Angela Dominguez
Illustrating is not just about making pictures. It’s also a business. Marketing is how you get publishers and agents interested in you and your unique voice. In this breakout session, you will learn tips on how to create a unique portfolio, promotional materials and the ways to use them that can help get you noticed. If time allows, Angela will offer feedback to anyone who wants their promotional materials reviewed in front of the group.
Making an Emotional Impact: Historical Fiction in a Graphic Novel with Maria Van Lieshout
Maria will talk about how finding documents her grandparents wrote about life under Nazi occupation led to her discover that a group of artists had pulled off the greatest bank heist in European history, and how this inspired her graphic novel, Song of a Blackbird. She will also share how she created emotional impact in the panels of the graphic novel using facial expressions, posture, color, framing, "camera angle", lettering and speech balloons.
Demystifying Metadata: Real-World Strategies for Book Discoverability with Sarah Pierre
Digital Strategy Associate Sarah Pierre of Penguin Random House will show you how strong metadata can help your book reach the right readers. This session breaks down the basics of metadata including keywords, BISAC categories, titles, subtitles and book descriptions, and offers practical strategies to help creators improve discoverability online.
Speaker Bios