Webinar: Creating in Community

Description: You already know: Working with a critique partner or group can help improve your creative projects! Incorporating useful feedback into your art or writing can make the difference in whether your work attracts attention from an agent, gets accepted by a publisher, or wins an award. The best critique environment is a supportive, collaborative, safe space. It sparks vulnerability, transparency, and creativity while offering feedback that builds up writers’ confidence—in their work and in themselves. Equally true: in partnerships or groups with diverse creators, it’s important to foster a welcoming environment for creators of differing identities or cultures—or whose work centers characters or nonfiction/fiction themes outside your lived experience. Building on her experience as a writing coach and as a sensitivity reader for publishers of adult and KidLit titles, Lisa A. Crayton will explore how critique partners (and groups) can better celebrate, uplift, and empower creators through community. She’ll address topics centering diversity—such as stereotypes, marginalization, and respect— as they relate to KidLit art and writing. Lisa will also offer tips for providing better written and verbal feedback. And she’ll address your pressing questions arising from real life experiences in critique environments. The webinar is for you if you struggle with giving honest feedback when offering critiques to another creator because of the material that includes cultures, identities and/or themes different from your lived experience. Or if you hold back your heart topics or projects in a critique group because of fear of receiving insensitive comments. Or if you simply are curious about how to build a more supportive critique group. A limited number of critiques available at an additional cost.