Regional virtual events

September 11, 2025 (registration closes September 9): School visits offer a great way for authors and/or illustrators to connect with children, and they can also provide an opportunity to sell your books. This webinar is designed to address all the FAQs related to such events. Panelists will address keys to successful school visits while providing valuable information designed to help you get new or increased opportunities. Each will present on an aspect of school visits for about 20 minutes. A Q&A will follow the presentations. Come prepared to learn, and get needed information to begin filling your school visits calendar!

September 13, 2025-April 25, 2026 (registration closes September 10): Join renowned chapter book expert Marcie Colleen in this 8-month virtual workshop and learn how to captivate readers ages 6-10. Participants will learn what defines a chapter book, use mentor texts, develop a strong premise for a chapter book series, create compelling characters, hone plotting and pacing chapter-by-chapter and across a series, engage and participate in peer critiques, and conclude with a finished Book 1 of a chapter book series.

September 15, 2025 registration deadline require to participate. Event is November 8, 2025: SCBWI Florida’s Critique Fest is an opportunity to get your work critiqued by a publishing industry pro! Whether you write, illustrate, or do both, we will have plenty of amazing agents, art directors, and editors to choose from who can provide helpful feedback to make your work the best it can be. You can go to the website now to pick the professional that fits your writing style the best and then register when registration opens on August 15th.

September 15, 2025 (registration closes September 14): We all know that every story needs a beginning, middle, and end (even if it's not narrative-driven!). But how many pages to dedicate to each part of the story? And how do make sure readers don't get bored and feel satisfied by the time they reach the end? This workshop will use mentor texts to show how to best pace your picture book so your readers stay engaged with your story, page after page. A limited number of PB, CB & MG CRITIQUES available at an additional cost. *Note: PB Author Day—Live! In Lancaster 2025 participants are automatically registered.

September 15, 2025 (registration ends September 14): Calling all illustrators! Ready to hone your character design and visual storytelling? Join us for an illustrator's intensive with Ely Mellet, Designer with Lee & Low Books. Based on Ely’s assignment, you will develop initial sketches for her review, apply her feedback, and prepare your final full-color piece to share during the Zoom Intensive on Sunday, December 7

September 16, 2025: To make emotions real to readers, writers need to go beyond the stereotypical eye roll or shrug. Often the tools for making more effective choices already exist in a rough draft. Join Anne-Marie Strohman to learn more about bringing emotions to life in your work.

September 16, 2025 (registration ends September 13): "Hooks, Arcs, and Character: A Panel Discussion with Three Award-Winning Authors" Join Oregon SCBWI Level Up! for a powerhouse panel discussion with three highly acclaimed writers. YA author April Henry, MG author Deborah Hopkinson, and PB author Leslie Barnard Booth will share their knowledge and expertise on the topics of hooks, story arcs, and character development. Learn from the best as they answer questions about their thought processes and work habits.

September 16, 2025: School and library visits are a great way for authors and illustrators to connect with readers and the teachers and librarians who buy the books. Panelists will share their insight into developing an effective and fun program. Kathy Halsey will address things that authors and illustrators need to think about as they develop a program. Alisha Gabriel will talk about adapting programs for different age groups and different venues. Brianne Farley will share what an illustrator visit might look like. Part one of a two-part series.

September 20, 2025 (registration closes September 19): Go beyond the basics of self-editing to approach your submission with the eyes of an acquisitions editor. This presentation covers the nuts and bolts of formatting and proofreading along with a frank conversation about where you should really put your energy and resources. We’ll wrap up with the questions publishing professionals will be asking when they review your query and text together. For beginner and intermediate authors of all kidlit and YA categories. A limited number of manuscript critiques are available at an additional cost

September 21, 2025: SCBWI Illinois invites you to attend the 2025 Community Gardens: Fall Harvest online conference. It’s harvest time in the community garden! Whether you’re planting your first manuscript or tending a well-established story, our online conference is designed to help you cultivate deeper industry roots, sow seeds for future connections, and gather the tools you need to grow your creative career as authors and illustrators! Join us on Sunday, September 21, 2025, and let’s grow something beautiful—together.

September 25, 2025: Gain skills and insights to create incredible book covers to successfully sell your children's books to prospective publishers and book buyers. A great cover is the most critical piece of artwork you'll create for your book, and the most scrutinized part of any book project. In this workshop, you'll learn the process, nuts and bolts, pitfalls to avoid, and how to stand out, and enjoy the process, all from award-winning illustrator Kaz Windness! Whether you're a published or pre-published illustrator, and interested in picture books, early readers, or even middle grade covers, this class is for you. Gain skills and tips you'll be using for many successful publishing years to come.

September 26, 2025 (registration closes September 25): Join our workshop to strengthen your writing voice with practical tips and exercises from author and editor Sara Grant. For an additional fee, receive a critique of your manuscript from Sara Grant, who has developed a revolutionary approach to editing. Critiques are offered on a first-come, first-served basis and must be submitted by Friday, 12 September.

September 27, 2025: Ready to bring your creative project to life with Kickstarter but unsure where to start? Join illustrator, author and creator Jime Wimmer for an intensive one-hour workshop designed to demystify the crowdfunding process. Drawing from her own successful campaigns, Jime will guide you step-by-step through planning, launching, and managing a winning Kickstarter. Whether you're a first-time Kickstarter creator or seeking to level up your crowdfunding skills, this workshop provides valuable insights and actionable strategies to ensure your project is set for success.

September 27, 2025: Five reasons that commonly appear in rejection letters for novels and picture books, translated and then followed by solutions for addressing the problem. Plus: Hear about 4 agents and editors and 2 art directors currently open to submissions.

September 29, 2025: We all know about the power of three. But when it comes to picture books, it takes two: text and art! The industry standard is that authors and illustrators work separately. Join us as acquiring editor for Cardinal Rule Press, Adam Blackman, discusses notable exceptions to this standard and explores how closer collaboration between authors and illustrators can lead to work that is more than the sum of its parts. Offered by SCBWI Nebraska as part of their Creative Connections series.

September 29, 2025: Join us for a webinar with Caldecott-Honor-winning author-illustrator, Cherry Mo! In this webinar, Cherry will share her process from idea to finished book. For writers and illustrators, this interview-style webinar will give you a behind-the-scenes look at her path to publishing, her creative process, and her illustration workflow.

October 4, 2025 (registration closes September 28): Writers and illustrators are invited to a full day of speaker presentations, critiques, pitches and mingling with fellow creatives! We'll have agents, an editor, an art director, published authors and an illustrator. This hybrid event is both in-person at Cal State Fullerton and via zoom. Attendees will have access to the videos for 30 days following the event.

October 7, 2025 (registration closes October 6): Looking to grow your creative presence online, but not sure where to start? This webinar is designed for kidlit creators who want to use Instagram and Pinterest with more intention. We’ll explore the pros and cons of each platform and how to build visibility in a way that feels sustainable and authentic. You’ll learn tips for crafting engaging content, uncover hidden opportunities on Instagram, learn how Pinterest can quietly drive long-term traffic to your website, and more.

October 9, 2025 (registration closes October 8): In this 2-hour workshop, discover the key to plotting and revising a cohesive, satisfying novel through the intersection of plot structure and character development. In this interactive workshop, you’ll be introduced to a variety of storytelling structure tools from the basic three act structure to the more complex Save the Cat Writes a Novel by Jessica Brody. Each storytelling guide will be applied to Star Wars: A New Hope to see how guides overlap and intersect with each other, and attendees will have the chance to experiment with applying these tools to their own work during the workshop portion of the presentation. A limited number of PB, MG & YA critiques available at an additional cost.

October 14, 2025: Let’s Get Graphic! In this webinar, author-illustrator Jonathan Roth will provide an overview of this ever-expanding art form and give lots of creator tips on how to write, format, illustrate and submit your ideas. This webinar will be geared toward writers and/or illustrators (you don’t have to do both!) of all kidlit genres and subjects.

October 15, 2025: Whether you're an illustrator or an author, it's crucial to think early on about your manuscript in its intended format: as a picture book! Rachel Orr at Prospect Agency will help you find joy in paginating your text and pondering page turns, which can help you think about your story in a whole new way. This process will allow you to spot problems and discover solutions that you may have overlooked before. Rachel will also speak briefly about the general pacing and shape of novels. Don't miss it!

October 18, 2025: In our Meet the Publishers workshop, Kade Dishmon, Assistant Editor, Holiday House, and Madison Pelletier, Editorial Director, Mayhem Books and Mischief Books, will share the history and mission of their publishing houses and what they are acquiring. They will answer questions about the publishing process, securing a book contract, writing a strong proposal, navigating submissions to publishers, and the current state of publishing. Attendees will receive submission guidelines and can view the recording for thirty days.

November 1, 2025: From book dummy query letter to the final product on the shelf, what exactly happens?! And what are the best tactics to use for that submission? Tracy Shaw, Art Director at Little Brown Books for Young Readers, will take you through each step starting with how best to submit your picture book dummy, through what to expect when your book is in the hands of a publisher. You’ll learn about what you’re involved in as well as what you’re not, and what to do after the ink has dried.

November 3, 2025 (registration closes November 2): For young readers, the jump from reading picture books alongside caregivers to reading middle-grade books on their own can be a huge leap. This is a vital time in childhood development, but since the pandemic, we’ve seen kids struggling more and more with making this transition and reading for fun independently. Thankfully, there are many different kinds of books that can help bridge this gap—including beginning readers, chapter books, longer-form picture books, and even early reader graphic novels. In this presentation, we’ll talk about the transition readers make from picture books to middle grade stories, the different kinds of books for this age group, and how writers can craft stories for that stick with kids and help to turn them into life-long readers. A limited number of critiques are also available at an additional cost.

November 8, 2025: Natascha Morris, Senior Agent with Tobias Literary Agency, will share her professional advice and experience on the art of developing compelling Pitches and using them to create opportunities for getting a second look from Agents, Editors and Readers. Season Ticket Holders will receive a link to submit a pitch for the speaker to possibly use during their presentation.

November 11, 2025: Join prolific picture book author Valerie Bolling to learn how your stories can benefit from having multiple layers to attract the attention of agents and editors.

November 13, 2025 (registration closes November 12): Picture books and middle-grade novels will always be beloved mainstays in the world of children’s literature. Yet it’s exciting to see the new categories that have arisen in order to bridge the gap between these two genres. From early readers and chapter books—to a wide range of illustrated and paneled graphic novels—there’s more of a selection now than ever for any level and interest, especially for those kids who might not be so inclined to crack a spine. Rachel Orr of Prospect Agency will trace the journeys of several projects from her author and illustrator clients that have landed in this space—some intentionally, but many serendipitously. She’ll also provide some tips for forging one’s own way into this new frontier. A limited number of critiques are also available at an additional cost.

December 6, 2025: 2025 Debut Children's Literature Authors and Illustrators Share Their Different Experiences.

December 7, 2025: Virtual Only Chapter Meeting Season Ticket pays for all chapter meetings September 2025 through April 2026 and discounts on other chapter events (EX: Mentorships and Intensives). Those who purchase a Season Ticket between Sep.-Dec. will receive recordings of the meetings they missed.