Pennsylvania: East Regional events

Eastern PA Webinar: Not a Yes, Not a No—How to Handle an R&R with editor Sally Morgridge

Webinar Description: What is a "revise & resubmit" request, and what do you do when you get one from an agent or editor? This path to publication is more common than you might think, but it doesn't always look the same. This webinar will take creators through the ins and outs of R&Rs from all angles—why an author might do one, what risks might occur, how an editor thinks about them, and what the ultimate outcome might look like. You'll be prepared for any scenario involving an R&R! A limited number of PB & MG CRITIQUES available at an additional cost.

Eastern PA Webinar: 10 Game-Changing Things Authors and Illustrators Should Know with literary agent Lilly Ghahremani

POCONO & THE THREE BEARS 2026 PARTICIPANTS ARE AUTOMATICALLY REGISTERED FOR THIS EVENT!! Webinar description: How do the latest industry developments and practices affect you and your writing? What do publishers discuss behind closed doors? What is no one telling you? In this session, we’ll talk about what creators need know about today’s book market, from advances to publication timelines, morality clauses to AI and more. If these phrases aren’t familiar, you’re not alone—and more reason to attend! Join us for a timely discussion as we tackle the biggest secrets of our book market. It’s a lively time in publishing, so we’ll have lots to discuss! Please bring your questions, as this session will end with Lilly’s signature juicy Q+As, to help you get the most from it.

Pocono & The Three Bears 2026: In Search of Just Right

Take a walk with Goldilocks as we stumble through the woods and into The Barn at the Highlights Foundation. Find just the right chair for working on craft. Enjoy just the right food for networking with fellow creators. And stay in just the right cabin for a creative retreat to remember. Whether you're just getting started or you're Published and Listed (PAL), gain valuable tools for the journey ahead and perspective on finding the path that's just right for you.

Eastern PA Two-Step Critique for Author-Illustrators with literary agent Kait Feldmann

Calling all Picture Book Author-Illustrators: Ever wish you could have the same publishing professional look at your dummy a second time? After you made their suggested revisions? Well now you can! Two-Step Critique participants will meet with literary agent Kait Feldmann to discuss their picture book dummy (illustrations and completed manuscript) once in May, then have about 3 months to revise and resubmit for a second round of feedback in September.

Eastern PA Webinar: Mastering the Dual Role of Being an Author-Illustrator

Webinar description: Being both an author and an illustrator places you in a specific creative position—one where story and art can be developed side by side, in conversation with each other. That combination comes with real opportunities, but also real decisions about where to focus, what to show, and how to shape your work for the market. In this webinar, we’ll explore how to use your dual role intentionally when building dummies, developing portfolio pieces, and presenting your work to agents and editors. We’ll look at how writing and illustration can support one another without competing, and how to make choices that serve the project rather than trying to do everything at once. This session is about understanding how to work from the position you’re in as an author-illustrator—using both skills together to strengthen your storytelling, elevate your materials, and put forward work that feels cohesive, confident, and true to you. A limited number of PB & CB CRITIQUES available at an additional cost.

Eastern PA Webinar: Professional Development Series

This 3-webinar series is made possible by a grant from SCBWI and the Authors Coalition of America.

Eastern PA Webinar: Drawn to Story—Crafting Characters and Cracking Smiles

Eastern PA Webinar: Beyond the Surface—Crafting Authentic Invisible Representation in Children’s Books with literary agent Eva Scalzo

Invisible identities shape the lives of countless young readers, yet they often go unrecognized or are portrayed inaccurately in children’s literature. This workshop explores how to authentically represent experiences that aren’t immediately visible—such as bilingualism, chronic conditions like diabetes or epilepsy, and neurological or psychological differences including dyslexia, ADHD, or depression. We’ll discuss how to avoid stereotypes, build fully realized characters, and integrate these identities naturally into story. A limited number of MY, YA, & NIV CRITIQUES available at an additional cost.

Eastern PA Webinar: Embodied Point-of-View—Capturing your Main Character’s Perspective in Narration with Lisa Gouldy

Webinar Description: MG & YA DAY—LIVE! IN LANCASTER 2026 PARTICIPANTS ARE AUTOMATICALLY REGISTERED FOR THIS EVENT!! A picture may be worth a thousand words, but an author’s pen can capture something beyond the view of any camera lens: the experience of a moment from inside the body and mind of the person experiencing it. This webinar will explore the critical concepts of point of view and narrative voice, then dive deep into strategies for channeling your main character’s unique, embodied perspective. We’ll examine how to use first person and third-person intimate POVs to bring your character’s story to life in setting, action, and interiority, drawing examples from picture book, middle grade, and young adult mentor texts. You’ll come away from this workshop with concrete tools to help you render your main character’s perspective on the page and transport your readers far past the superficial, deep into your story’s heart. A limited number of PB (manuscript or dummy), MG, YA, & NIV CRITIQUES available at an additional cost.