SCBWI Midsouth Meetups
Midsouth meetups are a great way to form community in our region. Most are free and open to members and nonmembers alike.
Are you a Midsouth Meetup Director who needs to add your local event to the calendar? If so, CLICK HERE!
Meetups
September
8 – Bowling Green Meetup: First Pages
The first page of your manuscript is probably the most important page you'll write in the entire book. Let's work together to make our first pages the best they can be. Bring five copies of the first page of any WIP for discussion at our September meetup and embrace the chance to witness first impressions of your first page in real time.
Time: 6:00 - 7:15 pm Central
Location: Q Coffee (Nashville Road location)
560 Waterbury Court, Bowling Green KY 42104
Cost: Free (food and drink available for purchase)
Contact person: M Hendrix and David Bell
To RSVP or ask questions: [email protected]
21– Nashville Fall Kickoff Meet Up and Writing-In
Coming join us at Musician's Corner in Centennial Park to hang out, meet one another, and get a writing sprint in. There is some stone seating but feel free to bring a blanket or chair. Some light refreshments will be provided.
Time: 3 - 5pm Central
Location: Musician's Corner, Centennial Park
2500 West End Ave, Nashville, TN 37203
Cost: FREE
Contact person: Camille Brea Smaby
To RSVP: https://tinyurl.com/4sjycnjt
October
6 – Bowling Green Meetup: Elevator Pitches and Loglines
You might never be in an elevator with Steven Spielberg, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't have a killer logline ready to go for agents, editors, and readers. At the October meetup, we'll discuss what makes a logline pop and help everyone put together a killer logline.
Time: 6:00 - 7:15 pm Central
Location: Spencer’s Coffee
915 College St, Bowling Green, KY 42101
Cost: Free (food and drink available for purchase)
Contact person: M Hendrix and David Bell
To RSVP or ask questions: [email protected]
7 – Louisville Online Meetup
Virtual social gathering to answer writing, illustrating, and publishing questions with a limited amount of time reserved for short critiques.
Time: 11:45 am EST - 12:45 pm EST
Location: Online
Cost: FREE
Contact person: Amy Beaman
To RSVP or ask questions: [email protected]
11 – Remote Social
A meet-up to talk all things writing and illustrating via Zoom! All are welcome, especially those who are not close to an in-person group.
Time: 10 AM Central
Location: Online
Cost: FREE
Contact person: Jennifer Lynn Alvarez
To RSVP or ask questions: [email protected]
12 – Let's Get Ready to Query Info Session
Gearing up for the query trenches? Looking for next steps to take? This informational session will go over what should be included in your query packet, as well as resources to help you on the querying path. Whether you're in the trenches or preparing for them, come chat with fellow writers about the process.
Time: 2-3 pm Central
Location: Nashville Public Library Green Hills Branch
3701 Benham Ave, Nashville, TN 37215
Cost: FREE
Contact person: Camille Brea Smaby
To RSVP: https://tinyurl.com/247unhfb
18 – Northeast TN Meet Up
Social for SCBWI members in Northeast TN
Time: 4 pm Eastern
Location: TBD
Cost: FREE
Contact person: Gretchen Sherrill
To RSVP or ask questions: [email protected]
19 – Central Kentucky Meetup - Lexington
An in-person gathering of writers and illustrators. This is a craft-focused meet up where we'll do some warm-up exercises, talk about character development using the 4-quadrant method, save time for friendly critique and catching up. Join us!
Time: 2:30 - 4:30 PM Eastern
Location: Lexington Public Library - Tates Creek Branch Small Conference Room
3628 Walden Dr, Lexington, KY 40517
Cost: FREE
Contact person: Nell Campbell
To RSVP or ask questions: [email protected]
25 – Chattanooga Meetup
Join us for creative community and cute inspiration!
Time: 10:30 am - 12:30 pm Eastern
Location: Rosie Mae's Alpaca Farm
550 Old Birmingham Hwy, Wildwood, GA 30757
Cost: FREE (Cafe on site to purchase drinks)
Contact person: Hope Bissell
To RSVP or ask questions: [email protected]
25 – Knox-Area Meetup
Come spend some time with other authors and illustrators in the Knoxville area.
Time: 12:45 p.m. - 2:00 p.m. Eastern
Location: Seed Coffee
2558 Sutherland Avenue, Knoxville TN 37919
Cost: FREE
Contact person: Danielle McClean
To RSVP or ask questions: [email protected]
November
3 – Bowling Green Meetup: Comps
Let's talk about comps: How do you choose the right comps? How do you write about them? Can you use movies or tv shows as comps? How old can comps be? Are there rules about what to avoid? Bring the logline of your current WIP (or just some notes) and leave the November meetup with your comps ready to go.
Time: 6:00 - 7:15 pm Central
Location: Q Coffee (Nashville Road location)
560 Waterbury Court, Bowling Green KY 42104
Cost: Free (food and drink available for purchase)
Contact person: M Hendrix and David Bell
To RSVP or ask questions: [email protected]
18 – Louisville Online Meetup
Virtual social gathering to answer writing, illustrating, and publishing questions with a limited amount of time reserved for short critiques.
Time: 11:45 am EST - 12:45 pm EST
Location: Online
Cost: FREE
Contact person: Amy Beaman
To RSVP or ask questions: [email protected]
19 – Fall Critique Session: In Person
It's time for our Fall Critique Session! If you are interested in being critiqued, please fill out the form linked so we can try to accommodate as many people as possible. Remember, keep your submission between 1000 – 1,500 words so we have time to get through everyone. Once we get closer, I'll send out an email requesting the number of printed copies for the submission.
Time: 6 - 7:30 pm Central
Location: Nashville Public Library Edmondson Pike Branch
5501 Edmondson Pike, Nashville, TN 37211
Cost: FREE
Contact person: Camille Brea Smaby
To RSVP: https://tinyurl.com/mr49w4f5
22 – Memphis Area Fall Meet-up
Online Check-In to Conference Debrief and Provide General Accountability
Time: 2:00 to 4:00 pm Central
Location: Online
Cost: FREE
Contact person: Amy Murrell
To RSVP or ask questions: [email protected]
February (2026)
2 – Bowling Green Meetup: High Concept
What is high concept? Why is it so hard to define? Why do agents and editors care about it and how can you make sure your new project is seen as high concept in the publishing industry? Join us at our February meetup and we'll talk about all this and more.
Time: 6:00 - 7:15 pm Central
Location: Spencer’s Coffee
915 College St. Bowling Green KY 42101
Cost: Free (food and drink available for purchase)
Contact person: M Hendrix and David Bell
To RSVP or ask questions: [email protected]
March (2026)
2 – Bowling Green Meetup: Synopsis discussion
You've finished a draft of your new book — now what? Now you have to write the dreaded synopsis. That's right, it is time to fit everything that happens in your book into a one-page summary. We'll spend this meetup talking about how to tame the synopsis beast.
Time: 6:00 - 7:15 pm Central
Location: Q Coffee (Nashville Road location)
560 Waterbury Court, Bowling Green KY 42104
Cost: Free (food and drink available for purchase)
Contact person: M Hendrix and David Bell
To RSVP or ask questions: [email protected]
April (2026)
6 – Bowling Green Meetup: Synopsis critique
Now that we've discussed all things synopsis, it's time to put what we've discussed into practice. Bring a draft of your one-page synopsis to our April meetup and get helpful feedback on how to revise and make your synopsis catch the attention of agents and editors.
Time: 6:00 - 7:15 pm Central
Location: Spencer's Coffee
915 College St. Bowling Green KY 42101
Cost: Free (food and drink available for purchase)
Contact person: M Hendrix and David Bell
To RSVP or ask questions: [email protected]
Monthly Online "Let’s Talk About” Discussions
Our Let's Talk About series is a FREE informal roundtable-style discussion for Midsouth members by Midsouth members. The sessions are NOT recorded. A link to join each month's chat is emailed directly to Midsouth members (no registration required) within a week of the start of each event. Be sure you've set the Midsouth as your home region on your SCBWI member home page to receive the link to join each month.
2025 Calendar of Talks
Please note there are no talks during February and September due to SCBWI conferences during those months.
January 8 – Goals for the New Year
March 20 – Mentor Texts
April 22 – Festival Tablescapes
May 19 – Idea Generation
June 17 – Synopsis Writing
July 17 – Research Techniques
August 25 – Conference Prep
October 27 – Conference Takeaways
November 18 – Advances & Contracts
December 9 – Time Management
Midsouth Regional Meetup Directors
Anti-Harassment Policy
SCBWI has a zero-tolerance policy against harassment of any kind. Any violation of this policy is actionable. The Meetup Director has the right to refuse admittance to anyone whose behavior is disruptive to the event, attendees, or faculty.