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!
August 2026
15 - Chattanooga Chat with Matthew Hubbard
Come meet us at Oaks Coffee and discuss publishing with local author, Matthew Hubbard.
Author of three young adult books as well as two forthcoming adult books, Matthew is a wealth of knowledge and excited to talk with us.
Time: 11 a.m. - 1 p.m. Eastern
Location: Oaks Coffee House
2916 Silverdale Rd Chattanooga, Tennessee 37421
Cost: Free, with optional coffee and snacks for purchase
Contact person: Hannah Courtney
19 - Louisville Online Meetup
Social gathering to answer writing, illustrating, and publishing questions with a brief amount of time reserved for short critiques.
Time: 11:45am EST - 12:45 pm EST
Location: Online
Cost: Free
Contact person: Amy Beaman
22 - Lexington Area Summer Meetup
A library meetup! We'll do a few creative writing/sketching prompts, share about how our work in progress is going (critique short passages or illustrations if time allows), prepare for the fall conference. Join us for a time of kidlit camaraderie!
Time: 2:00 - 4:00 pm eastern
Location: Lexington Public Library - Tates Creek Branch Small Conference Room
3628 Walden Dr, Lexington, KY 40517
Cost: Free
Contact person: Nell Campbell
October 2026
18 - Chattanooga October Meet Up
Let's meet at Rosie Mae's Alpaca Farm for coffee, hanging out with some adorable alpaca's, and catching up on our writing one month post-conference.
Time: 11 a.m. - 1 p.m. Eastern
Location: Rosie Mae's Alpaca Farm
550 Old Birmingham Highway, Wildwood, Georgia
Cost: Free, with optional coffee and snacks for purchase
Contact person: Hannah Courtney [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.
2026 Calendar of Talks
Please note there are no talks during February and September due to SCBWI conferences during those months.
Jan. 3 - Making the Most of SCBWI/Volunteer Opportunities
March 24 - Reaching Readers Part 1: Mailing Lists & Curating Content
April 29 - Reaching Readers Part 2: Pre-publication Tips for Building a Platform
May 28 - Self-Editing Tips
June 25 - Comp Titles
July 11 - The Author-Illustrator Relationship
Aug. 27 - Prepping for the Face-to-Face Critique
Oct. 26 - Reaching Readers Part 3: Street Teams
Nov. 16 - Reaching Readers Part 4: In-person Events
Dec. 15 - Finding Inspiration
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.