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!
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: 6:45-8pm CST
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]
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]
22 – Chattanooga Area Fall Meet-up
Our last official event for the year will be on November 22 at 11 am EST at Lanewood Studio (Emily Critser's photo studio). Emily has also generously offered to take a few headshots, so if you are interested, arrive photo ready.
Time: 11 am EST
Location: Lanewood Studio
2502 Cummings Hwy
Chattanooga, TN 37419
Cost: FREE
Contact person: Hope Bissell
To RSVP or ask questions: [email protected]
December
6 – Central Kentucky Meetup - Setting as Character
An in-person gathering of writers and illustrators. This is a craft-focused meet up where we'll do a deep dive into setting! We'll also do some warm-up exercises and save time for friendly critique (bring a page or sketch to share), and catching up. Join us!
Time: 10 am - 12 pm EST
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]
8 – Bowling Green Meetup: High Concept
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 December 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: Toro
1760 Scottsville Rd, 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]
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: Gerard's Tavern
935 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: Novo Dolce
651 U.S. 31 W Bypass STE 101, 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]
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: Thai Express
1511 U.S. 31 W Bypass, 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.