We are thrilled to welcome our community back to Santa Fe for New Mexico's first Handsprings Conference since 2018! The pandemic may have scattered us, but our creative spirit and love of children's literature unites us, and we have planned an inspiring and enriching conference with sessions for every kid lit creator. We are eager to welcome you in person at Santa Fe Community College on Saturday, November 2 and/or on Zoom Friday, November 1 and Sunday, November 3.
To register, visit either the Full Conference or Online-Only Conference page by clicking "See More" (below).
Inspiring Keynotes
Joining us in-person are acclaimed, multi-award-winning creators, author Lesa Cline-Ransome and author-illustrator Diane Stanley. They will each share their wisdom and experience from prolific careers in children's literature. Lesa will also be offering manuscript critiques, which can be purchased at registration.
Illustration Session with James E. Ransome
Giant of the industry and Children's Literature Legacy Award winner James E. Ransome will share his expertise with our illustrators, drawing from his storied career in children's literature. James will also be offering portfolio critiques, which can be purchased at registration.
Literary Agent Q&As and Critique Feedback
On Sunday evening on Zoom, we'll be joined by Susan Hawk of Upstart Crow, Sally Kim of Andrea Brown Literary Agency, and Quressa Robinson of Folio Jr. for a virtual panel. Christie Megill (of the CAT Agency) will be offering portfolio critiques with one-on-one Zoom feedback sessions. All of our agent faculty members will be open to submissions from attendees.
The Stories We Tell
In the face of book bans, NAACP Image Award finalist Khadijah VanBrakle shares considerations for including "tough" topics in children's literature in her session "Pushing Boundaries: Is The Fear of Being Banned Dictating The Stories You Tell?" Winner of the National Jewish Book Award for Young Adult Literature, Susan Wider shares her journey toward finding the right story for her debut biography in "Finding an Agent: How the 'Wrong' Manuscript Led Me to Sign with My Agent and Write About My Ethnic Roots."
Fiction and Non-Fiction
Award-winning author-illustrator Diane Stanley will share wisdom from her acclaimed career researching, writing, and illustrating non-fiction and biographies for children. For fiction writers, prolific author and writing educator Chris Eboch will detail how to get your story moving and grab readers from page one.
Career Workshops
Author and educator Kit Rosewater will share tips for diversifying revenue streams in the age of book bans and the shrinking mid-list in her hands-on workshop "Changing Genres and Categories in Publishing." Award-winning author RJ "The Story Guy" Mirabal will share tips for creators on self-publishing and small press publishing paths for marketing at local events in his session "Selling Your Books in Person."
Options and Opportunities
Full Conference (In-Person and Virtual)
Join us on Zoom Friday evening, November 1, and at Santa Fe Community College on Saturday, November 2, for an enriching, community-building conference celebrating children's literature and its creators.
