Taking Your Writing & Art to New Places: Published Authors and Illustrators at Work 2019

September 25 - 29, 2019

Overview

You’ve launched your career – now what? Discuss, dissect, collaborate, and grow.

This workshop is for published authors and illustrators to have time to talk about their careers, challenges, deadlines, and upcoming projects. With this workshop, we are aiming for meaningful conversation about how to continue to push the boundaries of our work. How do we acknowledge the power of our recurring themes and at the same time find ways to break new ground and find innovation?

Please note that there is an application process for this workshop.
After you register and pay your $200 deposit, you will receive a confirmation email with a link to the application you will need to fill out.

Authors and illustrators interested in this retreat must list the following when applying:

Two or more titles of your own published work.
A short paragraph indicating ways in which you hope to grow as a writer or illustrator.

The application deadline is August 1, 2019. Decisions will be made soon after the application deadline.

What You’ll Learn

Enjoy presentations and activities intended to spark artistic leaps.
Have time to write, illustrate and collaborate according to your own goals.
Participate in an editor Q&A. We have TWO wonderful editors coming: Neal Porter and Kathleen Merz!
Spend evenings and mealtimes in community, making connections and filling the creative well.
Optional Portfolio/Dummy Review
Optional One-to-One Editorial Consultation

Who Should Attend

All published authors and illustrators are welcome, no matter what their experience level.

Agenda

Day 1
Afternoon
Arrival and check in

Evening
Appetizers and dinner
After dinner: Welcome and introduction to our time together, Jennifer Jacobson

Day 2
Morning
Breakfast
Faculty talk, Padma Venkatraman

Afternoon
Lunch
Writing/Retreat Time

Evening
Appetizers and dinner
After dinner: Participant Directed Merriment

Day 3
Morning
Breakfast
Faculty talk, Juana Martinez-Neal

Afternoon
Lunch
Writing/Retreat Time

Evening
Appetizers and dinner
After dinner: Editor Q/A session

Day 4
Morning
Breakfast
Faculty talk, Gareth Hinds

Afternoon
Lunch
Writing/Retreat Time

Evening
Appetizers and dinner
After dinner: Participant Directed Merriment

Day 5
Morning
Breakfast
Faculty talk, Nikki Grimes

Afternoon
Lunch and farewells

Resources

Jennifer Jacobson’s website
Juana Martinez-Neal’s website
Video interview with Juana Martinez-Neal
Gareth Hinds’ website
Some interview with Gareth Hinds
Nikki Grimes’ website
A video interview with Nikki Grimes
Padma Venkatraman’s website
Video interview with Padma Venkatraman on “Story in the Public Square”
Horn Book magazine interview with Neal Porter
School Library Journal interview with Neal Porter
Coffee Break: A Day in the Life of Kathleen Merz, Managing Editor
Five Questions with Kathleen Merz
Interview with Melissa Sweet, 2018 faculty.
Interview with Ruth Behar, 2018 faculty.
Interview with An Na, 2018 faculty.

Testimonials

“Everyone’s presentations and the week as a whole was just so beautifully crafted, and I enjoyed every second of it. I came in just hoping to have time to work on a few personal projects, and I’m leaving with soooo much more – fixing past projects, so many ideas for new projects, and just a deeper understand of what I want to create!”