The bookish fun begins this Saturday, October 12, with a 10 AM SCBWI-WWA chapter meeting at SPL Central Library. Come out to mingle with your colleagues, hear about the season ahead, and learn from award-winning author-illustrator Don Tate, who will join us to present an inspirational keynote covering his decades-long journey as a book creator.
A few of Tate’s critically acclaimed titles include NO SMALL POTATOES: JUNIUS G. GROVES AND HIS KINGDOM IN KANSAS (Knopf, 2018) and STRONG AS SANDOW: HOW EUGEN SANDOW BECAME THE STRONGEST MAN ON EARTH (Charlesbridge, 2017), both of which he wrote and illustrated; and WHOOSH! LONNIE JOHNSON’S SUPER-SOAKING STREAM OF INVENTIONS by Chris Barton, (Charlesbridge, 2016) which Tate illustrated.
He will discuss those and other books Saturday during a 1:30 PM SCBWI WWA Nonfiction Series Master Class at SPL called CREATING WINNING PICTURE BOOK BIOGRAPHIES. Geared toward nonfiction authors and illustrators, the workshop details Tate’s process of planning, researching, writing, and illustrating an engaging biography. He’ll show participants how he works from the story’s initial inspiration all the way through to creating thumbnail sketches and dummy books. Visit our chapter site for more details and to register.
Also on deck for October 12 is the SPL-hosted 2019 Washington State Book Awards. The ceremony starts at 7 PM and is free and fun and open to all. It’s a great way to support the area writing community, including the kidlit nominees from our own chapter!
And, last but not least, we have a Sunday, October 13, offering to cap off the weekend. At 10:00 AM, Don Tate is offering a 90-minute roundtable critique session to a small group of book creators. This is a unique opportunity to get quick, meaningful feedback on your WIP from a seasoned pro. As of this writing, space is still available, so RUN to the registration page to snag your spot.
Hope to see you here, there, and everywhere this weekend!