Event

SCBWI Japan Writer's Day: Jazz It Up! Writing Today for Children and Young Adults

Saturday, February 22nd, 2014, 9:00 AM - 4:00 PM

Speaker: Suzanne Kamata, Wouter Laleman, Leza Lowitz, Mariko Nagai, Vice-President, Andrea Davis Pinckey (Executive Editor at Scholastic via video) Sean Michael Wilson

9-9:15 Registration

9:15-10:45 Distance Critiques - Receive, React, Revise
Participants who paid for Distance Critiques will receive their written critiques back, react to them in a structured and supportive environment, then determine steps for revision. We will spend fifteen minutes reading the written critiques, then after that, using a sample editorial letter, we will look at it to analyze the deeper meaning of the feedback. We will apply what we learned in the previous exercises to decipher the critiques in front of us. Open to all, even for people who did not sign up for paid critiques. Distance Critique submissions are now closed.

11:00-11:45 Andrea Davis Pinkney: The Write Stuff--An Author and Publisher Shares Trade Secrets for Crafting Works of Nonfiction and Historical Fiction for Children and Young Adults
Andrea Davis Pinkney, author and editor, is preparing a pre-recorded talk for SCBWI Japan including Q&A on writing biography and/or historical fiction.

11:45-12:30 Five Things Learned Along the Way to Publication with Suzanne Kamata and Leza Lowitz, moderated by Mariko Nagai
Every journey to publication comes with a learning curve. This panel of published authors will share some of their most important take-aways from their recent publication journeys. Lunch—Bring your own bento or walk to a cafe in Motomachi area.

1:30-2:45 Comic-Book Writing with Sean Michael Wilson
Sean Michael Wilson will share the basic steps involved in writing a graphic novel or manga including plot, script, description lines, dialogue, captions, panel and page layout using Sean's comic book, The 47 Ronin (copies to be loaned for the session; optional purchase). In a collaborative activity section, groups will create a 1 or 2 page comic (in rough sketch style), based a set theme. We'll end on a discussion/question and answer section.

3:00-4:00 Making School Visits A Part Of Your Career with Wouter Laleman, Elementary School Librarian, American School in Japan
What makes a great school visit? What elements are essential? What can authors, illustrators and translators do to create great programs? This practical session will include tips on what makes an author a good candidate for a school visit, how to develop a school visit program, price ranges for international schools in Japan and more.

Organization: The Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI) Japan (SCBWI)

Cost: SCBWI Members: 3,000 yen
Non-members: 5,000 yen

Venue: Yokohama International School, Middle Building (Inge Building), Cafeteria - enter via Playground Entrance

Location: Yokohama City, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan

Contact SCBWI

Holly Thompson, SCBWI Tokyo Co-Regional Advisor

Work phone: 0467-31-6908