by Dawne Knobbe
We’re excited to announce that Down the Rabbit Hole, an SCBWI Los Angeles field trip, is back and will be held on May 17, 2020! This Sunday field trip began in 2005 with SCBWI-LA offering members a new experience – an adventure designed to help participants discover a deep and truthful essence of their characters while bonding with other creative souls.
Since 2005, our character-focused adventures have explored many Southern California settings. We’ve ventured by train to both Carpinteria and San Juan Capistrano and then by ferry to Santa Catalina. We’ve boarded the Queen Mary, and explored the Huntington Gardens and The Getty.
If you’d like to know more about what’s in store for you Down the Rabbit Hole this year, keep reading!
A week into 2020, are you still working on your goals for the year? If your goals include things like sharing your work/personal successes, being more active in the SCBWI community, increasing your online presence, or helping fellow writers/illustrators by sharing your expertise – then you should consider submitting to Kite Tales!
Fall brings fond memories for me. Even though I grew up in sunny Southern California, there were a few special trees in the neighborhood that would change color and drop their leaves. I’d dreamt about how endless forests of these trees would look and had read fairytales about how spirits would change the colors of the leaves. I’d wonder how they’d lived with all the other creatures in the wood, and if they would all gather into little caves, sleeping together through the long, cold winters. For a kid that never experienced the seasons, this magic seemed so real, even if just beyond my reach. But I was able to capture some of that magic when it came time for Halloween. 
I’m always grateful for the community and connection that comes from being a member of SCBWI. There’s no shortage of people willing to share advice, tips, and knowledge. And lucky for us, so many in the kid lit community have shared their stories and wisdom on the Kite Tales blog.