Book Banning: What YOU Can Do to Stop Censorship

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American Library Association, banned books week, book banning, censorship, Dr. Tasslyn Magnusson, EveryLibrary Institute, SCBWI community, SCBWI members

The recent rash of documented complaints against specific books in schools and libraries have grown to an overwhelming number. Not only are the numbers concerning, but the complaints are also targeting books on the shelves of public libraries and bookstores all over the country. Books that have helped children learn more about themselves and others in the world are being removed from their hands. Books that have been created by authors who share the same identities of these kids are being censured into silence.

So what can we do about it?

#KTChat with Jorjeana Marie: Getting Clear on the Career You LOVE

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#KTChat, brainstorming, career goals, improv, Jorjeana Marie, kidlit, mindmapping, SCBWI members, writing

by Jorjeana Marie

Editor’s Note: On Twitter this Friday (9/16/22) from 12-1PM PST, Jorjeana will take your questions and discuss ways on how to define your writerly goals. Log into your Twitter account during our chat hour and use the hashtag #KTChat or @mention @jorjeanamarie and @SCBWISOCALLA to join the discussion! If you aren’t on Twitter, leave questions in the blog comments before the chat! 

Brainstorming isn’t just for coming up with ideas or solving story solutions. If you’re at all unhappy with any aspect of your writing life, brainstorming can help. It can connect you with your deepest desires—and what better way to brainstorm than by playing some fun games with your inner kid. 

Great News!

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SCBWI community, SCBWI members

SCBWI loves celebrating our members’ successes and noteworthy news, and there are many! Read on to find out who’s got something to shout about. Digital high-fives welcome in the comments!

SCBWI CenCal Writers’ Contest Winners 2022!

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Anita Perez Ferguson, CenCal Writer's Day, contest winners, Eloise Freeman, Judith Torres, middle grade, nonfiction picture book, picture book, Rachel Waterstone, SCBWI events, SCBWI members, young adult

By Ann Rousseau Smith, SCBWI CenCal News Liaison

The SCBWI Central-Coastal Region held its Writers’ Day webinar, Perfect Your Pitch, on Sunday, July 10. Lynn Becker, author of Monsters in the Briny, and Lisa Kerr, author of Wake, Sleepy One: California Poppies and the Super Bloom, were our Spotlight Speakers, sharing their paths to publication. Agent Joyce Sweeney from The Seymour Agency offered advice on composing pitches and gave live feedback on a handful of pre-selected pitches.

A highlight of the event was the announcement of the winners of the writing contest.

Interview with Emily Asaro, Winner of 2022 Twitter Banner Contest

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Emily Asaro, illustrator tips, illustrators, portfolio tips, portfolios, SCBWI members, watercolor

In SCBWI-L.A.’s latest Twitter Banner Contest, illustrators were asked to submit their most creative response to our prompt: FLIGHTS OF FANCY. The winning contestant’s artwork is featured on the Los Angeles Region SCBWI Twitter profile until the next contest, with a feature article published here on Kite Tales.

We’re excited to announce Emily Asaro as our winner! Emily is an illustrator who grew up in a small beach town in southern New Jersey. She has spent most of her life by the sea and currently calls the West coast home. She has won the SCBWI-L.A. Illustrator’s Day 2019 Portfolio contest and the Illustration Mentorship contest and shows her work at galleries all over Southern California.

Read on to learn more about Emily, her tips and tools, and what inspires her work.

Toot Your Horn!

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biography, middle grade, picture book, published, publishing, SCBWI community, SCBWI members, young adult

SCBWI members’ publishing news is something to celebrate here at Kite Tales! Check out whose book is coming to a platform near you or around the world. Horn-tooting and digital hi-fives welcome in the comments!

The ‘Reality’ of Writing: How Reality TV Can Improve Your Books – Episode 2

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Andy Cohen, cliffhangers, dialogue, middle grade, plotting, reality TV, SCBWI members, scenes, writing tips

by Toni Gallagher

Andy Cohen with Toni’s Book!

Have you ever wondered why you sometimes can’t turn off a reality show? Sure, they have colorful cast members and outrageous premises, but producers need to craft every episode, scene by scene, to hold a viewer’s interest. So what does it really take to create scenes that satisfy?

Just Do It! Enter the 2022 SCBWI-L.A. Writers Day Contest

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Christine Van Zandt, contests, Erica Rich, middle grade, Nicholas Ponticello, nonfiction, picture books, poetry, SCBWI events, SCBWI members, Toni Gallagher, Writers Day 2022, young adult

by Brenda Scott Royce

Why do we enter writing contests? Prizes are awfully nice, and hearing your name announced as the winner is a definite thrill. But perhaps even more motivating is the validation that comes with recognition of your work. There’s nothing like learning that the speck of an idea you plucked from thin air and coaxed into shape over weeks, months, or maybe even years, actually has wings and can fly. 

Comedy Writing Tips for Authors from a Stand Up Comedian and Animation Screenwriter

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authors, character development, comedy, humor, improv, plot, SCBWI members, stakes, writing tips

by Jorjeana Marie

I sat next to a somewhat distracted woman on an airplane recently. As she was settling, she asked me why I too was headed into the desert. 

For comedy. 

“In the desert?” 

Yeah. Everyone needs to laugh right now. 

Write for Kite Tales!

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authors, editors, illustrators, SCBWI community, SCBWI members, translators, writers

Have a topic you’d like to share with your fellow kidlit community? Want to share your process and inspire other writers or illustrators? Or maybe you have a list of incredible authors you’d like to interview but no idea where you can publish it? Let Kite Tales be your outlet for creative community and discussion!