The Brazos Valley chapter of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators is excited to announce local authors Molly Blaisdell and Romy Natalia Goldberg, as part of the lineup for the upcoming All Y’all Texas Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators Conference.The state-wide children's book writing and illustration conference will be held in Round Rock on May 4-5th as well as online via Zoom. The conference is hosted by all five Texan regions of the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators, a global non-profit dedicated to supporting the creation of an abundance of quality children’s books, so that young people everywhere have the books they need and deserve.
Molly Blaisdell, a local author, will speak about picture books and how to bring them from a dream into reality. “Picture books are for everyone. These books stay with readers for their whole lives.” Molly encourages writers of all ages to consider this an investment in their children’s writing careers. She has authored over 60 books for children and believes her success has been greatly enhanced by the programming at SCBWI conferences.
Romy Natalia Goldberg, the current regional advisor for the Brazos Valley SCBWI, chapter will lead a session designed to help authors overcome their fear of the blank page and discover picture book inspiration through the use of mentor texts. “Our local writing community has been instrumental in helping me go from dreaming of writing books for children to securing an agent and a book deal. Conferences like All Y’all are a fantastic way to make connections and get your work out there.” Her debut picture book, THE GOODNIGHT SHIFT, will be published by Scholastic in 2025.
The All Y’all Texas Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators Conference will feature publishing industry professionals eager to share advice and find new talent. Literary agents include Kevin Lewis of Erin Murphy Literary Agency, Monica Rodriguez of Context Literary, Trinica Sampson-Vera of New Leaf Literary & Media, Molly O’Neill of Root Literary, and Ann Rose of The Tobias Literary Agency. These industry professionals represent everything from board books to graphic novels, picture books and middle grade and young adult novels. Keynotes will be delivered by authors Sarwat Chadda, P.J. Hoover and author-illustrator Molly Idle. There will be break-out sessions and intensives focusing on writing, illustration and professional development delivered by fifteen other authors and illustrators. Illustrators also have the opportunity to participate in an illustrator portfolio showcase, to be judged by Laurent Linn, Art Director at Simon & Schuster.
The conference also offers opportunities to network with faculty, sign up for written critiques and submit polished work to presenters at a later date (submission guidelines are provided during the conference).
Conference details:
Date: May 4-5th
Location: Online conference via Zoom and in-person at Austin Marriott North, 2600 La Frontera Blvd, Round Rock, TX 78681
Registration fees: In-person conference $347 members/$447 non-members, Online only $267 members/$367 non-members
(SCBWI memberships are $95 per year for the first year and $80 for subsequent years). For more information and to register please visit https://www.scbwi.org/events/texas-writers-and-illustrators-conference
About SCBWI
Founded in 1971, the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators, a nonprofit 501(c)3 organization, is the only professional organization specifically for individuals who write and illustrate for children and young adults. The Brazos Valley chapter of SCBWI has nurtured talented children’s book authors and illustrators in the region for over 25 years. The group hosts two monthly events that are free and open to the public. Monthly meetings, held the last Wednesday of every month from 11am-12:30pm at the Arts Council of Brazos Valley, feature guest speakers sharing writing and illustration tips as well as industry news, along with a social time for members to meet and network. The Brazos Valley Book Report, held the second Thursday of every month from 7:30-8:30pm, is a chance for participants to discuss current children’s books they’ve enjoyed. More information can be found at, https://www.scbwi.org/regions/brazosvalley as well as on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
Courtesy of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators
