The New England SCBWI conference is fast approaching, and Loretta Jo Kapinos, one of the conference co-directors took a few minutes out of her busy prep-work to give us the behind-the-scenes scoop on the conference. Welcome, Loretta!
There are some big changes to NESCBWI’s schedule this year! The Friday schedule is shorter and there are no critiques that day. Author/illustrator photos being taken, which is new. What’s up?
One of the biggest differences was that we wanted to make the conference more social and allow more time for networking. The regional SCBWI conferences – as opposed to the New York and LA ones –are meant to be smaller and more intimate. When we have 3 days packed with programming, it can be very overwhelming. People are exhausted by Sunday!
We wanted to create a more relaxed environment where attendees could mix and mingle and to bring attendees closer to faculty and industry professionals. Manuscript and portfolio critiques are important and useful, but so is getting to know someone else who writes or illustrates books.
You and I were both just at the Whispering Pines Writers’ Retreat and that event was great for getting to know fellow writers better.
Exactly. Pam Vaughan, the retreat director, created a great atmosphere for getting to know people, make friends, and build your support system. We want to bring that to the conference.
Friday night’s agenda usually includes the Portfolio Showcase, which shine a light on the work of all the illustrators attending
The Portfolio Showcase will be Saturday night this year, as will the Agent/Editor Meet and Greet. On Friday, we didn’t want to have critiques and stress. Friday is geared towards breaking the ice and getting into gear for the weekend.
In addition, attending the conference for 3 days is expensive. By scheduling the workshops on Saturday and Sunday and moving the Portfolio Showcase to Saturday night, people can come for just 2 days only pay for 1 hotel night.
What are you looking forward to at the conference (other than your work as a co-chair being done!)
I’m looking forward to a different feel this year. The conference will be a celebration of our art and a celebration of all our hard work. We can acknowledge the fact that everyone has a different journey and come together and learn from each others’ journeys.
The workshops at the New England SCBWI conference this year look different too. There’s more content on work-for-hire and writing chapter books and magazine articles – different ways to build your writing resume. There are also more workshops on marketing creative work.
This year, we relied strongly on feedback people provided at the end of prior conferences to choose the workshop topics. Every year, we send out a survey to find out what attendees liked and what we could do to make the conference better. We read through these and learned about what people wanted to see.
Attendees wanted workshops that would suit those at all different levels of their creative journey. This year’s workshops reflect that, as well as a variety of different interests. In addition, with this year’s theme – Golden Brick Road, Paving Your Way to Success – I wanted to highlight opportunities that people might not have thought of to make their path longer or bigger or wider.
I really appreciate this. I landed my first work-for-hire book deal directly based on Kathyrn Hulick’s workshop at last year’s NESCBWI Conference. And even having sold that book and a second work-for-hire novel, I still find the work-for-hire market very opaque.
I used to write for Nursing magazine. I don’t think writers realize there are many ways to build a resume and build a career aside from what we’re all taught to do: find an agent. There are so many things you can do along the way that can make it easier to find an agent.
If you think about it, selling the novel of your heart is a highpoint of a writing career, not a first step in the publishing industry. Writing a novel is hard! Magazine articles and work-for-hire novels are great steps along the way. They make it easier to get to the end goal we’re pursuing.
Exactly. I was trying to highlight these opportunities to build your resume for people who aren’t aware they exist. I really don’t think people know about them.
What are the hidden jewels that attendees should look out for at this year’s conference?
A lot of artists are introverted people and it can be difficult to put yourself out there and meet new people. We want everyone who attends to feel comfortable socializing at the conference.
We also want people to gain comfort with speaking to their art and to be proud of it. Writers should always have their pitch ready and be ready to hear about other peoples’ work. The work of other creators can inspire your own. This is why we created the Friday night pitch party.
What was the biggest surprise you encountered planning the conference?
I was amazed by how important the entire team is. You don’t realize how many people are behind-the-scenes, giving their time and energy to make this conference great. So many people have valuable insight, some of whom are normally very quiet. Shirley Pearson, the conference registrar, has been working on the New England SCBWI conference for years and has insight from so many different angles. She’s one of the golden gems of the conference.
What areas do you need more volunteers in?
We’re in good shape for this year, but we’re always planning ahead. We’ll need a new co-chair for next year’s conference and a registrar or assistant registrar.
What types of skills are you looking for these positions?
Someone who’s passionate about the conference, has a vision for it, and has a good mix of attention to detail and big-picture thinking. There’s a solid team behind the conference, so mostly it’s about being passionate about making the conference happen and interested in learning.
In the past, there was a step ladder to becoming the conference coordinator. Someone might act as assistant to the volunteer coordinator one year and then be the volunteer coordinator the next year, then step up to be co-director for the conference. This year, because we wanted fresh eyes and fresh ideas, we had an open invitation and Casey Robinson stepped up to the plate. She brings great ideas and an angle that is all new to the conference.
What advice do you have for first-time attendees to NESCBWI?
Don’t feel like you’re the only new-comer. A third of the conference attendees this year will be first-time attendees.
My advice is to leave your expectations at home. If you’re open to new opportunities, you can learn so much more. Just come and soak it all in. Bring your love for art.
Any advice for conference veterans?
We planned some advanced workshops as well as ones for beginners. Take advantage of those. Also, make yourself known to the planning committee. We’d love your thoughts and ideas.
Look for opportunities to mentor the newer people at the conference. There are many first-time attendees and they’ll need guidance and support.
You mentioned that you invited workshop leaders for this conference rather than putting out an invitation for proposals. If someone is interested in presenting, how do they pursue that?
The best way to get involved is to talk to the conference planners and your regional SCBWI advisor.
Through conference feedback surveys, we found that people thought that the same people were presenting year after year and that you needed to know someone to get involved. We wanted to open up the conference to new people and new ideas, so we made the committee planning the conference and the team organizing it bigger by adding new people. This new group generated more ideas about the content we wanted to offer.
We collected names of people who hadn’t presented at NESCBWI before and put together a dream wish list. By creating this wish list, we actually got a lot of good responses from the people we asked. For example, Jessica Southwick is new to the conference this year. She approached a regional advisor with an idea to lead a workshop on a topic we haven’t explored much in the past, branding.
Oh, I’m signed up for that one. It sounds great!
I know that there’s a perception that making invitations rather than opening up for proposals was more exclusive, but our aim was actually to be less exclusive—to find new presenters. But anyone who is interested in leading a workshop can express interest by inquiring with their regional advisor. We do want people to use the RA’s as a resource and interact with them more.
Thanks for the sharing the behind-the-scenes scoop on the conference, Loretta! I always enjoy the workshops and come home inspired. It’s just around the corner now, and I’m so looking forward to it!
I hope that everyone enjoys the conference, is able to meet some new friends, and takes home some golden bricks to pave their way to success.
Loretta Jo Kapinos is the co-chair of the 2019 New England SCBWI conference which will be held in Springfield, MA, May 3rd to 5th. She writes young adult contemporary novels and is the author of Springfield Tornado: Stories from the Heart. Loretta has been an ER nurse for 17 years and lives in Western Massachusetts with her husband and 2 kids.
To find out more about the annual New England SCBWI Conference, you can find the registration page here and the Facebook page here. If you’re thinking of attending NESCBWI or another writing conference, you can find more in these posts:
Insider Tips to Get the Most Out of Your Next Conference
Behind the Scenes with Sera Rivers – Co-Director of the 2018 New England SCBWI Conference
