Ten Things about the 2013 MidAtlantic SCBWI Fall Conference
1. It was SO MUCH fun!
2. There was smoked salmon and hard-boiled eggs on the breakfast table this year to get everyone proteined-up for the morning talks on kittens and twitter and NY times bestselling picture books.
3. Ok, there’s always those danged poles in the middle of the conference room. And I’m all for building stability, but something has to be done about those next year!
4. There was coffee ALL DAY LONG. This is a detail my co-chair and I take very seriously.
5. The bookstore was a flurry of people in and out with bags of books and happy faces. I didn’t even get to buy my copy of Hannah Barnaby’s Wonder Show because it sold out before the FIRST BREAK!
6. There was a lot of talk on the importance of social media – and the right kind of social media. Because editors and agents will google you and find out that you were a naughty nun for Halloween one year and won the championship keg stand competition in college.
7. The intensives were intense this year and I know a ton of people left Cynthia Lord’s Deepening Your Novel class wondering how in the world she knew so much. She talked for three hours – and I could hear the lingering of a nasty cold in her voice – but she never complained once! In fact as we were all bleary-eyed with new knowledge and inspiration, I swear she could have taught the class all over again, still fresh and answering hard questions.
8. There was a lot of honesty in the talks this year which made me thankful for the camaraderie within the kidlit community and left me feeling so fortunate to be a part of it.
9. Next year there will be afternoon cookies! (Well, I guess I can’t promise this since I’m not the one paying the bills.) But if I can help it – there will be afternoon cookies!
10. Our faculty was amazing this year – bigger than ever – and approachable and charismatic and creative – and a million other things. Next year will be our MidAtlantic chapter’s 35th anniversary. Let’s hope we can re-create the same greatness next year that we had this year!
