SWET Forums

SCBWI Tokyo Event: SCBWI Tokyo Writers’ Night, February 18, 2012

2012-01-14T17:31:52+09:00

The Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators presents

Saturday, February 18, 2012

SCBWI Tokyo Writers’ Night featuring

Claire Dawn-Marie Gittens with Brick by Brick—Building your Blog
and
Trevor Kew with Less Talk, More Action—Achieving Balance between Action, Dialogue, and Description in Your Children’s Book

Time: Saturday, February 18, 2012, 6:00–8:30 p.m.
Place: Tokyo Women’s Plaza, Conference Room 1
5-53-67 Jingumae, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo
(by the Children’s Castle and United Nations University).
For a map see http://www.scbwi.jp/map.htm
Fee: 1,500 yen SCBWI members; 2,000 yen nonmembers
Reservations: RSVP contact (at) scbwi (dot) jp by Friday, February 17
This event will be in English.

Brick By Brick: Building Your Blog
Today’s writer needs an online presence. Blogging is one of many ways to create such a presence. Claire Dawn-Marie Gittens will give an overview on blogging specifically for writers. For those who are new to blogging, we’ll look at reasons to blog, how to set up a blog, and what to put on your blog. For those who are already actively blogging, we’ll look at how to build a following. Finally, we’ll take a moment to look at other social media for writers. Is blogging the best route for you? How can you combine your blog with other social media? Q&A and discussion will follow the presentation.

Less Talk, More Action—Achieving Balance between Action, Dialogue, and Description in Your Children’s Book
Have you ever heard kids complain that a book contains too much action? Probably not. Too much dialogue, maybe. Too much description, definitely. All three elements are important to the success of any novel, but how do we achieve the right balance for our audience? How do we paint a picture without boring readers with excessive details? How do we ensure that dialogue doesn’t overwhelm the story? And how do we create action that seems meaningful and authentic? Trevor Kew will speak briefly on his experiences in writing action-packed scenes for children, using examples from both drafts and finished pieces. This will be followed by an interactive session, where participants will get the opportunity to make choices about their own use of action within their writing. Q&A and discussion will follow the presentation.

Claire Dawn-Marie Gittens is a 30-year-old Barbadian living in Iwate. She writes for young adults, and her story “Ichinichi on the Yamanote” will be released in the forthcoming Tomo anthology. Her blog can be found at http://aclairedawn.blogspot.com.

Trevor Kew is the author of three novels for children–Trading Goals, Sidelined and Breakaway that all revolve around sports. His story “The Bridge to Lillooet” will appear in the forthcoming Tomo anthology. He teaches English Literature at Yokohama International School and originally hails from Rossland, British Columbia, Canada. Visit his website at http://trevorkew.wordpress.com.

http://www.scbwi.jp

SCBWI Tokyo Event: Creative Exchange and Shinnenkai Dinner January 21, 2012

2012-01-14T17:22:24+09:00

The Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators presents
Saturday, January 21, 2012
Creative Exchange and Shinnenkai Dinner

Time: Saturday, January 21, 2012
Exchange 6:00-7:30 p.m.
Dinner from 8:00 p.m.

Place:
Exchange:
Tokyo Women’s Plaza, Conference Room 1
5-53-67 Jingumae, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo
(by the Children’s Castle and United Nations University).
For a map see www.scbwi.jp/map.htm

Dinner:
Daylesford Organic Restaurant
La Porte Aoyama, 2F
5-51-8 Jingumae, Shibuya, Tokyo
For a map see www.daylesford.jp/shop/index.html#access-map

Fee:
Exchange: 500 yen SCBWI members; 800 yen nonmembers
Dinner: charged individually according to dishes ordered

Reservations: RSVP contact (at) scbwi (dot) jp by Friday, January 20 (please specify exchange, dinner or both)

This Creative Exchange will be in English and Japanese.

Join us for the first SCBWI Tokyo Creative Exchange of 2012! Bring your work in progress and your new ideas to share with the group for constructive feedback. Open to published and pre-published writers, illustrators and translators of children’s and young adult books. Also, bring along your questions about writing, illustrating and the marketing process.

After the exchange, join us for a shinnenkai (New Year’s party) dinner to share our creative goals and hopes for the new year.

What to bring for the Creative Exchange:
For MG and YA Fiction Bring 10 copies of a story or chapter up to 2,000 words.
For Picture Books Bring 10 copies of a dummy or story board or manuscript up to 600 words.
For Translations (Japanese to English) Bring 10 copies of a story or chapter up to 2,000 words.
Participants without manuscripts are welcome to participate.

www.scbwi.jp

SCBWI/SWET J-Boys event on Dec. 6, 2011

2011-11-29T15:12:21+09:00

The Society of Writers, Editors, and Translators (SWET) and the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI) co-present

J-Boys: From Inspiration to Translation

The Story of Middle Grade Novel J-Boys: Kazuo’s World, Tokyo, 1965

Date: December 6, 2011

Time: 6 p.m. bento supper, presentation 6:30-8:30 p.m.

Place: Rm. 204, Wesley Center, 6-10-7 Minami Aoyama, Minato-ku, Tokyo (map: www.telljp.com/images/uploads/new.TELL.map.4.pdf)

Admission fee: SWET and SCBWI members 1,000 yen; nonmembers 1,500 yen

J-Boys themed dinner bento: 1,500 yen with advance reservation.

To reserve a bento, email events (at) swet.jp or contact (at) scbwi.jp by December 2.

Reservations and information: Contact events (at) swet.jp or contact (at) scbwi.jp

In Japan, a new Olympic bid is underway and adults wax nostalgic about the 1964 Tokyo Games, as well as the economic boom years of the 1960s. What was it like to be a child at that time, and how can this be conveyed to upper elementary school children in North America? Shogo Oketani lives in the same Shinagawa Ward neighborhood where, as a youngster, he ate curry rice, watched Leave It to Beaver on TV, listened to the Beatles, and watched adults remember World War II. In this presentation, he will describe how he developed his experiences into fifteen linked short stories about nine-year-old Kazuo Nakamoto, his friends, and his working-class community. Oketani’s wife Leza Lowitz will discuss the subsequent transformation of the Japanese stories into an English-language novel targeted to the U.S. middle grade (MG) market, called J-Boys: Kazuo’s World, Tokyo, 1965. Oketani and Lowitz will read excerpts from the text and present historical photographs used in the book and ebook. Translator Avery Fischer Udagawa will comment via Skype about the novel’s niche among Asia-focused MG titles. Holly Thompson will moderate the exchange. Join us for an evening of Showa supper dishes, glimpses of Tokyo past, and reflections on contemporary children’s literature.

This event is co-sponsored by the Society of Writers, Editors, and Translators (SWET) and the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI) Tokyo Chapter.

Shogo Oketani was born in 1958 and raised in Tokyo. Following studies in the humanities at Keio University, he became an active writer and translator. He is well known for his translations of modernist poet Ayukawa Nobuo, for which he and his wife, Leza Lowitz, received the Japan-U.S. Friendship Commission Prize for the Translation of Japanese Literature from the Donald Keene Center of Japanese Culture at Columbia University, and a grant from the NEA. www.j-boysbook.com

Leza Lowitz is an award-winning writer and yoga instructor whose work has recently appeared in The Huffington Post, Shambhala Sun, and Best Buddhist Writing of 2011. She has authored more than a dozen books. Her latest title is Yoga Heart: Lines on the Six Perfections. www.lezalowitz.com

Avery Fischer Udagawa parents, writes, and translates in a bicultural (Japanese/American) family living north of Bangkok. She co-leads the SCBWI Tokyo Translation Group and contributes the column Four Worlds to Literary Mama. www.averyfischerudagawa.com

Holly Thompson is the author of the novels Orchards and Ash and the picture book The Wakame Gatherers, and editor of the forthcoming young adult fiction anthology Tomo. She teaches creative and academic writing at Yokohama City University and is regional advisor of the Tokyo chapter of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators. www.hatbooks.com

www.swet.jp www.scbwi.jp

SCBWI Tokyo Event: Agent Day with Literary Agent Mary Kole, Oct. 29-30, 2011

2011-08-16T13:30:07+09:00

The Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators presents
Agent Day with Literary Agent Mary Kole

Time: Saturday and Sunday, October 29–30, 2011
Place: Yokohama International School
Middle Building, Cafeteria
For access information and maps visit http://www.yis.ac.jp
Fee: Advance Registration 4,000 yen SCBWI members
7,000 yen nonmembers (reserve by Oct. 1, pay by Oct. 10)
At the door 5,000 yen SCBWI members
8,000 yen nonmembers

Reservations Required: To register go to the registration form here: http://bit.ly/nwzcFb Or email infoscbwitokyo (at) gmail.com

This event will be in English.

SCHEDULE

Saturday, October 29, 2011
9:00-10:00 Private Critiques (see below)
10:00-10:30 Registration, Announcements and Opening Remarks
10:30-12:00 Three Things That Separate Aspiring Writers from Published Authors
This presentation will offer an overview of the children’s book market as it stands today and a discussion of three vital things that writers must add to their craft portfolio before they can write their breakout book.
Lunch Break Lunch will not be served. Please bring lunch or join other writers and illustrators at nearby cafés.
1:30-2:30 Slush Pile Secrets: How to Catch an Agent’s Eye With Your Query
Queries intimidate a lot of writers, but it’s easy to get to the top of a slush pile if you write a great one. This talk will feature query examples from the audience, go over common mistakes, and show you how to write a successful letter. (See below for details.)
3:00-4:00 First Pages Open Critiques
Writers and author/illustrators are invited to submit the beginning of a manuscript to be read and commented on by Mary Kole. Novels: up to 150 words. Picture books: up to 100 words/first three spreads for a dummy. (See below for details.)
4:15-5:00 Final Q&A Participants will have a chance to ask any remaining questions.

Sunday, October 30, 2011
10:00 am–1:00 pm Private Critiques (see below)

******

First Pages and Queries First Pages and Queries will be discussed in open sessions listed above. To send First Pages and Queries, reserve early. First Pages and Queries must be received by October 1.

Private Critiques—Reserve Early! A limited number of private 15-minute critiques with Mary Kole will be available for illustration portfolios and manuscripts up to 2,500 words. Three slots are available Saturday, 9-10 a.m.; the remaining slots are on Sunday, 10 am to 1 pm. Manuscripts and payment for critiques must be received by October 1. Fee for critiques: SCBWI members 3,500 yen; nonmembers 4,000 yen.

Accommodation Hotels convenient to Yokohama International School include Star Hotel, Hotel Monterey Yokohama, Hotel New Grand, and Washington Hotel Sakuragicho.

Mary Kole is an associate agent with the Andrea Brown Literary Agency. She came to literature from a writer’s perspective and started reading at ABLA to see what it was like “on the other side of the desk.” She quickly found her passion there and officially joined the agency in August 2009. She has also worked at Chronicle Books and earned her MFA in Creative Writing at the University of San Francisco. Mary represents picture books from authors and author/illustrators, and both middle-grade and young adult novels. She prefers upmarket premises with literary spark and commercial appeal and operates the Andrea Brown East office from Brooklyn, NY. Visit the Andrea Brown agency website at http://www.andreabrownlit.com and visit Kole’s own website http://kidlit.com

SCBWI Tokyo Event: Creative Exchange, September 10, 2011

2011-08-16T13:24:02+09:00

The Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators presents

SCBWI Tokyo Creative Exchange

Time: Saturday, September 10, 2011, 6:00 - 8:00 p.m.

Place: Tokyo Women’s Plaza, Audiovisual Rooms B and C
5-53-67 Jingumae, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo
(by the Children’s Castle and United Nations University).
For a map see www.scbwi.jp/map.htm

Fee: 500 yen SCBWI members; 800 yen nonmembers

Reservations: RSVP infoscbwitokyo (at) gmail.com by Friday, September 9

This Creative Exchange will be in English.

Writers and translators, join us for a Creative Exchange. Bring your work in progress to share with the group for constructive feedback. Open to published and pre-published writers and translators of children’s and young adult books. Also, bring along your questions about writing, illustrating and the marketing process.

What to bring:
For MG and YA Fiction This will be a focus on characters and voice; please email infoscbwitokyo (at) gmail.com.
For Picture Books Bring 10 copies of manuscript up to 800 words.
For Translations Please email infoscbwitokyo (at) gmail.com

Participants without manuscripts are welcome to attend.

www.scbwi.jp

SCBWI Tokyo Event: Discovering PaperTigers—the Online Forum for Multicultural Children’s Literature

2011-06-09T22:04:42+09:00

Discovering PaperTigers—the Online Forum for Multicultural Children’s Literature

Time: Friday, July 8, 2011, 6:30-8:00 p.m.
Place: Tokyo Women’s Plaza, Conference Room 2B
5-53-67 Jingumae, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo
(by the Children’s Castle and United Nations University)
for a map see www.scbwi.jp/map.htm
Fee: SCBWI members 1,000 yen; nonmembers 1,500 yen
RSVP: Please reserve by sending an e-mail to info (at) scbwi (dot) jp

This event will be in English.

Multicultural children’s literature has been the focus of the website and blog, PaperTigers (www.papertigers.org), based in San Francisco, California, since 2002. The website contains a wealth of information about children’s books including reviews, interviews, illustrator’s galleries as well as an outreach program for donating books to libraries and schools world-wide. In addition to the website is a blog, active with near daily posts by international blog contributors Marjorie Coughlan (U.K.) Corinne Robson (Canada) and Sally Ito (Canada). Currently in Japan, Ito will give a presentation on PaperTigers for SCBWI Tokyo with an overview of its history, its current presence on the web, and the outreach projects it is engaged with at the present time. Q&A will follow the presentation.

Sally Ito was born in Alberta, Canada, and grew up in Edmonton and the Northwest Territories. She studied at the University of British Columbia and the University of Alberta, and travelled on scholarship to Japan, where she translated Japanese poetry. Based in Winnipeg, Canada, Ito is a writer, reviewer and blog contributor for PaperTigers. She has been with the PaperTigers team for about 3 years. In addition to writing for PaperTigers, Ito is a published writer of three books—two collections of poetry, Frogs in the Rain Barrel and Season of Mercy, and Floating Shore, a collection of short stories. Her newest book will be the poetry collection Alert To Glory to be published this fall by Canadian press, Turnstone Books.

www.scbwi.jp

SCBWI Tokyo Event: Writers’ Night: Writing for Young Adults June 11, 2011

2011-04-15T16:04:26+09:00

The Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators presents

Writers’ Night: Writing for Young Adults
Writing YA Short Stories with Suzanne Kamata
Writing YA Verse Novels with Holly Thompson

Time: Saturday, June 11, 2011, 6:30-8:30 p.m.
Place: Tokyo Women’s Plaza, Audiovisual Room
5-53-67 Jingumae, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo
(by the Children’s Castle and United Nations University).
For a map see www.scbwi.jp/map.htm
Fee: SCBWI members 1,000 yen; nonmembers 1,500 yen
RSVP: Please reserve by June 10 by sending an e-mail to info at scbwi dot jp
This event will be in English.

Join us for an evening focused on writing for young adults including discussion, brief readings and Q&A.

What makes a good short story? And why bother writing short fiction for teens? Suzanne Kamata, award-winning author of more than 40 published short stories, will answer these questions and suggest established markets and new frontiers for short fiction aimed at young adults.

What exactly is a verse novel? Why write one? And why do teens read them? Holly Thompson, author of the young adult verse novel Orchards will discuss the many variations of the form, share examples of recently published YA verse novels, and offer insights gained along the road to publication.

Books will not be available for sale at the event. Please feel free to purchase copies in advance through your favorite bookseller and bring them along for signing.

Suzanne Kamata (www.suzannekamata.com) is the author of the novel Losing Kei (Leapfrog Press) and editor of The Broken Bridge: Fiction from Expatriates in Literary Japan and Love You to Pieces: Creative Writers on Raising a Child with Special Needs (Beacon Press). She serves as fiction editor for Literary Mama (literarymama.com), and her short stories for young adults have appeared frequently in Cicada. Some of those stories will appear in her forthcoming collection The Beautiful One Has Come (Wyatt-Mackenzie Publishing). She is the 2009 recipient of the SCBWI Magazine Merit Award for Fiction.

Holly Thompson (www.hatbooks.com) is the author of the YA verse novel Orchards (Delacorte/Random House), the picture book The Wakame Gatherers (Shen’s Books), and the novel Ash (Stone Bridge Press). She serves as Regional Advisor for the Tokyo chapter of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators and teaches creative and academic writing at Yokohama City University.

www.scbwi.jp

SCBWI Tokyo Event: Two Artists Two Expressions May 21, 2011

2011-04-15T16:01:04+09:00

The Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators presents

Two Artists Two Expressions
Colored Pencil Workshop with Katsuya Takahashi and Daniel Schallau

Time: Saturday, May 21, 2011, 6:30-8:30 p.m.
Place: Tokyo Women’s Plaza, Audiovisual Room
5-53-67 Jingumae, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo
(by the Children‘s Castle and United Nations University;
for a map see http://www.scbwi.jp/map.htm)
Fee: SCBWI members 1,000 yen; nonmembers 1,500 yen
RSVP: Please reserve by May 20 by sending an e-mail to info at scbwi dot jp
This event will be in English and Japanese.

Please join us for an evening workshop led by two master colored pencil children’s book illustrators followed by Q&A.

Katsuya Takahashi will introduce and demonstrate the basic properties and techniques of colored pencils that give his illustrations a unique look and feel. In the second half of his workshop, everyone will have the chance to experiment with the techniques that Takahashi has shared. Please bring a set of twelve or more colored pencils, some paper and an eraser.

Daniel Schallau will focus on the techniques he uses to draw cool winter scenes. Have you ever wondered how to draw snow in night scenes? Just use white? Think again. Schallau’s secrets might surprise you. This part of the workshop will offer the opportunity, for those interested, to try out some of Schallau’s tips. Please bring a range of blue colored pencils and yellow, orange and red pencils. Paper and pencil sharpeners will be provided.

Katsuya Takahashi (http://homepage3.nifty.com/katz-t/) Born in Kyoto, colored pencil artist Katsuya Takahashi studied in the Faculty of Art at Kyoto Seika University. After graduation, he became a freelance illustrator, and his work has been widely recognized in newspapers, books, magazines, and commercials. “Hyper burnishing” is how he describes his colored pencil technique. The rich hues and luminous glow of his illustrations are the result of deep layers of colors. Now a resident of Tokyo, he has held exhibitions every year since 1998. Takahashi works both in Tokyo and the Kansai area and is the author/ illustrator of the picture book, Hora utaga kikoeruyo (Listen, I Hear a Song; Builder Buch).

Daniel Schallau (http://www.danielschallau.com) After working for various architecture firms in the U.S., Daniel Schallau traveled to Tokyo where he now works as an English teacher and an author/illustrator. People often find it difficult to believe his drawings are actually created with colored pencils, insisting instead that they must be done with a computer. His picture book Come Back Soon (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt) was published in 2009. Schallau specializes in intricately drawn worlds inhabited by elephants, penguins, whales, bears, snowmen, rabbits and more.

http://www.scbwi.jp

SCBWI Tokyo Frane Lessac Event on Jan. 28, 2011

2011-01-19T21:52:17+09:00

The Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators presents

Friday January 28, 2011

Author/Illustrator Frané Lessac: Creating Global Children’s Books

Time: Friday, January 28, 2011, 7-8:30

Place: Tokyo Women’s Plaza, Audio Visual Room (5-53-67 Jingumae, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo;

by the Children’s Castle and United Nations University)

For a map see www.scbwi.jp/map.htm

Fee: 1,000 yen SCBWI members; 1,500 yen nonmembers

Reservations: E-mail info at scbwi dot jp by Thursday, January 27, 2011

This event will be in English.

As creators we’re constantly looking for new ideas, pushing the boundary, striving for that universal story that will sell into numerous countries. We want to create books that all children can identify with and enjoy. At the same time we need to be aware of cultural authenticity and respect protocols. Frané Lessac will discuss her own inspirations for cross cultural books, the process of research, and the balancing of creative interpretation with cultural authenticity. Q&A will follow the presentation.

Frané Lessac is an author and illustrator of international renown, having over 35 award-winning children’s books published throughout the world, including My Little Island, On the Same Day in March, and Simpson and His Donkey.Frané is on the Executive Committee of the Australian Society of Authors and is the Illustrator Liaison for the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators in West Australia. Her greatest ambition is to instill pride and self-esteem in children about their own unique heritage and their ability to capture it in pictures and words. Visit her website:www.franelessac.com. Read an interview with Frane Lessac:www.scbwibologna.org/presenters/interviews/frane-lessac.php

www.scbwi.jp info at scbwi dot jp

SCBWI Tokyo event with Leonard Marcus, November 28, 2010

2010-11-10T17:46:35+09:00

The Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators presents

Children’s Literature Scholar Leonard Marcus:

Advice from a Legendary Editor: How Ursula Nordstrom Made Children’s Books That Last

Time: Sunday, November 28, 2010, 10-11:30 a.m.

Place: Tokyo Women’s Plaza, Conference Room 1

5-53-67 Jingumae, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo

by the Children’s Castle and United Nations University

For a map see www.scbwi.jp/map.htm

Fee: 1,000 yen SCBWI members; 1,500 yen nonmembers

Reservations are recommended: E-mail info at scbwi dot jp by Friday November 26, 2010

This event will be in English.

This illustrated presentation will give an inside look at the path-finding work of Ursula Nordstrom, Harper’s visionary editor of children’s books. The focus is on the hands-on creation of such well-loved classics as Goodnight Moon, Harold and the Purple Crayon, Charlotte’s Web, Where the Wild Things Are, and Harriet the Spy; on Nordstrom’s thoughts about children and their books; and on the valuable lessons that writers and illustrators of today can learn from her inspired approach to publishing. Q&A will follow the talk, and participants are welcome to bring copies of Leonard’s books for signing.

Leonard Marcus is a distinguished children’s literature scholar who is also an award-winning writer for kids. His books include Dear Genius: The Letters of Ursula Nordstrom; Golden Legacy; Minders of Make-Believe; and, most recently, Funny Business: Conversations with Writers of Comedy. Leonard is a frequent contributor to the New York Times and other publications and writes a regular column on picture books for The Horn Book. He has served as a judge of the Ragazzi Prize, the National Book Award, and on numerous other prize committees. He lives in Brooklyn, New York. Visit his website: www.leonardmarcus.com and read an interview with Leonard Marcus: www.scbwibologna.org/presenters/interviews/leonard-marcus.php

www.scbwi.jp info at scbwi dot jp