WRAP UP WRITTEN BY EMMA BOWD.
WOW!! What an inspiring day of Professional Development and reconnecting with Kidlit friends at Library at the Dock, Melbourne. BIG thanks to Caz Goodwin, head of our Melbourne SCBWI VIC branch and her wonderful team of Kidlit volunteers Jess Racklyeft, Kaye Baillie, Amy Adeney, and Heather Gallagher for organising a really fabulous day.
The morning began with members sharing their latest creative achievements in the Show and Tell segment. What a talented bunch!
🥰 Thank you to every single presenter, who so generously shared their hard-won wisdom and knowledge, with such enthusiasm and candour.
📚 Gabrielle Wang (Australian Children's Laureate) spoke from the heart about imagination, diversity, art and writing.
📚 Kaye Baillie, Amy Adeney, and Annie White spoke candidly about the pros and cons of having an agent.
📚 Author Wendy Orr spoke from the heart about resilience in writing.
📚 Jess Racklyeft and Renee Treml spoke candidly about the nuts and bolts of making a living wage from illustration.
📚 Sarah Epstein shared her valuable experience of being a hybrid author - with both trade- and self-published books.
📚 Meredith Costain enthralled us with her many years of experience writing series fiction, including snippets into the illustration process of her co-creator Danielle McDonald.
📚 Lauren Draper shared her marketing prowess - giving us a glimpse behind the publishing curtain, which was invaluable. [As much as I love @instagram , I'm still not convinced that I could make a go of it on @tiktok ... at least not without my teen kids formally denouncing me 😝😂]. Emma Bowd.
L to R from top
Gabrielle Wang, Wendy Orr, Renee Treml, Jess Racklyeft, Meredith Costain, Lauren Draper, Caz Goodwin, Amy Adeney, Kaye Baillie, Annie White, Sarah Epstein.
Thank you, Emma, for this terrific summary of the event. The sessions were interspersed with scrumptious morning and afternoon teas and lunch in the adjoining community room. There was plenty of time to mingle, meet new people and catch up with familiar friends. Our next event will be Sketch and Scribble on 19 November 2022. Thank you to everyone for attending and for making the day a special one.
