Brian McMullen of McSweeney's to Speak at the 2012 Children's Writers & Illustrators Conference

May 15, 2012 - PRLog -- Book Passage Bookstore proudly announces the 6th annual Book Passage Children's Writers and Illustrators Conference. Both writers and illustrators of children's, young adult, and teen literature from across the country will convene at Book Passage in Corte Madera, California, just a short drive across the Golden Gate Bridge from San Francisco, June 14-17, 2012.

This year's participants will spend four event-filled days in beautiful Northern California writing, workshopping, networking, and perfecting their craft with a celebrated faculty featuring prize-winning authors and illustrators including Brian McMullen (art director and editor at Dave Eggers' McSweeney's), Gennifer Choldenko (Newbery Honor Book Al Capone Does My Shirts),  Annie Barrows (Ivy and Bean series, The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society), and Katherine Applegate (Animorphs series).

The conference will cover all aspects of writing and illustrating for children and young readers, from sharpening your skills and completing your manuscript, to the collaborative process between writer and illustrator, to finding the right agent and publisher. Participants will work directly with and receive advice from top professionals in the industry, including agents, editors, and publishers who will share market trends and insider tips and advice.

The conference is designed to meet the differing needs of those who write or illustrate for specific age groups.

Participants will spend mornings in workshop sessions focused on their area of emphasis, such as writing for picture books, early readers, young adult books or illustration. Afternoons will present a choice of panels, such as working with editors or marketing and promotion.

There will be many opportunities for faculty and participants to talk, laugh, and exchange ideas in workshops, lunches, and at evening events. Participants and faculty will dine together outdoors in the glorious spring weather the first evening, while subsequent evenings will allow for optional excursions to an array of outstanding dining options for which the Bay Area is so well known.

Alumna Nancy Coopersmith says, "The whole conference was wonderful; well-planned and well-executed. A wonderful assemblage of writers, illustrators, agents, editors and publishers we would never otherwise have had the chance to meet, under one roof.”

Conference faculty includes agents: Minju Chang (Bookstop Literary Agency), Laurie McLean (Larsen-Pomada Literary Agency), Lara Perkins (Publishing Manager for Literary Agent Laura Rennert), Amy Rennert (The Amy Rennert Agency), Andy Ross (Andy Ross Agency); publishers’ representatives: Shirin Yim Bridges (Goosebottom Books), Ginee Seo (Chronicle Books), Brian McMullen (McSweeney’s); editors: Naomi Kirsten, Summer Dawn Laurie, Amy Novesky; authors and illustrators: Andrea Alban, Katherine Applegate, Annie Barrows, Gennifer Choldenko, Ying Compestine, Michael Grant, Kathryn Otoshi, Lissa Rovetch, Barney Saltzberg, and Pam van Hylckama Vlieg.

The cost of the four-day Conference is $475. Optional 30-minute private consultations are available for $95. For complete details, a full schedule, faculty list, accommodations, or to register, please visit the conference homepage on the Web at http://www.bookpassage.com/childrens-writers-illustrators.... You may also contact Conference Coordinator, Kathryn Petrocelli, by phone at (415) 927-0960 ext. 239, or email bpconferences@bookpassage.com.

Gennifer Choldenko, author of Al Capone Does My Shirts, says, "I’m not sure I would have ever been published if I hadn’t attended conferences like this one. It’s one of the few opportunities that allow you to pick the brains of writers who are actually making a living in this profession."

The author of Anya's War, Andrea Alban says, "The authors bond through lively discussion of the writing life. I head back to my studio more inspired to write."

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Book Passage has served the Bay Area for more than 30 years, providing the community with an array of author events, writing and language classes, and highly-respected, annual conferences. A New York Times-reporting bookstore, Book Passage offers a wide variety of books ranging from children’s literature to travel guides, from top-selling fiction to mystery novels, and the business continues to work diligently with community and nonprofit organizations. Book Passage has two stores, one in Corte Madera and a second in the San Francisco Ferry Building.