Sunday, July 11, 2010
Hey, Your Pixels are Showing!
A Photoshop Workshop and Creative Exchange
with Illustrator Jed Henry

Time:  Sunday, July 11, 2010
2:00-5:00 p.m.
Presentation and Photoshop Technique Sharing 2:00-3:45 p.m.
Creative Exchange 4:00-5:00 p.m.

Place: Tokyo Women’s Plaza,
Audiovisual Rooms A and B
(5-53-67 Jingumae, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo
(by the Children’s Castle and United Nations University)
access information and maps

Fee:    1,500 yen SCBWI members; 2,000 yen nonmembers

Materials to bring (optional): Notebook computer with Adobe Photoshop; illustrations for creative exchange feedback

This event will be in English; Japanese interpretation available by request

Reservations: Contact info@scbwi.jp by Saturday July 10, 2010

Illustrator Jed Henry has recently broken into the picture book market and has worked on books with major U.S. publishers.  Combining traditional media with Adobe Photoshop, he has developed several styles of digital painting, which he will share with participants at this creative exchange. Following the initial presentation, participants will be invited to share ideas, questions, and their own techniques and innovations combining traditional illustration methods with Adobe Photoshop. Participants are encouraged to bring a notebook computer installed with Adobe Photoshop, however, participants without computers are also encouraged to join in and share techniques, ideas, and questions. After the presentation and workshop the final hour will be a creative exchange for participants to show works-in-progress to peers and receive feedback and comments.

Jed Henry originally studied computer animation at Brigham Young University, but after graduating decided to pursue illustration.  For several years he took children's book writing and illustrating classes and attended many different conferences to learn the craft of illustrating children's books. He is now represented by Shannon Associates, a New York based firm that represents artists, illustrators, photographers and writers worldwide. Jed Henry has illustrated books for Penguin, Simon and Schuster, Harper Collins, and many educational publishers, and his next goal is to write and illustrate his own books. He currently lives in the Rocky Mountains of Utah with his wife and toddler. To see Jed Henry’s work visit his blog, JED'S SKETCH EMPORIUM or his website, jedhenry.com

Saturday June 12, 2010
SCBWI Tokyo Translation Day 2010:
Bringing Japanese Children’s Books to the World

A day of presentations, critiques, and conversation for published and pre-published translators of Japanese children’s literature (picture books through young adult) into English.

This event was made possible in part by a Regional Grant from SCBWI and with the cooperation of Yokohama International School.

Time:  Saturday June 12, 2010
Registration 8 a.m.
Sessions 8:30 a.m. – 4 p.m.

Place: Yokohama International School,
Yokohama Sessions to be held in the Loft
2F Pauli Building
access information and maps

Fee:     Advance registration
3,000 yen for SCBWI and SWET members
4,000 yen for nonmembers
At the door
4,000 yen for SCBWI and SWET members
5,000 yen for nonmembers

Please note: Advance registration has now closed.

Registration: To register and request workshop texts, send an e-mail to info@scbwi.jp

This event will be in English.

SCBWI Tokyo Translation Day 2010 Schedule

8:00 Registration

8:20 Opening Remarks

8:30-9:30 Arthur Binard, Translator and Author:
Once upon a Picture Book Translation
Poet, essayist, and translator Arthur Binard starts off Translation Day by discussing J-to-E picture book translation, reading from his published and current projects and illuminating aspects of the translator’s craft.

9:45-10:15 Cathy Hirano, Translator
and Cheryl Klein, Senior Editor,
Arthur A. Levine Books (Scholastic Inc.):
The Making of the Moribito Books, Young Adult Fantasy Novels in Translation
Cathy Hirano and Cheryl Klein (via Skype) discuss how they worked together and with author Nahoko Uehashi to create Moribito: Guardian of the Spirit and Moribito II: Guardian of the Darkness, novels that (respectively) garnered the Mildred L. Batchelder Award in 2009 and a Batchelder Honor Award in 2010.

10:15-11:15 (approx.) Roundtable Discussion:
Paths to Publication of Japanese Children’s Books
in English Translation
Cathy Hirano, Cheryl Klein and Arthur Binard join Akiko Beppu, Editorial Director, Kaisei-sha; Rei Uemura, Editor-in-Chief of Children’s Books, Tokuma Shoten; and Yurika Yoshida, President and CEO of Japan Foreign-Rights Centre to discuss possible paths to publication for aspiring JE translators of children’s books. How can translators hone their skills? Navigate the publishing world in Japan and overseas? Promote Japanese children’s literature? Panelists discuss these questions from different viewpoints and consider questions from the audience.

11:30-1:00 Lunch—Please bring a lunch from home, or join other translators at one of many nearby cafes.

1:00-2:30 Workshop with Cathy Hirano:
Translation of Japanese Children’s Books in Three Age Categories
Cathy Hirano comments on participants’ translations of three short excerpts from Japanese children’s fiction, taken from a picture book, a middle grade reader, and a young adult novel, of contrasting genres. The discussion will highlight skills needed to translate books for varying target audiences.

Please note: The deadline for submitting translations has now passed; translation submissions are no longer being accepted.

2:45-3:45 Brainstorming Session:
Initiatives and Resources to Encourage JE Translators for Children
Experienced and aspiring translators share their stories, discuss challenges they face, and brainstorm about future endeavors to promote networking and generate needed information, benefiting all in this exciting field.

3:45-4:00 Closing Comments

Akiko Beppu is the editorial director at Kaisei-sha and has edited many well-loved books for children, including the acclaimed Moribito series of novels by Nahoko Uehashi. During the twelve years between the 1996 publication of the first novel, Seirei no Moribito (Guardian of the Spirit) and 2008, the series grew to a total of eleven books and garnered numerous book awards in Japan. It also led to a successful anime series. Reportedly because of this, translation rights to the novel Seirei no Moribito have been sold in the U.S., Italy, Taiwan, Spain, Brazil and France. The English translation published by Arthur A. Levine Books (an imprint of Scholastic Inc.) won the Mildred L. Batchelder Award, a prestigious prize for translated children’s literature. Beppu expresses interest in actively seeking ways to bring Japanese children’s books to foreign readers. In Japan, a recent seven-volume collection of short stories by Naoko Awa that she compiled is highly praised.

Arthur Binard is a poet and translator who has translated, authored, or co-authored a number of Japanese children’s books. He writes poetry and prose in both English and Japanese and translates poetry and children’s fiction. His translations of Japanese picture books, all for Japanese publishers issuing English or bilingual editions, include Kazuo Iwamura’s Family of Fourteen series (Doshinsha), Once upon a Home upon a Home by Kenya Hirata (Hakusensha), Strawberries by Kazuko Hirayama (Fukuinkan), Kokko and Friends by Ken Katayama (Fukuinkan), The Grilled Fish by Hideo Oguma (Parol-sha), and A Friend by Shuntaro Tanikawa (Tamagawa University Press). He received the prestigious Nakahara Chuya Prize in 2001 for his Japanese poetry collection Tsuriagete wa (Shichosha), later published in his own English translation as Catch and Release (Yamaguchi City).

Cathy Hirano is the translator of the Moribito series and one of few translators to have produced multiple Batchelder Award-winning titles. She has translated picture books as well as six young adult novels: The Friends, The Spring Tone, and The Letters by Kazumi Yumoto (Farrar, Straus and Giroux); Dragon Sword and Wind Child by Noriko Ogiwara (Farrar, Straus and Giroux; updated re-issue by VIZ Media); and Moribito: Guardian of the Spirit and Moribito II: Guardian of the Darkness by Nahoko Uehashi (Arthur A. Levine Books/Scholastic Inc.). The Friends won a Boston Globe-Horn Book Award and the Batchelder Award in 1997; Moribito and Moribito II earned the Batchelder Award and a Batchelder Honor Award, respectively, in 2009-2010. Interviews with Hirano appear in Carp Tales, the SCBWI Tokyo newsletter (see Fall 2006) and SWET Newsletter No. 122. Her essay “Eight Ways to Say You” appeared in the Horn Book.

Cheryl Klein is a senior editor at Arthur A. Levine Books, an imprint of Scholastic Inc. She has edited four translations from Japanese: the picture books The Snow Day and Mad at Mommy by Komako Sakai, and the first two novels in the Moribito series by Nahoko Uehashi, translated by Cathy Hirano. The first Moribito book received the Batchelder Award for Best Translation, while the second took a Batchelder Honor. She has also edited an extensive list of acclaimed original titles in English. An interview with Klein has appeared in Carp Tales, the SCBWI Tokyo newsletter (see Fall 2008). Her website includes a blog, her book list, and extensive information about publishing for children.

Rei Uemura is the publisher and editor-in-chief of children’s books at Tokuma Shoten Publishing Co., Ltd. She has edited many picture books and children’s novels including translations of Newbery Medal and Carnegie Medal winners, such as the works of Patricia MacLachlan and Robert Westall. Uemura has also edited translations from languages other than English. She was the original editor of Noriko Ogiwara’s Sorairo Magatama (Dragon Sword and Wind Child), as well as Kazumi Yumoto’s Natsu no Niwa (The Friends), which won the Batchelder Award in 1997. It was her introduction of Cathy Hirano to Farrar Straus and Giroux, which resulted in these English translations. Uemura regularly attends international book fairs.

Yurika Yoshida is the CEO and president of the Japan Foreign-Rights Centre, the literary agency which almost single-handedly deals with the promotion and sales of Japanese children’s titles to foreign markets. She was involved in the promotional efforts that led to the publication of three Batchelder Award-winning translations from Japanese. She is the utmost authority on introducing Japanese children’s books to foreign publishers for possible consideration. A write-up of a previous presentation Yoshida gave for SCBWI is available in Carp Tales, the SCBWI Tokyo newsletter (see Spring 2005).

Sunday May 30, 2010
THE BIG PICTURE:
Exploring the Art and Business of Children's Book Illustration
with Laurent Linn, Art Director
Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers

Time:  Sunday, May 30, 2010
9:00-5:00 p.m.
Morning Master Class 9:00-12:00
Afternoon Lectures 13:00-17:00

Place: Nishimachi International School,
Yashiro Media Center (Library)
Motoazabu,Tokyo
access information and maps

Fee:    Morning Master Class
By Advance Registration Only
4,000 yen SCBWI members; 5,000 yen nonmembers
(limited space; reserve early! Contact info@scbwi.jp)

Afternoon Lectures
Advance Registration
3,000 yen SCBWI members; 4,000 yen nonmembers
(contact info@scbwi.jp for reservation and payment details)
At the Door
4,000 yen SCBWI members, 5,000 yen nonmembers

Materials to bring: Sketchbook, pencil, eraser

This event will be in English; Japanese interpretation available by advance request

Reservations: Required! To reserve contact info@scbwi.jp

Schedule

9:00-12:00 Master Class
This master class for both published and pre-published illustrators is available by advance registration. Illustrators will be given an assignment in advance to create a single full-color illustration of a scene from a children’s story. Participants will bring these final art pieces to the master class for discussion. Linn will discuss the strengths of each work as well as aspects that could be improved. Reserve immediately as space is limited to 10 illustrators and 5 observers, and participants will need several weeks to complete the assignment. For details about the master class assignment and reservations contact info@scbwi.jp

Lunch Break

1:00-2:30 A Delicate Artistic Balance: The Role of an Art Director at a Major U.S. Publisher (lecture plus Q&A)
From selecting illustrators, to working with artists on each step of the illustrations, to designing striking covers and interiors, art directors are responsible for the artistic integrity of their books. But they also must satisfy the business needs of publishing children’s books in today’s world by collaborating with sales and marketing voices. How do the realities of selling books affect the creative process and final art and designs? How are covers created and who has final say? What input do authors and illustrators have in all this? Using visual examples, Laurent will explain how it all comes together.

3:00-5:00 Art for Books, Not Frames (lecture and hands-on, plus Q&A)
While drawing well is difficult, visual storytelling is even harder. There are many talented artists, but really good illustrators are rare. In this session we'll analyze how drawing for literature differs from all other types of art. First, showing examples of art created for various purposes, Laurent Linn will explore why certain illustrations succeed and others don't. And, most importantly, he’ll talk about what these ideas can mean for you and how to approach your illustration in ways that can make it shine. Second, we’ll get out our sketchbooks and have some fun. With Laurent sketching and suggesting ideas, we’ll explore with our own drawings how to make our children’s book characters more dynamic and engaging—ultimately more suited to storytelling, which is what children’s literature is all about.

Laurent Linn, Art Director for Simon & Schuster Books For Young Readers, began his career as a puppet designer in Jim Henson's Muppet Workshop. With the Muppets for 11 years, he became the Creative Director for Sesame Street, winning an Emmy Award. Laurent illustrates; reviews over one hundred books a year as a member of the Children's Book Awards Committee at Bank Street College in New York; and collaborates with noted editors, authors, and illustrators on picture books, middle-grade books, and teen novels at Simon & Schuster.

Friday, April 2, 2010
Details, Details:
The Snap, Crackle, and Pop of Good Writing
with author Jane Kurtz

Time: Friday, April 2, 2010,
6:30-8:00 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)
MAP

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

This event will be in English

Reservations: To reserve contact info@scbwi.jp by Thursday April 1, 2010

American novelist John Gardner called details the lifeblood of fiction. Many an editor has said the absolute key to a piece of writing she fell in love with was its voice...but what creates the "voice" of a piece other than its distinct details? Award-winning author Jane Kurtz will give ten keys for coaxing vivid, shimmering, gripping details into our drafts and will show why certain mistakes around details are the kiss of death for any piece of writing. Q&A will follow the talk.

Jane Kurtz spent most of her childhood in Ethiopia—and now travels the world talking about writing, reading, and the magic of books. Her recent speaking has taken her to all but eleven of the U.S. states, Europe, the Persian Gulf, Indonesia, Cambodia, India, Romania, and East and West Africa. School Library Journal called Jane Kurtz a “superb storyteller.” Her books have gathered accolades, starred reviews, and awards. Since 1994, she has published twenty-nine books: nonfiction books, professional books for teachers, picture books, and novels for young readers that draw on her own childhood memories of growing up in Ethiopia as well as surviving the Red River flood of 1997. Jane has taught writing at the elementary, secondary, and university levels and is currently on the faculty of the MFA in children’s and young adult literature out of Vermont College. Her passion for books and reading and her love of Ethiopia came together in Ethiopia Reads, an organization that is establishing the free libraries for children in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, with Yohannes Gebregeorgis, one of CNN’s Top Ten Heroes. For more on Jane Kurtz visit www.janekurtz.com.

Friday, January 29, 2010
Cut to the Chase
with Patrick Gannon:
Discovering and Making Cut Paper Art and Illustration

Time: Friday, January 29, 2010
           7:00 - 8:30 p.m.

Place: Tokyo Women’s Plaza,
            Conference Room 2
            5-53-67 Jingumae, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo
            (by the Children’s Castle and United Nations University)
            MAP

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

This event will be in English; Japanese interpretation available by advance request

Reservations: To reserve contact info@scbwi.jp info@scbwi.jp by Thursday January 28, 2010

For centuries, cut paper has had a place in storytelling and folk art traditions throughout the world. From intricate Chinese cutouts to Mexico’s Papel Picado to European silhouettes, papercutting has been a vibrant part of the craft life of many cultures. Cut paper became a popular technique with childrens’ book illustrators, valued for lively colors and versatility. Recently cut paper has received renewed attention from artists, merging modern creativity and thought with traditional techniques.

In this 90 minute workshop, cut paper artist / illustrator Patrick Gannon will conduct a brief tour of the history of Cut Paper art traditions throughout the world. Modern papercutting art from various artists and illustrators will be introduced. He’ll demonstrate some of his techniques for creating this fascinating and fun art form and lead participants in the creation of their own cut paper illustrations.

Participants are encouraged to bring sketches, characters, or story ideas that can be used as a creative starting point for their illustrations.

Patrick Gannon’s illustrations and artwork are made entirely of cut paper (and often wood) in his studio in Tokyo where he lives with his amazing wife and a large collection of paper from all over the world. His work for children can be seen in A Constellation Album: Stars and Mythology of the Night Sky by P.K. Chen, issues of “Cricket” magazine, and other magazines, comic books and media. His work is shown in galleries throughout the world. Born in New Jersey in the U.S., Patrick grew up on a small farm where he was surrounded by animals and the natural world. His interest in myths and fables drove him to study literature as an undergrad at Providence College, Rhode Island. Later, he received an MFA in illustration from the Savannah College of Art and Design. Visit www.pgannon.com to learn more.

Saturday, December 5, 2009
SCBWI Tokyo Creative Exchange

Time: Sat., December 5, 2009
           6:00 - 8:00 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)
           MAP

Fee: 500 yen SCBWI, SWET members; 800 yen nonmembers

This event will be in English and Japanese.

Reservations: RSVP info@scbwi.jp by Friday, December 4

Writers and illustrators! Bring your work in progress—a picture book dummy, storyboard, children’s or young-adult manuscript, or illustrations to share with the group for constructive feedback. Open to published and unpublished writers and illustrators. Also, bring along your questions about writing, illustrating and the marketing process. For mid-grade and YA Fiction bring about 10 copies of an English-language manuscript up to 800 words. For longer works please query first. For Picture Books bring about 10 copies of a storyboard, dummy or manuscript up to 800 words.

Participants without manuscripts, storyboards or dummies are welcome to attend!

Saturday, November 14, 2009
The World of Children’s Book Publishing
with Alvina Ling, Senior Editor Little, Brown Books for Young Readers

Time: Saturday, November 14, 2009, 10:30 a.m.--5:00 p.m.
          Manuscript critiques 8:30-10:00 a.m.

Place: Yokohama International School, Middle Building Cafeteria,
             Yokohama
             For access information and maps, visit www.yis.ac.jp.

Fee: Advance Registration 4,000 yen SCBWI members; 7,000 yen
         nonmembers (contact info@scbwi.jp by November 5)
         At the Door 5,000 yen SCBWI members; 8,000 yen
         nonmembers

Reservations: Required! Contact info@scbwi.jp to reserve your place.

This event will be in English.

SCHEDULE

8:30-10:00 Private Manuscript Critiques A limited number of private ten-minute manuscript critiques (up to 2,500 words) with Alvina Ling will be available by prior-registration. 3,500 yen SCBWI members; 4,000 yen non-members. Contact info@scbwi.jp for details. Note: manuscript critiques have all been fully booked.

10:20 SCBWI Tokyo Opening Remarks

10:30-11:15 My Path to Publishing; Your Path to Publication Alvina Ling will share the story of how she became an editor, from childhood influences to a methodical plan, and will offer advice to writers on their paths to publication. She'll provide an inside view of an editor's office, and will share mistakes to avoid in the quest to be published, tips for getting out of the slush pile, and her take on the importance of diversity in both the books that are published and the people who make them.

11:30-12:15 Thinking Like Your Editor Learn what goes on inside a publishing house through the eyes of a children’s editor with ten years’ experience. Ling will share a behind-the-scenes view of the publishing process and the challenges and editor has to deal with on a day-to-day basis. She will discuss tips on how to work with an editor through the editorial, production, and marketing stages.

Lunch Break Lunch will not be served. Please bring lunch or join other writers at one of the many nearby Motomachi cafes.

1:45-2:45 The Realities of Children’s Book Publishing in the U.S. In this talk Ling will explain what children’s book publishing in the U.S.is all about. Included will be insider’s information about publishing mechanics that writers might not normally hear about. Ling will cover auctions, profit and loss worksheets, how books are judged after they are published, some negatives of the business, where she thinks publishing is heading, and more—the good, bad, and the ugly of how the business works.

3:00-3:45 Matchmaking: Finding the Perfect Style and Illustrator for a Text: Alvina Ling with Alison Impey, Senior Designer, Little, Brown Books for Young Readers How do publishers match illustrators with text? Ling and Impey will discuss the matchmaking process for picture books, novel covers, and black and white interior illustrations. They’ll go over the general procedures at Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, and will offer advice on what illustrators can and should do to increase chances of being chosen for a certain project and what role authors play in this process.

4:00-5:00 Final Questions and Answers and SCBWI Tokyo Closing Remarks Written questions from attendees will be collected prior to this wrap-up Q&A session with Alvina Ling and Alison Impey.

Alvina Ling is a Senior Editor at Little, Brown Books for Young Readers where she has worked for over ten years. She has also been a bookseller for Barnes and Noble, and interned at the Horn Book and in the children's room of the New York Public Library. She edits children's books for all ages, from picture books to young adult novels, plus some nonfiction. Books she has edited include Eggs by Jerry Spinelli; The Year of the Dog by Grace Lin; Wabi Sabi by Mark Reibstein, illustrated by Caldecott Award winner Ed Young; Sergio Makes a Splash by Edel Rodriguez, The Curious Garden by Peter Brown; Firegirl by Tony Abbott; North of Beautiful by Justina Chen Headley, Sound of Colors by Jimmy Liao; Yeah! Yeah! Yeah! The Beatles, Beatlemania, and the Music That Changed the World by Bob Spitz; and The Devouring by Simon Holt. Alvina lives in New York City and contributes to the children's book blog Blue Rose Girls (www.bluerosegirls.blogspot.com).

Saturday, October 17, 2009
Writing for Children: The Picture Book with Author Holly Thompson
followed by an open SCBWI Informational Meeting

Time: Saturday, October 17, 2009, Presentation 10-10:50 a.m.;
          Open SCBWI Meeting 11:00-11:50 a.m.

Place: Doshisha Women’s College, Imadegawa Campus, Kyoto

Fee: Event and conference are free and open to all

This event will be in English.

For information on the Japan Writers’ Conference and conference site click here.

Many writers of fiction and nonfiction set out to write picture books thinking that they can approach the form in the same way that they approach an adult short story or article. But picture books have their own sets of rules. This session will cover the basics of picture book writing. Various genres of picture books will be discussed, including poetry, nonfiction and fiction, with an emphasis on fiction. Topics within fiction will range from plotting, pacing and characterization to word count and structure. Examples will be presented and advice for selling your stories in today’s publishing climate will be offered. Particular attention will be given to marketing picture books created in Japan to publishers abroad. Common mistakes made by newcomers to picture book writing will be shared, and helpful resources will be suggested. Q&A will follow the talk. An open SCBWI Informational Meeting will follow the presentation. This writing presentation is one of many featured at the Japan Writers Conference, October 17 and 18, 2009. Click here for a full schedule and details of the conference.

Holly Thompson earned her M.A. in fiction writing from N.Y.U. She teaches creative writing at Yokohama City University. Author of the novel Ash (Stone Bridge Press) and the picture book The Wakame Gatherers (Shen’s Books), she is Regional Advisor of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrator, Tokyo. Visit her website.

Saturday, September 26, 2009
Why Haven’t They Called Me?
What Happens After You Submit Your Picture Book to a Publisher
with Kerry Martin, Senior Designer, Clarion Books

Time: Saturday, September 26, 19:00-20:30; portfolio reviews 17:30-18:30

Place: Tokyo Women’s Plaza, Conference Room 2
5-53-67 Jingumae, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo
(by the Children’s Castle and United Nations University)
For a map click here

Fee: SCBWI members 1,000 yen; non-members 1,500 yen
Additional fee for Portfolio Review.

This event will be in English and Japanese.

Private Portfolio Reviews are available from 17:30 to 18:30. Contact info@scbwi.jp to reserve your ten-minute slot.
Portfolio Reviews must be paid for in advance: SCBWI members 3,500 yen; 4,000 yen non-members.

You’ve submitted your book dummy, sketches, or art samples and wonder why the phone isn’t ringing yet. Kerry Martin, Senior Designer at Clarion Books in New York City, will discuss the process of creating a picture book from initial sketch stage to the finished product, including what goes on behind the scenes while you wait for a response. Also discussed will be the dos and don’ts of sending unsolicited art samples. Private portfolio reviews will precede the discussion.

Kerry Martin grew up in Rhode Island and graduated from Parsons School of Design, New York City, in 2001. After graduating, she worked at a design studio, a letterpress print shop, and several magazines. She has been designing children’s picture books, novels and nonfiction for young adults with Clarion Books, an imprint of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt in New York, since 2002. She travels to Japan as often as she can to visit her husband’s family in Tokyo and Yokohama.

Saturday September 12, 2009
Storyboards and Picture Book Dummies for Good Bookmaking with Author/Illustrator Naomi Kojima

Time: Saturday, September 12, 2009, 9:45-11:45 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 click here

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

Reservations Required: contact info@scbwi.jp by Sept. 10 to reserve your space.

Materials to bring: pencils, scissors, tape or glue

This event will be in English and Japanese.

Putting together the storyboard and book dummy is a necessary process and the foundation for good bookmaking. It enables illustrators and authors to see their work more clearly, and to find clues for editing and arranging text and illustration. In this hands-on workshop we will take a pre-selected story and turn it into a 32-page picture book dummy. A preliminary talk will address the basics for preparing storyboards and book dummies: dividing text for placement on pages, creating visual flow and pacing of text and pictures, as well as basic layout and design. But the primary focus of the workshop will be on the actual making of the dummy. Illustration skills are not necessary; both writers and illustrators are welcome. Story text and paper will be provided.

Naomi Kojima is an author and illustrator of picture books. Born in Japan, she spent her childhood years in the U.S. and studied sculpture at Rhodes College in Memphis, Tennessee. Kojima's first two picture books, Mr. and Mrs. Thief and The Flying Grandmother were published in New York soon after she joined a Massachusetts SCBWI chapter. Since then, her books have been published in the U.S. and Japan, and translated into French, Swedish, and Indonesian. Her picture books include The Alphabet Picture Book (Kaisei-sha) and Singing Shijimi Clams (Kane Miller).

Saturday, July 11, 2009
Creative Exchange: The Bologna Experience
with Ayano Imai, Kiyo Tanaka and Shimako Okamura

Time: Saturday, July 11, 9:30 – 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 click here

Fee: SCBWI members 1,000 yen; non-members 1,500 yen
This event will be in English and Japanese.

Come join illustrators Ayano Imai and Kiyo Tanaka plus designer/illustrator Shimako Okamura as they share their experiences at the Bologna Children’s Book Fair, the most important global event in the children’s publishing industry. Included in the topics shared at this exchange of ideas and information will be first-hand experiences of being selected for the Illustrators Exhibition, opportunities that resulted from attending the fair, and more. Visit the Bologna Book Fair site (www.bookfair.bolognafiere.it) before this event, and bring along all your questions and ideas about submitting to the exhibition and promoting your work at the book fair.

Ayano Imai was born in London in 1980 and studied Japanese painting at Musashino Art University in Tokyo. Her works were selected for the Bologna Illustrator's Exhibition in 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, and 2009. Two of the selected works led to picture book publications: The 108th Sheep (Bloomsbury), and Chester (minedition). Other books now in production include Puss & Boots (minedition) and The Town Mouse and the Country Mouse (Iwasaki-shoten).

Shimako Okamura was born in Tokyo and graduated from Musashino Art University where she majored in Visual Communication Design. After working at an advertising agency, she became a freelancer in 2004. Her books include Under Ground (La Joie de lire, Switzerland), Sumashita pengin-san kyodai (The Three, Too Cool, Penguin Brothers, text by Ayumi Aizawa, Kodansha). Visit her websites www.geocities.jp/shimako_oka or www.sumapen.com

Kiyo Tanaka was born in Kanagawa and studied oil painting and etching in Tokyo. After her works were selected for the Bologna Illustrators_ Exhibition in 1995 and 1996, she started her career as an illustrator with the publication of the picture book Mizutama no chihuahua (The Polka-dot Chihuahua, text by Areno Inoue, Fukuinkan), and as an author/illustrator with her picture book, Okiniri (My Favorite). Visit her website at www.oyikakanat.com.

Thursday, June 11, 2009
SCBWI Tokyo Authors & Illustrators Networking Night

Time: Thursday, June 11, 2009, 7:00 pm onward

Place: The Pink Cow
Villa Moderuna B1, 1-3-18 Shibuya, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo, 150-0002
(Tel. 03-3406-5597 www.thepinkcow.com)

Fee: Entry is free to SCBWI members and non-members.
Drinks and food are charged individually.

RSVP: RSVP to info@scbwi.jp by June 9.
This event will be in English and Japanese.

Come and join fellow writers, illustrators and publishing professionals at the fourth annual SCBWI Authors & Illustrators Networking Night at The Pink Cow in Shibuya. SCBWI members and non-members are welcome. Mix and mingle, talk shop or just get to know each other. Feel free to bring along copies of your books, portfolios and other materials to share. Great Pink Cow food and drinks available to order at the bar!
Please see www.www.thepinkcow.com for a map.

Friday, May 15, 2009
Literary Agent Laura Rennert
Under the Hood: The Nuts and Bolts of Craft

Time: Friday, May 15, 2009, 6:30 –- 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 www.scbwi.jp/map.htm

Fee: SCBWI members 1,500 yen; non-members 2,000 yen

This event will be in English.
        
In this two hour presentation, Laura Rennert, senior agent of Andrea Brown Literary Agency, will lift the hood and focus on the key elements of the writer's craft: voice, great beginnings, characterization, narrative structure, plot, powerful endings. How do you establish your compact with the reader and then honor it? What makes opening pages irresistible and how do you sustain these page turning elements throughout your work? What causes an agent, an editor, or a reader to put down a book? If voice is that ineffable something you bring to the table, are there concrete ways in which you can work on it? What are the essential elements that go into the creation of “round” characters, and how can you create these multi-dimensional, vivid characters?

Come to this hands-on session and plumb these questions and others as Rennert delves into issues of craft and technique, drawing on her ten years plus experience as an agent, on her Ph.D. and eight years of university experience teaching English Literature, and her own experience as an agent with forthcoming published books.

Laura Rennert is a Senior Agent with Andrea Brown Literary Agency. Founded in New York City in 1981, it was the first literary agency to represent both children's book authors and illustrators. Rennert has been with the agency for almost ten years, and specializes in all categories of children's books, from picture books to young adult, graphic novels, fiction and nonfiction. Visit the Andrea Brown agency website at www.andreabrownlit.com

Friday, April 17, 2009
"Terrific, I'm Going to Be Eaten By Sharks."
Jon Agee: Telling Funny Stories in Words and Pictures

Time:  Friday, April 17, 2009 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 click here

Fee: SCBWI members 1,500 yen; nonmembers 2,000 yen

This event will be in English.
        
In this two-hour workshop author/illustrator Jon Agee will describe and illustrate how he takes an off-the-wall idea and works it into a dynamic 32-page word-picture narrative. He'll use models from his books and others to show how to choreograph pacing, set-ups, and punch lines. He'll show how he develops characters and composes pictures. 

Participants are encouraged to bring in works in progress or concepts that need fleshing out. Stories and ideas don't need to be funny. They could be unique twists on classic stories, or alphabet or counting books.  Materials: drawing pad, markers of all sizes and colors, scissors, and cellophane tape.

Saturday, March 14, 2009
Manuscript and Illustration Exchange

Time:   Saturday, March 14, 2009, 6:30 - 8:30 p.m.

Place:   Tokyo Women’s Plaza, Conference Room 2
5-53-67 Jingumae, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo
(by the Children’s Castle and United Nations University).
For a map click here

Fee:  500 yen SCBWI, SWET members; 800 yen nonmembers

Reservations: RSVP to info@scbwi.jp by Friday, March 13 

Writers and illustrators! Bring your work in progress—a picture book dummy, a children’s or young-adult manuscript, or illustrations to share with the group for constructive feedback. Open to published and unpublished writers and illustrators. Also, bring along your questions about writing, illustrating and the marketing process. For Middle-grade and Young Adult Fiction bring 10 copies of an English-language manuscript up to 500 words. For longer works please query first. For Picture Books bring 10 copies of a storyboard or a dummy.

This Manuscript and Illustration Exchange will be in English and Japanese.

Sunday, February 8, 2009
Power Portfolios with John Shelley
Learn the secrets of building a better portfolio and showing it effectively.

Time: Sunday, February 8, 2009
Lecture 1:30 – 3:00 p.m.
One-on-One Portfolio Critiques 3:10 – 4:50 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 click here
Fee: Lecture: SCBWI members 1,000 yen;
nonmembers 1,500 yen

One-on-one Portfolio Critiques: SCBWI members and
nonmembers \3,500

Reservations: Reservations for the critiques are required by January 25, 2009; slots are limited. For details on payment and to reserve a critique contact info@scbwi.jp

The lecture will be in English. One-on-one portfolio critiques can be in
English or Japanese.

Attention Illustrators!! The private one-on-one critiques with John Shelley are 15 minutes in length and must be reserved and paid for in advance. Slots are limited and will be scheduled on a first-come, first-served basis.

John Shelley will offer his expertise and experience to help you strengthen your illustration portfolio and tighten your presentation skills, including focusing on your best work, the ins and outs of compiling a professional portfolio, and tips on presentation to editors and art directors. Following the lecture, Shelley will conduct one-on-one portfolio critiques.

John Shelley began his illustration career in London, his first picture book The Secret in the Matchbox being shortlisted for the Mother Goose Award. From 1987 to 2007 he lived in Tokyo, receiving awards for commercial illustration while illustrating over 30 children's books for Western and Japanese markets, including The Boat in the Tree (Front Street, 2007), shortlisted for the 2007 Sakura Medal, and The House of the World (Benesse, 2008). The former Illustrator Coordinator and Assistant Regional Advisor of SCBWI Tokyo, he now lives in the U.K. but maintains close ties with Japan. Visit John Shelley’s website www.jshelley.com to learn more.

www.scbwi.jp info@scbwi.jp

SCBWI Tokyo Illustrator Exhibition
December 1 – 14, 2008
Tokyo American Club’s Genkan Gallery 4-25-46 Takanawa, Minato-ku, Tokyo, 108-0074 (www.tokyoamericanclub.org).

Works by 10 SCBWI illustrators will be exhibited; some artwork will be for sale. The exhibiting illustrators are Patrik Gannon, Naomi Kojima, Kunta, Gregory Myers, Keiko Okamoto, John Shelley, Kiyo Tanaka, Patrik Washburn, Yoko Yoshizawa and Youchan.

For inquiries, please contact Keiko Okamoto, Chief Exhibition Coordinator, at info@scbwi.jp

Friday, January 23, 2009
Alison Lester: From Arnhem Land to Antarctica as a Children’s Author and Illustrator

Time: Friday January 23, 2009
6:30 – 8:00 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 click here Fee: SCBWI members 1,000 yen;
nonmembers 1,500 yen

This event will be in English

Alison Lester illustrated other people's books for five years before writing her own stories. For twenty years now she has worked as an author/illustrator—“the perfect career for a control freak,” she says. Every year she travels to remote indigenous communities in Australia to help children and adults tell their own stories in words and pictures.

She is also addicted to the icy regions of the earth and works as an artist or photographer on polar tourist ships whenever she can. Alison will talk about the transition from illustrator to writer and the joys of traveling and leading workshops as an author/illustrator.

Born in 1952 in Victoria, Australia, Alison Lester grew up on a farm overlooking the sea and first rode a horse as a baby in her father’s arms.

She still lives in the country and rides her horse whenever she can. Her picture books mix imaginary worlds with everyday life, encouraging children to believe in themselves and celebrate the differences that make them special. Her picture books include Are We There Yet, Imagine, My Farm, and Magic Beach and her recent novels include The Quicksand Pony and The Snow Pony. Alison lives and works at Nar Nar Goon North in the Gippsland region of Victoria. Visit www.alisonlester.net to learn more about Alison Lester.

SCBWI Tokyo Writers’ Day 2008
A full day of workshops, presentations and inspiration for published and pre-published writers of all genres of children’s literature--from picture books to young adult fiction.

October 18, 2008 9:15 – 18:30
AEON East Japan Meeting Hall
Nittochi Nishi-Shinjuku Bldg., 16F (Aeon East Japan, Nittochi Nishi-Shinjuku Bldg., 16F, 6-10-1 Nishi-Shinjuku, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo), a 4-minute walk from Nishi-Shinjuku Station, Marunouchi Line, Exit 2 (at the top of the stairs, turn left and walk west along the main street Ome-Kaido; AEON will be on your left just after the police box and Colorado Coffee Shop).

Fee: Advance Registration 4,000 yen SCBWI members; 7,000 nonmembers
(contact info@scbwi.jp by Oct. 10) At the Door 5,000 yen SCBWI members;
8,000 yen nonmembers

This event will be in English.

SCBWI Tokyo Writers’ Day 2008 Schedule

8:45-9:15
Registration/Sign in

9:15-9:30
Opening Comments

9:30-11:00
Up All Night—The Art of Suspense
Linda Gerber, Author
From the simplest picture book to the most intricate thriller, suspense is the key element that drives the plot of any story and keeps readers coming back for more. In this hands-on workshop, we will discuss and put into practice techniques and tips for creating suspense in your writing.

11: 15-12:30
What Do They Really Want—
How to Find and Work with a Literary Agent
Laura Rennert, Senior Agent, Andrea Brown Literary Agency
Laura Rennert specializes in all categories of children's books, from picture books to young adult. How does she select clients from the hundreds of submissions she receives? Come find out! Learn what catches an agent's and editor's eye. Master the art of the elevator pitch and the query letter. Avoid the Big "No's"—mistakes that will get you a quick rejection. Find out the criteria agents and editors use in evaluating projects and Laura’s list of the five crucial elements of commercially successful YA fiction. Come gain an awareness of the formal and conceptual tools at your disposal whether you are a first-time or a well-published author, and discover the criteria for books that garner the biggest deals.

12:30-13:45
Lunch—not provided, but there are many coffee shops and restaurants nearby

13:45-15:15
Sensory Writing—
Seeing, Feeling, Hearing and Moving to Your Writing
Irene Smalls, Author
In this session we will write a story outline—this is our foundation. Writing from an outline or foundation frees you to add your creative spark. Then, using Neural Linguistic Programming Theory we will find the story within. Do you see your characters, do you hear your characters speak, do you feel your characters, or does movement give you a firmer grasp of your characters? We’ll explore story through four sensory approaches, sight, sound, emotion and kinesthetic.

15:30-16:30
Writing Workshop—
Character, Setting and Problem
Suzanne Kamata and Holly Thompson, Authors
In this workshop, participants will try exercises in plotting fiction. Focus will be on the basic elements of character, setting and problem to establish the plot of a story. Various prompts for kick-starting a story will also be introduced.

16:45-18:15
The Fabrics of Fairytale
Tanya Batt, Author
Self-confessed story-o-phile and frock-o-holic, Tanya Batt invites you to join her in the weaving and wearing of story. Weaving the golden thread of personal experience and traditional tales, Tanya will share her early literary influences and the stories behind the creation of her first book ‘The Fabrics of Fairytale’, demonstrating the relationship between the written and told story.

18:15-18:30
Closing Comments

SCBWI Tokyo Writers’ Day 2008 Presenters:

Tanya Batt is a self confessed story-o-phile and frock-o-holic. Travelling the world as a storyteller, arts educator and writer she visits places both on and off maps. Her work is characterized by lively interaction and her use of music, movement and sumptuous frocks. Batt is based on the enchanted island of Waiheke Island, Aotearoa, New Zealand, where she is the director of the ‘Once Upon an Island’ Storytelling Festival and ‘The Story Centre’. Visit her website www.imagined-worlds.net.

Linda Gerber recently returned to life in the Midwest after four years in Japan where she served as the first RA for SCBWI Tokyo. Her books include SASS: Now and Zen, SASS: The Finnish Line, Death by Bikini, Death by Latte and the upcoming books Death by Denim and Charlatans. She currently lives and writes in Dublin, Ohio, blissfully ignoring her husband, four kids, and one very naughty puppy. Visit her website www.lindagerber.com

Suzanne Kamata has lived in Tokushima Prefecture since 1988. She is the author of Losing Kei, a novel for adults, and editor of two anthologies, The Broken Bridge: Fiction from Expatriates in Literary Japan, and Love You to Pieces: Creative Writers on Raising a Child with Special Needs, as well as the literary journal Yomimono. Kamata's stories for young people can be found in Cicada, Ladybug, Skipping Stones and the anthology Summer Shorts (Blooming Tree Press). Playing for Papa, her first picture book for children, will be published in November, 2008, by Topka Press with illustrations by Yuka Hamano. Visit her website at www.suzannekamata.com.”

Laura Rennert is a Senior Agent with Andrea Brown Literary Agency. Founded in New York City in 1981, it was the first literary agency to represent both children's book authors and illustrators. Rennert has been with the agency for almost ten years, and specializes in all categories of children's books, from picture books to young adult, graphic novels, fiction and nonfiction. Visit the Andrea Brown agency website at www.andreabrownlit.com .

Irene Smalls has had jobs ranging from model, actress and radio reporter, to running her own business, establishing a networking group for business professionals and working in government. But the job she likes best is writing children’s books about her children and her own childhood in Harlem, New York City, in the 1950s. Irene describes her neighborhood as “...a ghetto of softness and strength, a community of open doors and open hearts that loved its children.” Smalls’ straightforward stories expose the strong emotions of families and communities. A graduate of Cornell University with an M.A. and an M.B.A. from New York University, Smalls currently lives in Boston, Massachusetts. Visit her website www.irenesmalls.com .

Holly Thompson is the author of the novel Ash (Stone Bridge Press), set in Kyoto and Kagoshima, and the picture book The Wakame Gatherers (Shen’s Books). She has an M.A. in creative writing/fiction from New York University and teaches poetry and fiction writing at Yokohama City University. She is at work on a second novel and numerous books for children, most of which are set in Japan. She serves as Regional Advisor of SCBWI Tokyo. Visit her website at www.hatbooks.com.

Manuscript and Illustration Exchange
Sunday, November 16, 2008
9:30 – 11:30 am.

Tokyo Women’s Plaza
Audiovisual Room B 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, SWET members; 800 yen nonmembers

Reservations: RSVP info@scbwi.jp by Saturday, November 15

Writers and illustrators! Bring your work in progress—a picture book dummy, a children’s or young-adult manuscript, or illustrations to share for constructive feedback. Open to published and unpublished writers and illustrators. Also, bring along your questions about writing, illustrating and the marketing process. For Middle-grade and Young Adult Fiction bring 10 copies of an English-language manuscript up to 500 words. For longer works please query. For Picture Books bring 10 copies of a storyboard or a dummy. Ten-minute group critiques will be conducted.

This Manuscript and Illustration Exchange will be in English and Japanese.

Participants without manuscripts or storyboards are welcome to attend and join in the critiques.

The Art of Picture Book Dummy Presentation
with Yuki Saisu, President of Pinpoint Gallery

Time: Saturday, September 20, 18:30 – 20:30
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: SCBWI Members 1,000 yen; nonmembers 1,500 yen

This event will be in Japanese and English.

Reservations not required but RSVP suggested by September 19 at info@scbwi.jp

Yuki Saisu, President of Pinpoint Gallery in Tokyo, will discuss the art of picture book dummy presentation. With ten years of experience as the sponsor and judge of the annual Pinpoint Picture Book Competition, Saisu will offer insights about picture book dummies and share important points for picture book authors and illustrators to consider. Both illustrators and writers will benefit from this talk.

Yuki Saisu was born in 1957 and founded Pinpoint Gallery in the Aoyama area of Tokyo in 1988. In twenty years she has produced exhibitions of about 1,500 artists. Her achievements in planning characteristic exhibitions are highly regarded. Pinpoint Gallery sponsors the annual Pinpoint Picture Book Competition? awards include one-man and group exhibitions at the gallery, and prize-winning works have been published by major Japanese publishers. Saisu also offers workshops for artists during the summer. Visit www.pinpointgallery.com for more information about the competition and gallery.

Manuscript and Illustration Exchange
Sunday, June 29, 2008
9:30 – 11:30 am.

Tokyo Women’s Plaza,
Conference Room 2A and B 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, SWET members; 800 yen nonmembers

Reservations: RSVP info@scbwi.jp by June 28

Writers and illustrators! Bring your work in progress—a picture book dummy, a children’s or young-adult manuscript, or illustrations to share for constructive feedback. Open to published and unpublished writers and illustrators. Also, bring along your questions about writing, illustrating and the marketing process.

For Middle-grade and Young Adult Fiction bring 10 copies of an English-language manuscript up to 500 words. For longer works please query. For Picture Books bring 10 copies of a storyboard or a dummy. Ten-minute group critiques will be conducted.

This Manuscript and Illustration Exchange will be in English and Japanese. Participants without manuscripts or storyboards are welcome to attend and join in the critiques. Email

SCBWI Tokyo Authors & Illustrators Networking Night

Thursday, July 10, 2008
6:00 pm start; dinner from 7:00 pm

The Pink Cow
Villa Moderuna B1, 1-3-18 Shibuya, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo, 150-0002
(Tel. 03-3406-5597 www.thepinkcow.com <http://www.thepinkcow.com> )

Fee: Entry is free to SCBWI members and non-members.
Drinks and food are charged individually.

RSVP: Reservations are required; RSVP to info@scbwi.jp <mailto:info@scbwi.jp> by July 6.
Please indicate if you are interested in the Buffet Dinner for 2,500 yen.

Come and join fellow writers, illustrators and publishing professionals at the third SCBWI Authors & Illustrators Networking Night at The Pink Cow in Shibuya. SCBWI members and non-members are welcome. Mix and mingle, talk shop or just get to know each other. Feel free to bring along copies of your books, portfolios and other materials to share.

info@scbwi.jp <mailto:info@scbwi.jp> www.scbwi.jp <http://www.scbwi.jp>

Saturday, May 17, 2008 Websites, Blogs and Promotion for Illustrators
with Illustrators Takashi Oda, Kiyo Tanaka and Patrik Washburn

Saturday, May 17, 2008 6:30 – 8:30 pm
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: SCBWI Members 1,000 yen; nonmembers 1,500 yen

This event will be in Japanese and English.

Are you an illustrator without a website? Are you interested in improving the website you currently have? Are you thinking of starting a blog? Are you wondering how you can better promote your work? In this panel presentation, three illustrators will share their experiences developing and maintaining their websites and blogs and share ideas for other creative methods of promotion. Newcomer illustrators and published professionals, please bring along your website, blog and promotion questions and ideas to share with other illustrators during the discussion after the presentation.

Kiyo Tanaka studied oil painting and print making at Tama Art University in Tokyo. Her first children's book Mizutama no Chihuahua (text by Areno Inoue) was published in 1997 (Fukuinkan Shoten). Since then she's enjoyed considerable success as a children's book author and illustrator while continuing to produce and exhibit print works throughout Japan.

She has participated twice in the illustrators' exhibition at the Bologna Book Fair (Italy) in 1995 and 1996, as well as the Biennial of Illustrations in Bratislava (Slovakia) in 2000 and 2001.

For her illustrations she uses a technique of copper plate printing on Japanese paper. Visit www.oyikakanat.com for a look at Tanaka’s website.


Takashi Oda studied oil and mural painting at Tokyo National University of Fine Arts and Music and earned his MFA in 1995. In 1996 after participating in the reconstruction of dinosaur fossils, he began to produce reconstruction images of dinosaurs.

Since then Oda has held many solo and group exhibitions. From 1998 his graphic works have been exhibited in museums, and he has been creating images of dinosaurs for illustrated reference books and picture books. Oda first obtains information through research and exchanges with various paleontologists, then based on scientific data, he creates his original dinosaur illustrations.

Visit www.studio-corvo.com for a look at Oda’s website.


Patrik Washburn is an American writer/artist based in Tokyo who does design, animation and illustration. His goal is to write picture books and short fiction as well as create covers and illustrations for children's books and magazines.

He also works as a language consultant (translator/interpreter/instructor) and has done simultaneous interpretation for such greats as Muhammad Ali and Antonio Inoki.

Visit www.patokon.com for a look at Washburn’s website.

Words Take Wing: Adapting Old Tales for New Audiences with Beauty and the Beast Storytellers, Martha Hamilton and Mitch Weiss
Saturday, April 12, 2008 6:30 – 8:00 pm
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: SCBWI Members 1,000 yen; nonmembers 1,500 yen

This event will be in English.

Mitch Weiss and Martha Hamilton will tell a few stories and explain how they take a folktale and bring it to life for today’s audiences. They will demonstrate the process they use to help tellers and writers find their own voices by having participants do an exercise called “Playing With the Story.” In addition, they will show the brief DVD that accompanies their book Children Tell Stories: Teaching and Using Storytelling in the Classroom.

Martha Hamilton and Mitch Weiss are a husband and wife team who have been telling stories together as 'Beauty & the Beast Storytellers' since 1980. As a result of their extensive experience in teaching students of all ages to tell stories, they have produced several award winning books and recordings including Children Tell Stories: Teaching and Using Storytelling in the Classroom. Their collections of world folktales for students to tell include How and Why Stories, Scared Witless, Noodlehead Stories, Stories in My Pocket, and Through the Grapevine. In the past few years they have also retold several folktales in picture book format including Priceless Gifts, The Ghost Catcher, and The Hidden Feast. Mitch and Martha live in Ithaca, New York, and have traveled the world sharing their passion for storytelling. For more information, see their website: www.beautyandthebeaststorytellers.com Email us: info@scbwi.jp

For the Manuscript Exchange for Writers or Middle-grade and Young Adult Fiction, bring 10 copies of an English-language manuscript up to 500 words. Ten-minute group critiques will be conducted for up to 10 writers. RSVP info@scwbi.jp by March 10. This manuscript exchange will be in English.

For the Picture Book Storyboard Exchange for Illustrators, bring 10 copies of a storyboard for a 32 page picture book. Ten-minute group critiques will be conducted for up to 10 illustrators. RSVP info@scwbi.jp by March 10. This storyboard exchange will be in English and Japanese.

Participants without manuscripts or storyboards are welcome to attend and join in the critique.
Cost for SCBWI members: 500 yen
Cost for SCBWI non-members: 800 yen

Contact The Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI) Tokyo:

info@scbwi.jp
Phone: Office: 0467-31-6908

The Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators presents

Lucy Hawking: Surfing the Solar System
Introducing George’s Secret Key to the Universe, by Lucy and Stephen Hawking

Friday, March 7, 2008 7:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.
AEON East Japan Meeting Hall, Nittochi Nishi-Shinjuku Bldg., 16F

(Aeon East Japan, Nittochi Nishi-Shinjuku Bldg., 16F, 6-10-1 Nishi-Shinjuku, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo), a 4-minute walk from Nishi-Shinjuku Station, Marunouchi Line, Exit C-10 (at the top of the stairs, turn left and walk west along the main street Ome-Kaido; AEON will be on your left just after the police box and Colorado Coffee Shop).

SCBWI Members, AEON Staff and Students 1,000 yen;
nonmembers 1,500 yen

This event will be in English.

Lucy Hawking is co-author with her father, theoretical physicist Stephen Hawking, of George’s Secret Key to the Universe, the first book in a humorous adventure trilogy about space and the universe. Hawking will give an audio-visual presentation Surfing the Solar System, introduce the George books and discuss the collaboration with her father behind the trilogy.

Q&A will follow the presentation. Books will not be available for purchase at the event, however, books may be purchased online or via local booksellers and brought to the event for signing. Visit www.georgessecretkey.com for information on the books in English and www.iwasaki-hawking.com for information in Japanese.

Contact info@scbwi.jp for more details.

Writing and Illustrating English Education Materials:
with Junko Kurata
Director, AEON Institute of Language Education, Inc.

Saturday, February 23, 2008 6:30 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.

Tokyo Women’s Plaza, Conference Room 1
Jingumae 5-53-67, Shibuya, Tokyo (by the Children’s Castle and United Nations University)
For a map click here

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

This event will be in Japanese and English. Illustrators should bring colored pencils and drawing paper; writers should bring a pen or pencil and paper.

In this talk and workshop, Junko Kurata will explain what AEON seeks from illustrators and writers for their textbook materials. She will detail typical jobs set by editors and explain the various elements required. Following the talk she will lead workshops for both illustrators and writers interested in giving the education materials field a try.

Junko Kurata graduated from Waseda University’s Department of Literature. After working as an editor for a cooking magazine and a Japanese language teacher in Thailand, she joined AEON. She has been teacher, manager and teacher trainer at AEON and is now Director of the AEON Institute of Language Education, Inc. (AIOLE), responsible for the planning and development of curriculum and educational materials.

AEON has developed many original textbooks for classroom use and is the largest English language school in Japan, with approximately 100,000 students. The company consists of the parent company and eight other group companies, including AIOLE. With the language schools as the pillar operation, AEON also creates and sells language educational materials, offers language lessons through the internet, plans and consults on overseas studies, and also operates Chinese language schools. Visit www.aeonet.co.jp for more information.

www.scbwi.jp info@scbwi.jp

SCBWI Tokyo Author and Illustrator Showcase

featuring Suzanne Kamata, Naomi Kojima, Midori Mori, Takashi Oda, Kiyo Tanaka, Holly Thompson, Kazumi Wilds and Youchan

Saturday, January 26, 2008 6:30 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.

Place: Tokyo Women’s Plaza, Conference Room 1
Jingumae 5-53-67, Shibuya, Tokyo (by the Children’s Castle and United Nations University)
For a map Click Here
Fee: yen500 SCBWI members; yen 800 non-members

This event will be in English and Japanese.

SCBWI Tokyo member authors and illustrators will present their most recent and forthcoming books to the public.

Authors and illustrators will discuss how the book was initially conceived, the book’s creation process, illustration and writing techniques used, the path to publication, related classroom activities and more.

The panel of presenters will take questions from the audience following the presentations.

Contact info@scbwi.jp for more details.

SCBWI Tokyo presents

A Manuscript and Illustration Exchange

Saturday, December 8, 2007, 6:15 – 8:30 p.m.

Place: Tokyo Women’s Plaza, Conference Room 1A
5-53-67 Jingumae, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo
(by the Children’s Castle and United Nations University).
For a map click here

Fee: 500 yen SCBWI, SWET members; 800 yen nonmembers

Writers and illustrators! Bring your work in progress—a picture book dummy, copies of a children’s or young-adult manuscript, or illustrations to share for constructive feedback. Open to published and unpublished writers and illustrators. Also, bring along your questions about writing, illustrating and the marketing process.

This event will be in English and Japanese.

Contact info@scbwi.jp for more details.

CBWI Tokyo presents

Made in Japan: What Makes Manga Japanese—And Why Western Kids Love It

with
Roland Kelts, author of Japanamerica
and
Masakazu Kubo, Executive Producer, Shogakukan

Saturday, November 17, 2007, 6:30-8:30 p.m.

Place: Tokyo Women’s Plaza, Conference Room 2
5-53-67 Jingumae, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo (by the Children’s Castle and United Nations University)
For a map click here

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

This event will be in English.

This talk followed by Q&A will cover the nuts and bolts of the craft of manga and discuss the nature of its appeal beyond Japan.

Roland Kelts is author of Japanamerica: How Japanese Pop Culture Has Invaded the U.S. (www.japanamericabook.com). He is a lecturer at the University of Tokyo and writes about manga and anime for the Daily Yomiuri. He is co-editor of the New York-based literary journal A Public Space, and his first novel, Access, will be published next year. He currently splits his time between New York and Tokyo.?

Masakazu Kubo is executive producer of the Pokémon movies and TV series. After joining Shogakukan in 1983 he served as editor of the comic magazines CoroCoro Comic and Comic Gotta. Currently director of Shogakukan’s Character Business Center, he serves on the executive committee of the Tokyo International Film Festival and Tokyo International Anime Fair. He is executive producer at the Tokyo Anime Center, and he co-wrote the Japanese books Pokémon Story and The Future of Vibrant Content Business.

Contact info@scbwi.jp for more information.

SCBWI Tokyo presents

Richard Tulloch:
Telling Stories Out Loud

Saturday, October 20, 2007, 6:30-8:00 p.m.

Tokyo Women’s Plaza, Conference Room 2 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

This event will be in English.

Richard Tulloch, one of Australia’s most popular writers of books, plays, film and television for young audiences, will tell some of his stories and discuss elements that make effective storytelling pieces.

Richard Tulloch’s television series, which include 150 episodes of Bananas in Pyjamas, has reached audiences around the world. Of his 60 children’s books, Danny in the Toybox, Cocky Colin, Freaky Stuff and the Barry the Burglar series were nominated by children in Australia for KOALA awards.

His series of Weird Stuff novels for 9-14 year olds are published by Random House and by Walker in the U.S. His 50 plays for young audiences have been performed in many countries. In 1998 he was nominated for the prestigious Hollywood Annie award for his screenplay of the animated feature film FernGully II: The Magical Rescue, and in 2006 he won his fourth Australian Writers’ Guild AWGIE award for his play Stella and the Moon Man.

Over the past ten years he has performed his ever-changing show Story Man more than a thousand times in theatres, libraries and schools in Australia, North America, Europe, Asia, Africa, and the Middle East. He is a qualified lawyer and teacher and has taught numerous creative writing classes for children and adults.

For more information contact info@scbwi.jp

Fee: ¥500 for SCBWI, SWET members; ¥800 for non-members

This event will be in English; if there is interest, Japanese critique groups can run concurrently.

Writers and illustrators, bring a picture book dummy, 10-15 copies of a
children's or young-adult manuscript, or illustrations to share for constructive feedback. Open to published and unpublished writers and illustrators. Also, bring along your questions about writing, illustrating and the marketing process. Casual lunch to follow for those interested in lingering for more discussion.

For more information on all SCBWI Tokyo events contact info@scbwi.jp

Manuscript and Illustration Exchange
Sunday, July 22, 2007
9:30 a.m. – 12:00 noon

Tokyo Women's Plaza, Audio Visual Room 3 Jingumae 5-53-67,
Shibuya, Tokyo (by the Children's Castle and United Nations University). For
a map click here.

Gallery Talk at the Chihiro Art Museum
Saturday, June 2, 2007
11:45 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.

Chihiro Art Museum
4-7-2, Shimo-Shakujii, Nerima-ku, Tokyo

Take the Seibu Shinjuku Line from Takadanobaba Station to Kamiigusa Station; the museum is a seven-minute walk from the station. For a map, see
www.chihiro.jp

Fee: ¥700 for discounted museum admission; café lunch extra

RSVP: Please RSVP to info@scbwi.jp by May 30, 2007
This event will be in English.

Michiko Matsukata, curator of the current Chihiro and the Picturebook Artists of Asia exhibit, will give a gallery talk on the exhibition, as well as the works of the late illustrator Chihiro Iwasaki, at the Chihiro Art Museum, the site of Chihiro's home and studio from 1952 - 1974.

Participants will meet at the museum at 11:45 a.m. The gallery talk will run from 12:00 noon to 1:00 p.m. Afterward, participants may stay for lunch and discussion at the café or explore the museum further. Visit www.chihiro.jp
for more information on the museum and exhibits.

Illustration and Writing for Children Double Feature

Bob Marstall on Illustrating from Nature

Ooki-na Pocket Children’s Magazine
with Nobuo Furukawa (Editor-in-Chief) and Keiko Kurozumi (Editor)

Saturday, May 12, 2007
1:30 – 4:30 pm

Tokyo Women’s Plaza, AV Room
5-53-67 Jingumae, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo (by the Children’s Castle and United Nations University).
For a map click here

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

1:30-2:30 p.m.
Illustrating from Nature
with Illustrator Bob Marstall
(in English with Japanese translation)

US based nonfiction illustrator Bob Marstall will show many examples from his books and offer a brief overview of his process of creating nonfiction art, from ideas to sketches to final art — including his use of computer for several important steps.

A former teacher, Marstall began his illustration career in 1983. Since 1994, he has focused on illustrating nature-oriented nonfiction picture books for children. He is the illustrator of the award-winning books An Extraordinary Life: the Story of a Monarch Butterfly, A Dragon in the Sky: the Story of a Green Darner Dragonfly and other collaborations with author Laurence Pringle. Visit www.marstallstudio.com to learn more.

3:00-4:30 p.m.
Ooki-na Pocket Children’s Magazine
with Nobuo Furukawa (Editor-in-Chief) and Keiko Kurozumi (Editor)
(in Japanese)

Ooki-na Pocket (Big Pocket) is a regular monthly children's magazine released by Fukuinkan Shoten, one of Japan's oldest and most established children's book publishers. Featuring picture-book length stories, poetry and activities by established authors and illustrators in Japan, as well as introducing new and up-and-coming talent, in the 15 years since its launch the magazine has established itself at the forefront of quality children's publishing in this country.

Editor-in-Chief Nobuo Furukawa will talk about the history and philosophy behind Ooki-na Pocket, processes of submissions and commissioning, and comparisons with other Fukuinkan Shoten publications. He will be joined by editor Keiko Kurozumi, who has been acknowledged as bringing a vibrant new outlook to the magazine. Visit www.fukuinkan.co.jp/magazine.php to learn more about Ooki-na Pocket.

For more information contact info@scbwi.jp

Sunday April 8, 2007
1:30 – 4:30 p.m.


Desdemona McCannon
on Illustration for Children Degree Courses at the North Wales School of Art

Anders Suneson
on Children’s Books in Sweden

Tokyo Women’s Plaza, Conference Room 1B
5-53-67 Jingumae, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo (by the Children’s Castle and United Nations University).
For a map click here

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

This event will be in English.

1:30 – 2:30 pm
Described by the Guardian as "a unique course with an international reputation for turning out successful illustrators," the children’s illustration course at the North Wales School of Art is the only one in the U.K. specializing entirely in children’s book illustration. Director of the Master’s Course, Desdemona McCannon will introduce the school’s B.A. and M.A. degree programs, show examples of student work, explain types of assignments given, and discuss the school’s collaborations with other colleges in Europe.

Click here for the North Wales School of Art and Design. A professional children’s illustrator in her own right, most notably with Bloomsbury, McCannon will also present her research into characters and pictograms, influenced by her experience of living and working in Tokyo as a character designer. She will discuss the work’s evolution into a research project involving and school children in the UK.

3:00 – 4:30 pm
Anders Suneson will introduce children’s books from Sweden that impacted his childhood and discuss the world of children’s books in Sweden today. In addition to presenting the works of successful Swedish illustrators, he will share samples from his own works: 15 children’s books and more than 60 textbooks. He will also offer insights into the current children’s book market in Sweden and Europe.

Suneson’s career as an illustrator, animator and graphic designer spans nearly three decades, working with clients across Europe. A board member of Svenska Tecknare (Swedish Association of Illustrators and Graphic Designers), Suneson is also honorary member of the New York Society of Illustrators, Chairman of the Nordic Collaboration, Swedish representative of the European Illustrator’s Forum, and former Vice Chairman of ICOGRADA.

Most recently he has been involved in the new animation collective Antiloopfilm. Learn more about Anders Suneson at his website.

For more information contact info@scbwi.jp

Illustration Workshop:
Storyboarding with Yangsook Choi

Saturday, March 3, 2007
9:15–11:45 a.m.

Tokyo Women's Plaza, Audio Visual Room

Jingumae 5-53-67, Shibuya, Tokyo.
For a map in English click here.
For a map in Japanese click here.

Fee: ¥1,500 SCBWI members; ¥2,500 general admission

RSVP: Email to make a reservation
for this workshop.

Materials: Participants should bring sketching materials and one children's story (800 words or less; original OR by another author) for storyboarding

Raised in Korea, Yangsook Choi moved to the United States in 1991 and earned an MFA in Illustration from the School of Visual Arts in New York City, where she currently resides. She has written and illustrated numerous award-winning books and in 1997 was named one of the most prominent children's book artists by Publishers Weekly. Visit her website for more information.

Following an introduction to children's book illustration spanning initial
conceptualization through sketching to final art, Choi will lead a hands-on storyboarding workshop. Each participant will work to create a complete children's book storyboard using a previously written story. The latter part of the workshop will include critiques in which participants examine ways to solve problems and enhance the storyboards created. Practical information on promotion and marketing will also be included.

This event will be in English.
For more information contact info@scbwi.jp

Writing Workshops with Author Donna Jo Napoli
Saturday, March 10, 2007
1:00–2:45 p.m., 3:15–5:00 p.m., 7:00–8:45 p.m.

Sessions 1 and 2
Children's Castle, Conference Room 901 Jingumae 5-53-1, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo.
Venue Map
Map

Session 3
Tokyo Women’s Plaza, Conference Room 2 Jingumae 5-53-67, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo.

For a map in English click here.
For a map in Japanese click here.

Fee: Per session: ¥2,000 SCBWI members; ¥3,000 nonmembers

All three sessions: ¥5,500 SCBWI members; ¥8,500 nonmembers

RSVP: Reservations required for these workshops. Email to reserve.

Session 1
Character, Voice and Factual Foundations
1:00-2:45 p.m. Children’s Castle Conference Room 901

Napoli will discuss elements that are fundamental to capturing the reader's attention including how to develop a character, how to create distinct voices, and how to use facts in building a fictional world that the reader can inhabit easily. Basic mechanicals about point of view and person will be covered, including ways to use them to their best effects. Details of dialogue will be discussed, from how to anchor voices to how to get across
attitude and everything in between.

Session 2
Using Research in Writing Fiction
3:15-5:00 p.m. Children’s Castle Conference Room 901
Napoli will discuss how to use research in writing fiction—from historical fiction to natural history fiction. This will be followed by a workshop in which participants use facts to create stories and take part in a writers’ circle. Participants will learn valuable ways to give, receive and interpret feedback on writing.

Session 3
One Writer's Path and the Nuts and Bolts of Publishing
7:00-8:45 p.m. Tokyo Women’s Plaza Conference Room 2
Napoli will describe how she became a writer—almost against her will. She will outline the pitfalls of her career as well as the sources of encouragement over the fourteen years it took her to sell her first story. She will also share what she considers to be the most important rule of writing and discuss the nuts and bolts of publishing in the U.S. including submitting manuscripts, agents, luck and how to improve it. A reading and Q&A will follow.

Prolific fiction writer and linguist Donna Jo Napoli has published over 15 award-winning young adult books, over 30 elementary and middle grade readers and 8 picture books. Her novels range from fantasy to historical fiction and have been translated into many languages including Japanese. She also writes math and science tales and books geared toward helping Deaf people learn to read. She currently teaches linguistics at Swarthmore College and resides in
Pennsylvania.

Visit www.donnajonapoli.com for more information.

These writing workshops are made possible in part by a regional grant from SCBWI.

This event will be in English.
For more information email

SCBWI presents

A Kamishibai Performance and Illustration Workshop with Satoshi Kitamura

Friday, 12th January 2007, 6:30 - 8:30pm.

The Tokyo Women’s Plaza Audio Visual room B and C, 5-53-67 Jingumae, Shibuya-ku
(Nearest station – Omotesando, close to the Children’s Castle)
For a map in English click here.
For a map in Japanese click here.
.

Fee: ¥1,000 SCBWI members; ¥1,500 general admission.

The event will be in English and Japanese.

London based illustrator Satoshi Kitamura is unquestionably Japan's most successful export to children's publishing in Europe. His debut picture book Angry Arthur (written by Hiawyn Oram) won the 1982 Mother Goose Award, while UFO Diary was short listed for the Smartie's Prize in 1989. Since then he's worked on a string of best selling picture books released across the globe.

Satoshi will begin by presenting a Kamishibai (storytelling cards)
performance of his work. Kamishibai is a traditional Japanese storytelling medium now enjoying a significant revival of interest across the world.

Attendees will also participate in a workshop project. Please bring pens or crayons (no paints) and paper, either A4 photocopy paper or preferably slightly larger, a pair of scissors (optional) and ordinary white envelopes (one or two per person).

More biographical information on Satoshi Kitamura can be found at this web address.

For more information on SCBWI in Japan e-mail us.

SCBWI Tokyo Writers’ Day 2006

Featuring Afternoon Workshop Sessions with Linda Gerber andDavid Schwartz and an Evening Talk and Q&A by Lynne Reid Banks

Saturday, November 11, 2006

Tokyo Women’s Plaza, 5-53-67 Jingumae, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo (by the Children’s Castle

and United Nations University).
For a map click here.
For a map in Japanese.

Fee: Per session ¥1,000 SCBWI members; ¥1,500 nonmembers.

Discount fee for all three sessions \2,500 members; \4,000 nonmembers.

Reservations: Reservations required for afternoon workshops only.

Contact info@scbwi.jp to reserve.

Schedule:1:00 – 2:30 Workshop 1 with Linda Gerber
Series Fiction for Children
Conference Room 3
3:00 – 4:30 Workshop 2 with David Schwartz

Putting the “Wonder” Back in Wonderful: Making Math and Science Come Alive in Children’s Books
Conference Room 3
6:30 – 8:00 Evening Talk and Q&A with Lynne Reid Banks

The Story Behind the Stories
Conference Room 1
This event will be in English.

The SCBWI Tokyo Writers’ Day 2006 features three writers offering workshops and talks on a range of topics in children’s, middle grade and young adult literature. Afternoon workshops are craft based and limited to 20 participants, both published and unpublished serious writers; the evening talk is open seating for up to 90 people. Guest authors will be happy to sign books, but books will not be available for purchase at this event; please purchase titles at your favorite local or online bookseller and bring them to the events for signing.

Linda Gerber’s recently published young adult novel Now and Zen about the adventures of a Japanese-American exchange student in Japan is part of the S.A.S.S. (Students Across the Seven Seas) series from Puffin Books. Her second book in the series, The Finnish Line, is due out in fall 2007. In 2008 she will launch her own mystery series with Puffin’s Sleuth imprint. Gerber will give an overview of series fiction for children and offer tips for breaking into this genre. She currently resides in Tokyo. Visit www.lindagerber.com to learn more.

David Schwartz has authored over 30 books, most inspired by his lifetime love of numbers and nature. Award-winning titles How Much is a Million, G is for Googol, If You Hopped Like a Frog and his Look Once, Look Again series have earned Schwartz kudos from reviewers, parents, children and teachers around the world. Schwartz’s workshop will explore the element of wonder in children’s books and give pointers on author/illustrator school visits. Born and raised in New York City and with a biology degree from Cornell University, Schwartz now lives and writes in California. Visit www.davidschwartz.com to learn more.

Lynne Reid Banks is the bestselling author of the classic Indian in the Cupboard and the Indian sequels, the Harry the Centipede stories, I, Houdini and other much loved tales for children. She has authored books set on a kibbutz in Israel, in ancient Rome and in a Scottish castle and created fantasy worlds as well as contemporary real-life settings. Banks will give a talk about her fiction followed by a Q&A session and book signing. Banks lives in Dorset, England; visit www.lynnereidbanks.com to learn more.

Authors & Illustrators Networking Night

Thursday, December 7, 2006, 6:00 p.m. start, dinner from 7:00 p.m.

The Pink Cow, Villa Moderuna B1, 1-3-18 Shibuya, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo, 150-0002
(Tel. 03-3406-5597 www.thepinkcow.com)

Fee: Entry is free to SCBWI members and non-members. All-you-can-eat buffet provided by the Pink Cow is \2,500 per person.

RSVP: Reservations are required for the buffet dinner; RSVP to info@scbwi.jp by December 1.

Come and join fellow writers, illustrators and publishing professionals at the second SCBWI Authors & Illustrators Networking Night, Thursday, December 7, at The Pink Cow in Shibuya. SCBWI members and non-members alike are welcome. Mix and mingle, talk shop or just get to know each other. Feel free to bring along copies of your books, portfolios and other materials.

SCBWI Tokyo presents

A Manuscript and Illustration Exchange

Sunday 29th October 3:30 – 6:00 pm

Sonoma Restaurant, Kasumi Bldg, 2-25-17 Dogenzaka, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo Map

Fee: ¥500 for SCBWI, SWET members, ¥800 for non-members

Writers and illustrators, bring a picture book dummy, 10-15 copies of children’s or young-adult manuscript, or illustrations to share for
constructive feedback. Open to published and unpublished writers and
illustrators. Also, bring along your questions about writing, illustrating
and the marketing process. Casual dinner to follow for those interested in lingering for more discussion.

The Bologna Illustrators Exhibition
An Information Session with Kiyoko Matsuoka, Curator of the Itabashi Art Museum, and Ayano Imai, Illustrator

Sunday, 10th September, 2006, 2:00­4:00 p.m.

Location: Tokyo Women¹s Plaza, Audiovisual Room A
5-53-67 Jingumae, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo
(by the Children¹s Castle and United Nations University).
For a printable map in English click here.
For a map in Japanese see http://www.tokyo-womens-plaza.metro.tokyo.jp/contents/map.html

Entry Fee: ¥1,000 SCBWI members; ¥1,500 nonmembers

The annual Bologna Book Fair in Italy is the most important trade event for children¹s books in the world. Each year the Fair stages an international exhibition for illustrators, open to published and non-published work. Selected artworks are seen by thousands of visitors to the Fair, as well as appearing in the Illustrators Annual. http://www.bookfair.bolognafiere.it/

Kiyoko Matsuoka
One of the key figures in promoting and coordinating entries to the exhibition from Japan, Itabashi Art Museum curator Kiyoko Matsuoka also organises the annual Bologna exhibition in this country. http://www.city.itabashi.tokyo.jp/art/index-e.html


Ayano Imai
Born in England but living in Japan since the age of 7, Ayano Imai studied Japanese painting at Musashino Art University in Tokyo and has participated numerous times in the Exhibition. The 108th Sheep, her first picture book, is about to be released by Bloomsbury in the UK.

The speakers will present a video documentary on the exhibition and talk about their work, sharing insights into the many success stories for participants, followed by a Q & A session.

Saturday, July 8, 2006, 1:00–4:30 p.m.

Tokyo Women's Plaza, Audio Visual Room
Jingumae 5-53-67, Shibuya, Tokyo (by the Children's Castle
and United Nations University).

Does your story sag? Does your plot plod? Maybe you need more conflict. No matter how much you love your characters, you must make their lives difficult if you want a strong plot. We'll look at the basic types of conflict, and then use two simple questions to create conflict during group and individual brainstorming sessions. We'll also discuss how to develop the right character for your plot (and the right plot for your character), and the link between plot and theme. Authors of all experience levels, writing for any age range from picture book through young adult, will benefit from this interactive program.

Chris Eboch will also offer private, one-on-one manuscript critiques before the workshop. The fee is 4,000 yen per critique for up to ten pages (max 3,000 words). The manuscript may be a complete picture book, story or article, or the first ten pages of a novel with a one-page synopsis. For a longer manuscript, the fee is 4,000 yen for the first 10 pages plus 120 yen per page for succeeding pages. Critique participants will receive a written critique, plus a 15-minute private consultation. Eboch will comment on plot, character, theme, and overall flow of the story. She has worked with hundreds of students through the Institute of Children's Literature and other classes; for critique recommendations, see the "For Writers" section of her website at www.chriseboch.com.

Chris Eboch
Chris Eboch is the author of The Well of Sacrifice (Clarion Books, 1999), a middle grade historical adventure set in ninth century Guatemala, and three nonfiction books for Junior High students, Life Among the Maya, Modern Nations of the World: Turkey, and Modern Nations of the World: Yemen. In 2006, PictureWindow Books will release her titles Science Measurements and Science Tools, for second-grade children. Eboch earned her MA degree in Professional Writing and Publishing from Emerson College in Boston and has worked as a magazine editor and published over a hundred articles for children and adults. She has traveled extensively throughout the world. Eboch currently teaches writing through the Institute of Children's Literature and is the SCBWI New Mexico Regional Advisor. Visit her website at www.chriseboch.com.

Authors & Illustrators Networking Night

Friday June 16, 2006, 7:00 p.m. onward

The Pink Cow, Villa Moderuna B1, 1-3-18 Shibuya, Shibuya-ku,
Tokyo, 150-0002

Tel. 03-3406-5597
website

Fee: Entry free to SCBWI members and non-members. A separate
all-you-can-eat buffet is provided by the Pink Cow for ¥2,500 per person.

RSVP: Please RSVP to info@scbwi.jp so that we can have an idea of
numbers

Come and join fellow writers, illustrators and publishing professionals at the first SCBWI Authors & Illustrators Networking Night, Friday, June 16th at The Pink Cow in Shibuya. SCBWI members and non-members alike are welcome to drop in. Mix and mingle, talk shop or just get to know each other. Feel free to bring along copies of your books, portfolios and other materials.

Sunday May 14
Allen Say's Accidental Career

Sunday, May 14, 2006, 2:00–4:00 p.m.

Tokyo Women's Plaza, Audio Visual Room
Jingumae 5-53-67, Shibuya, Tokyo (by the Children's Castle
and United Nations University).

For a map in Japanese click here

Fee: ¥1,000 SCBWI members; ¥1,500 general admission

Caldecott Medalist Allen Say will share tales from his accidental career as an author and illustrator of children's books and discuss the development of his illustrations over the years and current directions. The presentation will be followed by Q&A and book signing. Books will not be for sale at the event, so purchase your favorite Allen Say titles from your local or online bookseller and bring them along for signing.

Born in Yokohama in 1937 to a Japanese American mother and Korean father raised by a British family in Shanghai, Say lived in Japan until the age of 16 then moved to the United States. In his early years Say apprenticed to a cartoonist and sign painter, studied architecture and ultimately settled on a career in commercial photography. Later he worked in freelance illustrating and published his first book in 1972, but not until his illustrations in The Boy of the Three Year Nap brought him a Caldecott Honor Medal in 1988, did he begin dedicating himself to writing and illustrating for children full time.

Say's often autobiographical picture books tackle social and personal conflicts, many within an intercultural context. Works include the poignant 1994 Caldecott Medal winner Grandfather's Journey; The Sign Painter and Emma's Rug which focus on creativity and artists; Home of the Brave, which approaches the internment of Japanese Americans through a dream sequence; Music for Alice about a Japanese American woman whose desire to dance is deferred as a result of internment and forced relocation; Tea with Milk depicting a westernized Japanese woman's search for her identity in Japan, and the recent Kamishibai Man about a kamishibai storyteller.

Sunday April 23
SCBWI Tokyo presents
A Manuscript and Illustration Exchange
April 23, Sunday, 3:30 – 6:00 pm

Sonoma Restaurant, Dogenzaka 2-25-17, Kasumi Bldg., Shibuya,
Tokyo

For a map see www.sonomatokyo.com

Fee: ¥500 SCBWI, SWET members; ¥800 nonmembers.

Writers and illustrators, bring a picture book dummy, copies of a children's or young-adult manuscript, or illustrations to share for constructive feedback. Open to published and unpublished writers and illustrators. Also, bring along your questions about writing, illustrating and the marketing process. Casual dinner to follow for those interested in lingering for more discussion.

SCBWI Tokyo presents

Saturday, March 4
Saturday Morning Publisher Talk with John Moore,
President, R.I.C. Publications—Japan, Korea, Taiwan
Saturday, March 4, 2006,
10:00 a.m.–12:00 noon

Tokyo Women's Plaza, Conference Room 2
Jingumae 5-53-67, Shibuya, Tokyo (by the Children's Castle and United Nations University). For a map in Japanese click here

Fee: ¥1,000 SCBWI members;¥1,500 general admission

For more information e-mail us

John Moore, longtime resident of Japan with over 17 years in trade and educational publishing, will discuss publishing in Asia for both the domestic and international market. A frequenter of major book fairs around the world, Moore will share his countless experiences of some of the hiccups and differences in publishing for diverse markets.

R.I.C. Publications Japan, Korea and Taiwan publishes a range of books for the ELT market, books for literacy and numeracy, as well as a rapidly growing number of Asian picture books. R.I.C.'s expanding line of Story Chest picture books includes numerous best selling classics from Japan now in English editions. For more information on RIC Publications Japan, Korea, Taiwan visit www.ricpublications.com.

February 11
The Magic of Kamishibai
Saturday, February 11, 2006, 10:00 a.m.–12:00 noon
Tokyo Women’s Plaza, Audio Visual Room
Jingumae 5-53-67, Shibuya, Tokyo
(by the Children’s Castle and United Nations University).

For a map in Japanese click here
Fee: ¥1,000 SCBWI members; ¥1,500 general admission

Kamishibai (literally paper theater) is a Japanese story form dating back to the 1930s when storytellers bicycled about towns telling stories with picture cards. Part of Japan’s unique cultural heritage, kamishibai has entered a new era, and Kyoko Sakai and Etsuko Nozaka of the International Kamishibai Association of Japan (IKAJA) will discuss the recent revival of kamishibai in Japan and its universal appeal. Current trends in the field and the marketing and publishing of kamishibai today will be covered, followed by kamishibai performances.

Kyoko Sakai is supervisor of IKAJA (www.geocities.jp/kamishibai) and president of Doshinsha Publishing (www.doshinsha.co.jp). Etsuko Nozaka is a prolific translator of children’s books from Dutch, English and French to Japanese. Sakai and Nozaka have played key roles in introducing kamishibai overseas at the Bologna Children’s Book Fair, International Youth Library in Munich and the Asian Conference on Storytelling in New Delhi.

The event will be in English.

January 21
APL Tokyo and SCBWI Tokyo Luncheon
Saturday, January 21, 2006, 12:00–3:00 p.m.
Place: Italian Trattoria Piatto Piatto, 7-18-8 Roppongi, Minato-ku, Tokyo
Fee: Y2,500 includes lunch.
Reservations: Required.
Contact email. Reserve early as space is limited!

SCBWI Tokyo and the Association of Professional Librarians (APL) Tokyo team up to present a luncheon featuring four SCBWI Tokyo authors and illustrators - Kiyo Tanaka, Naomi Kojima, John Shelley and Holly Thompson - who will share their work and discuss creative ways to explore books in classroom and library settings. Open to APL and SCBWI members; reservations required. For more information on SCBWI Tokyo authors see Books

Saturday, December 10, 2005, Breaking In: Magazine Writing for Children
with Tokushima author/editor Suzanne Kamata.
3:00-5:00 p.m.(doors open at 2:30 p.m.)
Place: RBR, The New Center for Creative Arts, 1-5-15 Moto Azabu, Tokyo
(For a map, click here)

Fee: Y1,000 SCBWI or SWET members, RBR students and teachers;
Y1,500 general admission.

American Suzanne Kamata has lived in Tokushima Prefecture, Japan, since 1988. Her writing has appeared in over 75 publications in the United States, Japan, Italy, Sweden, Canada, and the Czech Republic.

Editor of the anthology, The Broken Bridge: Fiction from Expatriates in Literary Japan (Stone Bridge Press), former fiction editor of the magazine Being A Broad, and editor and publisher of the literary journal Yomimono, Kamata is also a two-time winner of the All Nippon Airways/Wingspan Fiction Contest, a five-time nominee for the Pushcart Prize, and author of a forthcoming short story collection for adults.

Her writing for children can be found in the magazines Cicada, Ladybug, The Acorn and the anthology Summer Shorts (Blooming Tree Press). Kamata will cover the nuts and bolts of why and how to write for children's magazines, highlight do's and don'ts of submitting, and give an overview of children's magazine markets.


Participants will have a chance to try matching stories to potential
markets.

Saturday, November 12, 2005,
3:00-5:00 p.m.

Manuscript/Illustration Exchange
RBR, The New Center for Creative Arts, 1-5-15 Moto Azabu, Tokyo
(For a map, click here).

Fee: Y800 SCBWI or SWET members, RBR students and teachers;
Y1,000 general admission.

Writers and illustrators, bring a picture book dummy, copies of a children'
s or young-adult manuscript, or illustrations to share for constructive
feedback. Open to published and unpublished writers and illustrators.

October 1, 3-5 p.m.
Of Modern Fairies and Enchantment: Reading, Q & A, and Book Signing with author Gail Carson Levine (in English and Japanese)
Saturday, October 1, 2005, 3:00-5:00 p.m.(doors open at 2:30 p.m.)
Tokyo Women's Plaza, Jingumae 5-53-67, Shibuya, Tokyo (by the Children's Castle and United Nations University).
For a map in Japanese click here
Fee: Y1,000 SCBWI members, Y1,500 general admission.

Order your copies of Fairy Dust and other Gail Carson Levine titles at your favorite bookstore or online book seller and bring them to the event for signing.

About Gail Carson Levine
Gail Carson Levine, master of the modern fairy tale, is the author of many books for children, most recently Fairy Dust and the Quest for the Egg. Her novel Ella Enchanted, a 1998 Newbery Honor book, has sold more than 1 million copies, and was made into a movie by Miramax. Levine's other books include the historical novel Dave At Night, an ALA Notable Book and Best Book for Young Adults; The Wish; The Two Princesses of Bamarre; and her Princess Tales books: The Princess Test, The Fairy's Mistake, Princess Sonora and the Long Sleep, Cinderellis and the Glass Hill, For Biddle's Sake and The Fairy's Return.

She is also the author of the picture book Betsy Who Cried Wolf, illustrated by Scott Nash. Levine gives new twists to fairy tales and their worlds of princesses, princes, fairies, ogres, and monsters, weaving in fresh and witty interpretations of the age-old themes of greed, jealousy, death, love, courage and kindness.

September 19, 6-8 p.m.
Dinner with Maisy Creator, Author/Illustrator Lucy Cousins
Monday, September 19, 6:00-8:00 p.m.
Lunetta Banquet Room, 2F Hotel President Aoyama, 2-2-3 Minami Aoyama, Minato-ku, Tokyo (a 1-minute walk from Aoyama Ichome Station on the Ginza, Hanzomon and Oedo Lines; for a map click here.

Fee of Y5,000 SCBWI members, Y6,000 nonmembers
includes multi-course "new organic" dinner, one drink and tax.

Reservations required; contact info@scbwi.jp.
Limited to 15 participants.

About Lucy Cousins

Recognized the world over as the creator of the much loved character Maisy, British picture book author/illustrator Lucy Cousins was born in 1964 and studied at the Royal College of Art. Her first Maisy book was published shortly after she graduated, since which time she has enjoyed phenomenal international success, with more than 75 titles to her name and over 12 million books in print. In 1997 she won the Bologna Ragazzi Non-fiction Prize for Maisy's House and was Highly Commended by the National Art Illustration Award 1997 for Za Za's Baby Brother. In 2002 Jazzy in the Jungle won the Smarties Book Prize, and her newest title is Hooray for Fish! Lucy lives in Hampshire, England.

July 9, 2005
Saturday, 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 noon.
SCBWI Tokyo presents

A Discussion with Illustrator Gregory Myers
Tokyo Women's Plaza, Jingumae 5-53-67, Shibuya—by the Children's Castle and United Nations University
For a map in Japanese click here
Fee: ¥1,000 SCBWI members, ¥1,500 general admission

June 18, 2005
Saturday, 3:00-5:00 p.m.
Guest speaker: Illustrator Kiyo Tanaka.
Born in Kanagawa in 1972, Kiyo Tanaka studied oil painting and print making at Tama Art University in Tokyo.

Her first children's book Mizutama no Chihuahua (text by Areno Inoue) was published in 1997 (Fukuinkan Shoten).

Since then she's enjoyed considerable success as a children's book illustrator while continuing to produce and exhibit print works throughout Japan.

She has participated twice in the illustrators Exhibition at Bologna Book Fair (Italy) in 1995 and 1996, as well as the Biennial of Illustrations in Bratislava (Slovakia) in 2000 and 2001.

For her illustrations she uses a technique of copper plate printing on Japanese paper. Visit the Kiyo Tanaka website

April 2005
Breakfast with 2004 Golden Kite Award-winning Picture-book Author Pamela Turner

April 2005
A Reading and Talk by Novelist David Almond

February 2005
Literary Agent Yurika Yoshida of the Japan Foreign Rights Centre on Writing and Illustrating for Children (presented with the Society of Writers, Editors and Translators, SWET)

January 2005
SCBWI Tokyo New Year’s Party

November 2004
Author Holly Thompson on Writing Fiction in Japan

May 2004
Illustrators Koji Ishikawa and John Shelley on the Bologna Book Fair

February 2004
Editor Akiko Beppu of Kaiseisha Discusses Japanese Publishing Today

Full reports of all past events are included in the SCBWI Tokyo Newsletter. Read More...