Friday, February 10, 2017

COSCBWI Meetings: Welcoming 2017!


It's a new year, which means it’s time for new COSCBWI meetings!

As you may have read in my "About Me" section of this blog, I'm the Illustrator Coordinator for the Central and Southern Ohio Chapter of the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators (or SCBWI for short).  I’ve been involved with the organization for many years and love planning events and projects for our members.  A few years ago, I started posting summaries of the monthly meetings on my blog for any local folk who missed attending, as well as for my readers spread far and wide who are interested in children's literature topics.  I plan to continue this in 2017, so I hope you will enjoy these COSCBWI posts!

We had two meetings to kick off the new year—an overview of our chapter and critique meeting for all members at the end of January, and an illustrator meet-and-greet at the beginning of February.  (Hence this delayed post!)  The Central/Southern Ohio chapter covers a large portion of Ohio including Columbus, Cincinnati, and Dayton.  To help better serve this big region, Jody Casella fills the roll of our Regional Advisor in Columbus, and Andrea Pelleschi is the Assistant Regional Advisor down in Cincinnati.  And for the illustrators, we just launched a brand new Facebook group so our members can stay connected wherever they may live!  Unless otherwise noted, the monthly meeting in Columbus is held on the fourth Wednesday of the month at 7:00 pm at the Upper Arlington Library, and the monthly meeting in Cincinnati is held on the 2nd Tuesday of the month at 7:00 pm at the Sharonville Library.

It's always a good idea to make sure everyone has the most up-to-date info at the start of each year, so here is where you can find COSCBWI online:

Email: ohiocensouth@scbwi.org
Website: http://ohiocensouth.scbwi.org/
Twitter: @CSOhioSCBWI
Facebook: Central Southern Ohio SCBWI
Facebook Illustrator Group: Cen/South Ohio SCBWI Illustrators
Listserv: coscbwi@yahoogroups.com

After introductions and group overviews, both meetings ended with member critiques of manuscripts and portfolios.  Group critiques are a wonderful way to get feedback on your work, as well as share your writing and illustrating expertise with other members.  COSCBWI keeps the atmosphere informal and encouraging for group critiques, so don't be afraid to share your work when opportunities come up throughout the year!

There are already several fun events on the agenda for 2017, including a Social Media Fair on February 18, and a workshop with authors Mindy McGinnis and Kelly Barson on March 4.  (For more information and registration, be sure to check out the website: ohiocensouth.scbwi.org.)  For illustrators, there will also be a return of the annual notecard contest later this year!  Other exciting plans are in the works, so keep your eye on that website for more information.

This is shaping up to be a great year for COSCBWI!  I hope to see you at a meeting or event soon! 

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