Young Adult & Middle Grade Intensive Writing Weekend - Day 1

 

Young Adult & Middle Grade Intensive Writing Weekend
Sat. July 11 • 8:00 am - 8:00 pm & Sun. July 12 • 8:00 am - 5:30 pm • $335

About the Writing Weekend
Books for young adults and middle-grade readers continue to grow in both quality and diversity, and the spectrum of themes has broadened considerably. There is now a wealth of good fiction and non-fiction titles with plenty of room for more. Book Passage is pleased to offer this unique, intensive Weekend Workshop for both advanced level participants and less experienced writers alike. Classes will be organized around separate curriculums for those with different levels of experience. You can expect to write!

Writing sessions will focus on craft, style and structure. We are offering intensive, critique sessions for both beginning and advanced writers.
• Less experienced writers will find themselves immersed in a complete introduction to the book publishing process, followed by an intensive writing workshop centering on their first pages.
• Authors who are further along in the writing process will be given the opportunity to submit 20 pages of their work in advance, which will be circulated to the participants in their group and will form the basis for intensive critique sessions.

What else will be covered?
When participants are not writing and critiquing their work, they will participate in panels and discussions about a variety of key topics for authors. The topics will include:
• How to find an agent       
• Query letters and pitches
• Trends in the MG & YA markets    
• Working with an editor
• Creativity and inspiration        
• New opportunities in non-fiction
• Working with a writing group    
• Developing empathetic characters
In addition to these structured sessions, participants will have plenty of time to network and interact. The Weekend Workshop will include lunch on both days and a dinner on Saturday, during which the faculty and participants are encouraged to mingle.

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Who will be there?
We are assembling a talented team of writers, editors, and agents that we will be announcing in the next newsletter. Here are four of the faculty that participants will be working with:

Andrea Alban
Author of nine books, including The Happiness Tree and Anya’s War. She edits manuscripts and coaches writers in how to prepare submissions to editors and agents. 

Mac Barnett
New York Times bestselling author and Caldecott-Honor-winner of over 18 books for children, including The Terrible Two and The Brixton Brothers series.

Karen Benke
Author of a poetry collection Sister and several creative writing adventure books Rip the Page!, Leap Write In! and Write Back Soon! Karen is a Creative Writing Coach for kids and adults.

Minju Chang
Literary Agent for Book-Stop Literary Agency, where she represents middle-grade and young adult writers of all genres.

Shirin Yim Bridges
Author and publisher (Goosebottom Books). Author of Ruby’s Wish, The Umbrella Queen and Mary Wrightly So Politely.

Summer Dawn Laurie
Independent children’s book editor with 10 years’ experience at Tricycle Press and Chronicle Books.

Eric Elfman
Screenwriter, writing coach, and the author of books for children and young adults, including Edison’s Alley & Tesla’s Attic.

John Stephens
Author of the children’s fantasy series The Book of Beginning. He was also writer and producer for popular TV shows, like The O.C., Gilmore Girls, and Gossip Girl. 

Deborah Warren
Agent and founder of East/West Literary Agency LLC.  She represents authors and illustrators—both debut and established—in the board book, concept, illustration, multicultural, non-fiction, middle-grade and young adult markets.

Jennifer Alvarez
Author of The Guardian Herd series. She blogs about her books and the publishing business (www.jenniferlynnalvarez.com) and speaks regularly at schools about creative writing.

Brooke Warner
Publisher/co-founder at She Writes Press and Spark Press. She was previously executive editor at Seal Press.

Lisa Yoskowitz
Executive Editor at Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, where she acquires and edits middle grade and YA fiction and narrative nonfiction. Prior to joining the LBYR team, she worked on children's books across genres and age ranges at Dutton and Disney-Hyperion. Drawn to voice- and character-driven stories, she has a soft spot for misfit, maverick, and mischief-making characters, and for books that can comfortably be called both literary and commercial.

Andy Ross
Literary agent and former owner of Cody’s Books. He represents authors of narrative nonfiction, fiction, science, history, essays, and travel.

Nina Schuyler
Author of the novels The Translator and The Painting, and many short stories. 

Melissa Manlove
Editor at Chronicle Books in San Francisco, Melissa has been with Chronicle for 11 years. Her acquisitions tend to be all ages in nonfiction; ages 0-8 for fiction. When acquiring, she looks for fresh takes on familiar topics as well as the new and unusual. An effective approach and strong, graceful writing are important to her. She has 17 years of children's bookselling experience.

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Private Consultations
Optional 30-minute private consultations are available for $95. You may use that time to either discuss a concept or proposal, or have a faculty member give you feedback on a portion of work or portfolio you have submitted. Faculty members offering consultations: Andrea Alban, Minju Chang, Summer Dawn Laurie, Brooke Warner, Shirin Yim Bridges, Melissa Manlove, and Lisa Yoskowitz.

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Location: 

51 Tamal Vista Blvd
Corte Madera, CA 94925