Events You Don't Want to Miss
We have quite a few cool things scheduled for the next month, so Arree asked me to share them.
But first, how are you doing? I'm not going to pretend that everything is normal. Your life has probably been upended in some way or another this month. You might have more time on your hands, or like me, if you're working from home and suddenly adding homeschooling, you might have less.
Please let me know how you're doing in the comments.
If you're a Storyteller Academy student, then you probably know Term 1 ends this Saturday, and Term 2 doesn't start until May 2. I've seen some students talking about what they plan to do between terms, and it's all good. I just don't want you to miss out on any of our events that might interest you.
Event #1: Arree's FREE Creativity Camp (Monday-Friday, 2 p.m., PST)
Arree put together Creativity Camp for all of the kids (and their parents) who are stuck at home right now. It's running Monday through Friday this week (2:00 p.m., Pacific Time), and if it goes well, he'll keep doing it for a while. In addition to the daily live classes, Arree will post recordings of all of the classes, and there's a private Facebook page.
After the first day, Arree decided that he's splitting the class into two classes to better meet the needs of the variety of children involved. 2:00-2:30 will be for younger kids (K-Grade 2), and 2:30-3:00 will be for older kids.
Here's this week's schedule:
- Monday: How to Tell a Story
- Tuesday: How to Draw Easily
- Wednesday: How to Make Comics
- Thursday: How to Animate
- Friday: Pitch and Pro Day
You can register here.
Event #2: Storyteller Academy Closing Ceremony (3/28, 11 a.m., PST)
Closing Ceremony for Term one will be this Saturday morning. All of our students are invited. Arree always prepares something to teach, and he answers any questions you might have. It's a great opportunity, especially for students who don't usually attend workshops. There will be a replay if you can't make it at the scheduled time.
Event #3: Build an Author Business Live Review (3/28, noon, PST)
Right after Closing Ceremony, Arree will hold the live review for his “Build an Author Business” intensive. If you're a Makers member (or you bought the intensive), you can submit your assignments for review and ask Arree business questions.
Event #4: “Ask Me Anything” with HarperCollins Art Supervisor Joe Merkel (4/9, 5 p.m., PST)
Arree worked with Joe on The Fix-it Man (written by Susan Hood), and we're really excited to have him answer student questions on Thursday, April 9, from 5:00-6:00 p.m., Pacific Time. So, think about what you'd ask an art director if you had the chance, and put this on your calendars.
There is no extra charge for students, and this should dovetail nicely with Arree's intensive on finding your art style that will be available this weekend.
Event #5: Find My Art Style Live Review (TBA)
We'll have a live review for Arree's “Find My Art Style” intensive sometime in April, but we haven't settled on a date yet. You'll be able to submit your art assignments and ask questions.
Event #6: Query an Agent Live Review (4/25, noon, PST)
I'm running the “Query an Agent” intensive. The assignment for the live review will be to submit a query, so I'll be giving feedback on those and answering questions, which leads us to our next event.
Event #7: “Ask Me Anything with Prospect Agency's Charlotte Wenger (4/29, 6 p.m., PST)
Charlotte is a fairly new agent, which means she's actively looking for clients, but she isn't new to publishing. Before joining Prospect Agency, she interned with Arree's agent, Rubin Pfeffer, and she worked as an associate editor for Page Street Kids.
In an interview with Justin Colon, Charlotte said, “Given my editorial experience with picture books, I’d say they’re my sweet spot. Picture books are meant to be a shared reading experience between a child and an adult, which is one of my favorite things about them.”
She represents board books, picture books, chapter books, beginning readers, middle grade, and young adult. We're thrilled to have her answering questions for the conclusion of our “Query an Agent” challenge/intensive, which will release around April 10.
If you're interested, I recommend that you check out Charlotte's Manuscript Wish List.
Event #8: Opening Ceremony for Term 2 (5/2, Time TBA)
On May 2, our second term will start. We'll be running five classes with live workshops:
- Making Picture Book Dummies with Arree Chung
- Writing Picture Book Manuscripts with Jim Averbeck
- Drawing 1 with Arree Chung and Alex Leon
- Character Design with Vanessa Brantley-Newton
- Picture Book Wordsmith with Carter Higgins
I think all five of them will also be mentoring critique groups, so if you want to get into one of those groups, sign up early. Melissa Manlove (editor at Chronicle Books) and Tim McCanna (rhyming picture books author) will also be mentoring critique groups the second term.
And that's it. We hope there's something there for all of you. You can access our schedule and calendar here.
Let me know in the comments if you have any questions (or any tips on being positive and productive in our current situation). Don't hesitate to reach out if you need something.
*Hugs to all of you*
Blog Contributors
Myrna Foster writes and edits content for Storyteller Academy and the WriteRiders Newsletter for SCBWI Nevada. She has spent a lot of time teaching and coaching children, including five years as a preschool teacher. She's also worked as a journalist, and Highlights High Five has published six of her poems.
Arree Chung is an author/illustrator and the founder of Storyteller Academy. Arree’s Ninja! series has received starred reviews from Kirkus and School Library Journal. Kirkus also gave a starred review to Mixed, which recently won the FCGB award.
Today Arree lives a creative life, making stories for children. Arree spends most of his time making picture books, writing middle grade novels, and sharing his love for art, design, and storytelling with kids and dreamers everywhere.