*NEW DATES FOR 2008!*Join us:
July 25-27
August 15-17
Picture Book Workshop
If you are committed to making your picture book manuscript the best it can be, join authors Jill Esbaum and Linda Skeers for a productive weekend immersed in the world of picture book writing.
We'll study the elements of successful picture book stories and provide you with the tools necessary to make yours rise to the top of the dreaded slush pile. We'll discuss characterization, conflict, dialogue, language and word choice, plot structure, point of view, snappy beginnings and unexpected endings, winning titles, marketing strategies, and why stories have to be close to perfect to snag the eye of an editor.
Join us at Our Lady of the Prairie, a retreat center nestled in the wooded hills of Eastern Iowa, for a weekend of learning, writing and FUN. Aside from studying the craft of writing with Jill and Linda, you'll participate in peer critiques, have time to write and revise, socialize, walk among the trees, sit by the pond, or just relax on the porch with a cup of tea and enjoy the cardinals and gold finches so abundant on the property.
Jill and Linda have a combined total of nine picture books with New York publishers Dial; Farrar, Straus & Giroux; Harcourt; Henry Holt; and Knopf. Also, they are both instructors for the Institute of Children's Literature.
All levels of writing experience are welcome. Space is limited to 7 participants.
All inclusive -- $350. Let us know which session you are interested in -- July 25-27 or August 15-17.
Contact Linda: lskeers@juno.com or through the contact page on this website
Contact Jill: jillsbooks@netins.net
Jill's website: www.jillesbaum.com
Jill Esbaum is the author of Stink Soup (Farrar, Straus & Giroux, 2004), Ste-e-e-e-eamboat A-Comin'! (FSG, 2005), and Estelle Takes a Bath (Henry Holt, 2006). More picture books are forthcoming, including To the Big Top (FSG, 2008), Stanza (Harcourt, 2009), and Tom's Tweet (Knopf, TBA). Jill is an instructor for the Institute of Children's Literature and leads workshops at the University of Iowa's Summer Writing Festival. She is also the Quad Cities Network Chair for the Society of Children's Book Writers & Illustrators.
Linda Skeers is the author of The Impossible Patriotism Project (Dial, May 2007) and Tutus Aren't My Style (Dial, 2009) and the collective biography History Makers: TOY MAKERS (Lucent, 2004). Linda is an instructor for the Institute of Children's Literature and the list serve moderator for Iowa SCBWI.