A writing workshop with Alice McLerran
*Hosted by the Society of Children's Book Writers & Illustrators (SCBWI)
9 am to 5 pm, Saturday November 11, 2006
Filipinas Heritage Library (formerly Nielsen Tower)
Ayala corner Makati Avenue, Makati City, Philippines
Here's your chance to have your manuscript critiqued while spending a day
with Alice McLerran, children's book author from Long Island, New York. Know
what it takes to write not only for children but also how to keep on writing
and honing your craft. Share your own writing—bring your work, participate
in a manuscript critique and learn how to give and receive constructive
feedback.
On Saturday November 11, 2006 Alice McLerran will be in Manila for an
all-day writing workshop sponsored by the Society of Children's Book Writers
& Illustrators (SCBWI). The workshop is for adults who write or want to
write for children and young people—amateurs and professionals, published
and unpublished authors, freelance writers, college students, teachers,
parents, educators, and others who have a keen interest in children's
literature. We hope to give all the participants an intimate glimpse into
what Alice describes as "the kind of rewriting that is such an important
part of the writing process for me." The workshop is also helpful for
illustrator-writers, visual artists who are interested in the writing
process, and those who are eager to know more about the kind of creative
collaborations that can take place between authors and illustrators.
Alice McLerran was brought up in a way that let her know she lived in the
whole world rather than in one place. Her family made homes in locations
ranging from Hawaii to Germany to Ecuador, and in states across the U.S . As
an adult, she now travels even more widely with her physicist husband. When
not traveling together they divide their time between homes in New York and
Oregon. She earned her PhD in anthropology from the University of California
in Berkeley in 1969 once her three children were in school, and later an MPH
from the Harvard School of Public Health. Although always a writer, she only
began to publish professionally in 1985. Her books include ROXABOXEN, THE
GHOST DANCE, THE YEAR OF THE RANCH, and the twin books HUGS and KISSES. Her
first book, THE MOUNTAIN THAT LOVED A BIRD, still published in the U.S. and
Japan with its original illustrations by Eric Carle, has been reillustrated
by artists in Russia, Pakistan, and India for newer editions. Its Philippine
editions are now about to be released in English, Filipino, Hiligaynon,
Cebuano, Ilokano and Kiniray-a, using totally new art drawn from the
landscapes of the Phillipines. To know more about Alice, please visit
http://www.AliceMcLerran.com
Pre-registration is required and is now going on. The fee includes handouts
and lunch, and is non-refundable but transferrable: P1500 until Monday
September 18, P1750 until Monday October 16, P2000 until Friday November 3.
There's a P200 discount for current SCBWI members, and a small rebate on the
day of the event for every person who contributes a manuscript for the group
critique session. Please provide 2 copies of your manuscript, prefaced with
a title page that contains only this statement: "I hereby declare that I am
the author of the attached manuscript" followed by the title, your signature
above your printed name, mailing address, landline and cellphone number,
e-mail address, and an indication whether the manuscript is being submitted
for individual critiquing only, for group critiquing only, or may be used
for either or both. Manuscripts must be 5 pages maximum, typed 12 points
double space on 8.5 x 11 inch paper with a 1-inch margin all around, and
submitted upon pre-registration or on Friday, November 3, at the latest.
Only those manuscripts submitted in advance will be used for either form of
critiquing.
If you've never participated in a critique session and hesitate to submit
your work to other eyes, you may regret such hesitation once you experience
the useful insights and support a group of fellow-writers can provide! Offer
a manuscript you've carried as far as you know how, and with any luck you
can come away with ideas on how to do yet more with it.
For more information, contact Beaulah Pedregosa Taguiwalo at
beaulah.taguiwalo@yahoo.com or 0917-787-4956, or Dominique Garde Torres
(Nikki) at nikkigarde@yahoo.com or 0917-667-1267.
PROGRAM
9:00 am to 10:30 am - MY JOURNEY AS AN AUTHOR: FROM CHILDHOOD
SELF-PUBLISHING TO BOOKS WITHOUT BORDERS. Aided by projected images, Alice
shows as well as tells how she grew into being an author and how she learned
to share her stories around the globe—initially through the traditional
route of translated editions arranged between publishers, but increasingly
though much more direct and personal involvement in the process. There'll be
time for questions and interactive discussion.
10:30 am to 11:30 am - THE WRITING PROCESS: IS THERE AN EASY FORMULA? Some
classroom teachers seem to think so, but Alice has her doubts. She does,
however, have some beliefs about where the best story-ideas are found, and
how to develop them into stories that work.
11:30 am to 12:00 noon - BREAK FOR INFORMAL SCHMOOZING
12:00 noon to 1:30 pm - LUNCH. Alice hopes to do some table-hopping as lunch
progresses. As informal conversation continues, Alice will try to meet with
as many as possible of those who have requested individual critiques.
1:30pm to 3:00pm - SHARING OUR STORIES. We'll stay grouped around tables for
the afternoon. After discussing the multiple advantages critique groups
offer, basic guidelines that keep them painfree and helpful, and some tips
on how to structure a group of your own so that it will function well, we'll
begin actually experiencing the process of group critiquing. If there's time
at the end, Alice can offer for input by all assembled a manuscript she
herself has been polishing "far too long"—to see if our insights can help
her see certain spots with new eyes!
3:00 pm to 5:00 pm - JOY FLIES IN THE PHILIPPINES! Together, Alice and
Beaulah tell how the idea of special Philippine editions of THE MOUNTAIN
THAT LOVED A BIRD came to be born. The bird in the story is named Joy, and
the release of this new book is indeed a joyous moment for Alice, the
author, and Beaulah, the illustrator. We hope it will be ready for launching
on November 11, and that their joint presentation can be followed by the
first public appearance of the book itself—with a rare chance to purchase
copies signed by both author and artist.
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