CLOUDY WITH A CHANCE OF IDEAS—November, 2016

Greetings and Happy November! Here’s a look at what’s going on this month and beyond.

THE NEXT LEVEL SERIES

Our professional series takes place on the third Saturday of the month from 2:00-4:00 p.m. at TaborSpace, 5441 SE Belmont in Portland. Whether you’re plotting a novel or perfecting a picture book, The Next Level series will give you tools to advance your career. We will meet in Muir Hall for all events this year. The series continues through April 2017—you can purchase a pass for $35 for the entire season or preregister for $8, $10 at the door. See https://oregon.scbwi.org/events/september-2016-the-next-level/

for more information and to register.

Topic for November 19: Taxes for Creative Professionals with Michael Davidson and Rebecca McAllister.

Taxes for Creative Professionals will provide an overview of important tax issues as they relate to self-employed creative professionals. We will go over the basics: What is income? How do I acoount for mileage and meals? Receipts—how do I deal with those? What is an employee vs. a subcontractor? We’ll also cover tax saving strategies and pitfalls to avoid. Our goal is to take some of the scary out of taxes and have a little fun!

Contact: Kelly Garrett at

THE LEAGUE OF EXCEPTIONAL WRITERS

This free mentoring session for young writers ages 8 to 18 occurs every second Saturday until May at the Cedar Hills Powell’s, 3415 SW Cedar Hills Blvd., from 2:00-3:00 p.m.

Topic for November 12: Exploding Myth with Kate Ristau

The author of Clockbreakers reveals how to twist and remix myths to launch your own story.

Contact: Rosanne Parry at

NEW MEMBER OPEN HOUSE

This event will take place on November 19 from 11:00 a.m.—1:00 p.m. at the Beaverton City Library in the Cathy Stanton Conference Room, 12375 SW St., Beaverton, OR.

Meet Laura Byrd, New Member Liaison; Judi Gardiner and Barb Herkert, Co-Regional Advisors; Robyn Waters, Illustrator Coordinator AND other new members. Make friends and connections, find out what is going on with SCBWI and in the Oregon region, ask your burning questions, eat yummy treats. You don’t have to be a new member to attend, just someone with questions. This event is free, but we ask you to register so we have enough goodies. See oregon.scbwi.org to register.

Contact: Laura Byrd at

THE WRITE DIRECTION

The SW Write Direction will take place on November 12 from 3:30—4:30 p.m. at the Fanno Creek Brew Pub, 12562 SW Main St., Tigard, OR. Please contact Carol Bloeman if you plan on attending this fun hour of socializing.

Contact Carol Bloemen at

The Nonfiction Write Direction will meet on November 12 from 2:00-4:00 p.m. at the Vancouver Community Library, 901 C Street, Vancouver, WA.

Topic: Trade vs. Education Market. Bring favorite recent (published in the last 6-12 months) title(s) in both trade and education categories. We’ll discuss similarities and differences we see in the two markets currently.

Contact Christy Peterson at

The Write Direction Coffee Hour will take place on November 17 from 2:30—3:30 p.m. at TaborSpace in Copeland Commons, 5441 SE Belmont, Portland, OR. This event takes place on the third Thursday of every month and is an opportunity to socialize with your peers.

Contact Barb Kerley at

The Salem Write Direction will meet on November 26 from 11:00 a.m.—12:30 p.m. at The Broadway Coffeehouse, 1300 Broadway St. NE in Salem, OR.

Topic: Query and Pitch Workshop—Share your favorite query tips and bring your query for critique.

Contact Che Gilson at

For more information about all The Write Direction groups, contact Carol Bloemen at

JOINT ILLUSTRATORS’ RETREAT WITH SCBWI-WWA

This popular event will take place on November 11-13 at Dumas Bay Centre in Federal Way, WA. The event is sold out!

PICTURE BOOK INTENSIVE

Registration opens December 5 at 10 a.m. for this one-day event, taking place in The Dining Room at TaborSpace, 5441 SE Belmont Street in Portland. Faculty includes Lucia Monfried, editor at Penguin/Random House; Sean McCarthy, agent at Sean McCarthy Literary, Sandy Asher, author/playwright; and Mark Fearing, author/illustrator. Lunch will be provided. This event is limited to 100 attendees. One-on-one consultations will be available on a first-come, first serve basis.

See: https://oregon.scbwi.org/events/picture-this-picture-book-intensive/

NEWSWORTHY DEADLINE

The deadline to submit your good news, articles and events for the next NewsWorthy is November 30th. Send good news, articles and event information to Ruth Musgrave at and type NEWSWORTHY in the subject line. Send illustrations to Chamisa Kellogg at

That’s it for now! Wishing you a happy Thanksgiving. May the sights, sounds and smells of the holiday fill you with joy and gratitude.

Barb and Judi