Friday Roundup—Texas Sweethearts Style

The Texas Sweethearts have been patiently waiting for this weekend! To say we're excited for the Austin SCBWI Conference is an understatement. In short, the SOLD-OUT conference is:

• Destination Publication: An Awesome Austin Conference for Writers and Illustrators
• Keynote speakers are Newbery Honor author Kirby Larson and Caldecott Honor author-illustrator Marla Frazee, who will also offer an illustrator breakout and portfolio reviews.
• Presentations and critiques will be offered by editor Cheryl Klein of Arthur A. Levine/Scholastic, author-editor Lisa Graff of FSG, agent Andrea Cascardi of Transatlantic Literary, agent Mark McVeigh of The McVeigh Agency, and agent Nathan Bransford of Curtis Brown, Ltd.
• Advanced critique break-out sessions will be led by editor Stacy Cantor of Bloomsbury.
• Cheryl Klein and author Sara Lewis Holmes will speak on the editor-and-author relationship, and Marla Frazee and author Liz Garton Scanlon will speak on the illustrator-and-author relationship.
  
• Authors on the speaker-and-critique faculty include Jessica Lee Anderson, Chris Barton, Illustrator Patrice Barton, Shana Burg, Sara Lewis Holmes, P.J. Hoover, Jacqueline Kelly, Liz Garton Scanlon, Philip Yates, Jennifer Ziegler.

Look for a wrap-up of the conference next week!

GO AUSTIN!

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In the Featured Sweetheart Nomination category, we have:

• Alice Pope, Writer's Digest Blogger Extrordinaire

Please email us your nominations for featured sweethearts!

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On the review front, huge thank you to Fresh Dawg's Book Blog for the awesome review of BORDER CROSSING by Jessica Lee Anderson!

In addition, BORDER CROSSING and TRUDY were both named in the top 12 obscure unsung YA titles! Thank you!

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Have a great weekend!

*Note: If there is something you'd like us to include in our Friday roundup, please email us. We're happy to include news and information about the awesomeness of the kidlit world!