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SCBWI Eastern Pennsylvania Chapter
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During the 2008 American Library Association’s Midwinter Meeting, host city Philadelphia---the ‘city of brotherly love’---was filled with booklovers, as well as the authors, illustrators and publishers who create them. Therefore, it seemed only natural that the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators should have a presence at the Pennsylvania Convention Center, where the annual event took place from January 11th -14th. This year’s SCBWI booth, sponsored by the Eastern Pennsylvania chapter, was located right in the middle of the action, too. Its position at #1058 was in close proximity to the leading children’s book publishers such as Simon & Schuster, HarperCollins, Random House, Penguin Putnam and a host of others, large and small. The SCBWI booth was made possible through the leadership and dedication of Eastern Pennsylvania chapter Regional Advisor, Laurie Krauss Kiernan, with administrative assistance from author Dianne Ochiltree and the visual design expertise of chapter member Molly Lorenz. The project allowed published SCBWI members from the region to meet and greet a prime audience of librarians and other decision-makers in the areas of literacy, education and publishing. Author/illustrator participants showcased their talent along with the value of SCBWI membership, contributing nominal exhibitor fees to the chapter in order to offset some of the booth’s expenses. Over twenty SCBWI authors and/or illustrators took advantage of this unique promotional opportunity, appearing with their books and author visit materials for two-hour slots during exhibit hall hours. Additionally, more than a dozen chapter members stepped forward to volunteer as booth captains, working in four-hour shifts. Without these behind-the-scenes volunteers, the booth could not have happened! The SCBWI booth was busy with visitors from the opening night gala on Friday to early Monday afternoon. Eastern Pennsylvania chapter members and booth exhibitors donated so many autographed books for the event that not one, but three, book baskets were raffled to conference-goers willing to drop a business card in the fishbowl. Large reproductions of exhibiting members’ book covers, a glossy framed poster of the cover art along with the author appearance schedule prominently displayed out front, free candy and SCBWI logo pens attracted plenty of attention, too. A literature stand offered a wealth of information on the benefits of SCBWI membership to passers-by. It’s estimated that nearly one thousand people stopped at the SCBWI booth during the three-day event. Many editors, publishers, and other SCBWI members---including one from Japan---took the time to tell booth organizers how much they appreciated seeing our professional association represented at an event as prominent and appropriate as the ALA Midwinter Meeting. Click here to see pictures of this event on Dianne Ochiltree's site |
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