What in the World Is SCBWI?

Newsletter #61

Apr 09, 2025

An Awful Acronym for Creatives

When someone wants to write a children’s book, a common piece of advice is to join SCBWI, or the Society of Children’s Books Writers and Illustrators. Founded in 1971, this non-profit, global organization supports the creation and promotion of children’s literature. It is divided into about 80 geographical regions that are led by volunteer Regional Teams (RT) who plan social, educational, and co-working events for its members.

I am part of the SCBWI San Francisco/South region, which spans from San Francisco County in the north down to Monterey County in the south. When I first decided that I wanted to become a published picture book author back in 2008, I joined SCBWI to learn about the industry and craft. I found my first and second critique groups with the help of SCBWI. Through the organization, I attended countless events, many conferences from other nearby regions in California and even as far as New Jersey.

A few years back I offered to volunteer for SF/South, but at the time, nothing quite fit my interests in the right way. Then in 2023 when the RT started to plan for their Golden Gate Conference, I chose to be on that planning committee. Besides visiting potential venues and sharing ideas during meetings, I was the registrar, preparing all the personalized name tags, scheduling pitch critiques, and welcoming conference attendees. I met so many dedicated people volunteering for the region.

When I saw that the co-Assistant Regional Advisor position needed to be filled, I decided to apply for the job, and I got it! So now I’m part of the SCBWI SF/South Regional Team who coordinates an incredible group of volunteers who run monthly events year-round, plus plans several larger events.

Here’s our SF/South Regional Team! Emily Jiang co-Regional Advisor, me co-Assistant Regional Advisor, Nena Hy-Boyer co-Illustrator Coordinator, Joyce Masongsong-Ray co-Regional Advisor, Danielle Heitmuller co-Illustrator Coordinator, and Seina Wedlick co-Assistant Regional Advisor

Some of these include:

social events like Holiday in the Park
virtual events like the upcoming Virtual Agents & Editors Day on April 26 (you can still register here!)
biennial conferences like Golden Gate Day
Illustrators’ Day coming in September
Scholar-in-Residence presentations to educate

As I take on this new leadership role, I think being involved with the community will help me network with more people locally and across the country, learn more about the writing industry, and support others pursuing their creative dreams.

Book Report: THE LIGHT OF HOME: A STORY OF FAMILY, CREATIVITY, AND BELONGING

Written by Diana Farid

Illustrated by Hoda Hadadi

What a beautifully, lyrical story about a girl named Nur who loves her home near the sea and delights in creating art. When her family unexpectedly leaves their home in the middle of the night to escape a dangerous situation, we see her family endure different hardships until they find another home in the city. The artist Hoda uses textured and translucent papers to collage the scenes with details that bring each experience to life and invite readers to linger over every page to explore the images and artwork. There are visual contrasts between the calm, pleasant scenes that focus on horizontal lines and the urgent, chaotic ones with sharp angles for movement. The author Diana adeptly uses the symbolism of both water and art strokes throughout the book to convey Nur’s dreams, struggles, and hope. THE LIGHT OF HOME is a poignant story about the refugee experience told with such care and thoughtfulness. I appreciate the personal perspectives of both the author and illustrator, plus a short glossary at the end.

Themes: home, resilience, courage

Discussion Ideas:

When have you had to experience a change like to Nur, and how did you cope with the new situation? Or if you haven’t dealt with anything similar, what do you think would bring you comfort in an unfamiliar place?
Describe how the author and illustrator convey different emotions that Nur feels.

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