Workshops and Conferences are a great place to meet published and aspiring authors and illustrators. It doesn’t take long to learn the lingo and to get an idea of how the publishing world works. You will make many good friends.
BYU Writing and Illustrating for Young Readers | This is my favorite Workshop/Conference. I have attended this conference for the last three years. The basic format is small group workshops in the morning with award winning authors and illustrators, and conference in the afternoon with editors, agents, and the faculty members. The faculty is always amazing.
SCBWI National Conferences (NY and LA) | Great for networking. The information is basic and seems geared toward beginning authors and illustrators. The exception to this is the Illustration Master Class that Tomie dePaola taught in LA 2006. The group was limited in size and home work was given and required in order to attend the class. There were 20 very dedicated and talented illustrators that attended.
