The 29th Annual SCBWI Golden Gate Conference and Retreat will be held at Asilomar from March 2-4, 2012.

Update: Registration is now open
asilomar2012.eventbrite.com

Over the years, the Asilomar conference has gained a reputation as one of the best intimate gatherings of authors and illustrators.  Recent speakers include Newbery-winning authors Cynthia Lord, Gary Schmidt, Jacquelyn Woodson, Christopher Paul Curtis, Karen Cushman, Linda Sue Park, Lois Lowry, and Paul Fleischman, and Caldecott-winning illustrators David Weisner, Gerald McDermott, and Betsy and Ted Lewin.

The conference is limited to a small group of approximately 125 people. The Asilomar grounds are on the Pacific Ocean near Monterey Bay in Northern California, two hours south of San Francisco.  Many of the Asilomar buildings are historic, and the famous dining hall, designed by Julia Morgan, provides a friendly, personal gathering place for conference attendees and speakers.  You can see the conference grounds in more depth at www.visitasilomar.com. Our focus for this year’s conference is technology as it relates to children’s books.

Registration will open November 15, 2011.

This year’s faculty includes:

M.T. Anderson, Author and Keynote Speaker

M. T. studied English literature at Harvard and Cambridge universities and received an MFA in Creative Writing from Syracuse University. He is the author of several books for children and young adults, including the much-lauded The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume 1: The Pox Party, winner of the National Book Award, and Feed, which won the Los Angeles Times Book Prize and was a finalist for the National Book Award. Currently on the faculty of Vermont College’s MFA in Writing for Children Program, M.T. lives in Boston, Massachusetts.

Dan Yaccarino, Author/ Illustrator and Keynote Speaker

Children the world over know Dan Yaccarino from his children’s books (more than a million and a half sold to date), Parent’s Choice Award-winning animated TV series Oswald(Nick Jr) and Emmy-winning Willa’s Wild Life (NBC and Qubo) and character designs for The Backyardigans (Nickelodeon), as well as his many illustrated toys, games, and other children’s products. His bold, stylized illustrations add wit and energy to the work of such prestigious authors as Margaret Wise Brown,Jack Prelutsky, Kevin Henkes and Patricia MacLachlan in addition to his own stories.

Dan’s internationally recognized art style has earned him a large following in Japan, exhibits in New York, Los Angeles, Tokyo, and Rome, and a visit to the White House. Dan’s books have been translated into many languages and have inspired ebooks, children’s musicals and video adaptations. People all over the world enjoy Oswald, Dan’s animated television series about the wonderfully whimsical world of a lovable octopus, which Time magazine chose as one of the top 6 shows to watch on cable. Animation Magazine hails him as “an American original.”

Dan’s work has been recognized with a host of prestigious awards including the Bologna Ragazzi, The New York Time 10 Best Illustrated, ALA Notable and the Parents Choice Award.

Dan lives with his wife and their two children in New York City and creates his quirky characters in his studio full of vintage toys.

Arthur Levine, Vice President and Publisher, Arthur Levine Books, Scholastic Books

Arthur A. Levine is both an editor and author of award-winning books for young people. He has worked as an editor at Dial, Putnam, and Alfred A. Knopf Books for Young Readers. Currently he is Vice President and Publisher of his own imprint, Arthur A Levine Book, which is celebrating its 15th Anniversary at Scholastic Inc. Levine has edited and published exceptional books for children of all ages including Shaun Tan’s LOST AND FOUND, Jonah Winter’s JUST BEHAVE PABLO PICASSO!, Erin Bow’s PLAIN KATE, and Susan Shreve’s THE LOVELY SHOES.  Levine is perhaps most recognized as co-Editor of the Harry Potter series by J.K Rowling. Levine is the author of MONDAY IS ONE DAY, illustrated by Julian Hector, ALL THE LIGHTS IN THE NIGHT (a Sidney Taylor Honor Books) illustrated by James Ransome, and the forthcoming A VERY BEARY TOOTH FAIRY, illustrated by Sarah Brannen.

Tamra Tuller, Editor, Philomel Books, Penguin Young Readers Group

Tamra Tuller was born and raised on the Jersey shore. It was on those beaches where she read book after book, developing her love of literature which would eventually lead her to a career in publishing (with a few detours along the way).

After working for several years in education as an English as a Second Language instructor at Rutgers University, Tamra first got her publishing feet wet in the Scholastic Book Clubs, and then moved on to Scholastic’s trade division at Blue Sky Press. In 2006 Tamra moved to Philomel Books, an imprint of the Penguin Young Readers Group, where she is currently an editor. She is interested primarily in modern, literary middle grade and young adult fiction as well as story-based picture books. She has worked with such authors as Ruta Sepetys, Kathryn Erskine, Renata Liwska, Beth Kephart, and Barbara Joosse.

Tamra lives in Brooklyn, New York, with her gigantic cat named Spartacus. As a wanna-be foodie, she loves cooking, baking, drinking wine, and dining at restaurants she can’t afford.

Sara Sargent, Assistant Editor, Balzer + Bray, Harper Collins Children’s Books

As an Assistant Editor at the Balzer + Bray imprint of HarperCollins Children’s Books, Sara works on projects ranging from picture books through YA and has worked with such authors as Candace Bushnell, Mo Willems and Doreen Cronin. While open to books for all age ranges, she is particularly interested in middle grade and YA fiction in the following categories: dystopian, literary romance, and coming-of-age stories. Her favorite books include 13 Reasons Why, The Summer I Turned Pretty, Marcelo in the Real World, and Before I Fall.

Courtney Bongiolatti, Editor, Simon and Schuster Books for Young Readers

Courtney Bongiolatti is an Editor at Simon and Schuster Books For Young Readers. She edits Becca Fitzpatrick’s HUSH, HUSH Saga, THE UNBECOMING OF MARA DYER by Michelle Hodkin, THE HUNTER CHRONICLES by E. J. Patten, and the H.I.V.E. series by Mark Walden. Some of her other titles include BELLY UP by Stuart Gibbs, WILDEFIRE by Karsten Knight, and SMILE FOR THE CAMERA by Kelle James. Courtney edits almost all kinds of YA excepting really high fantasy, sci-fi and anything too girly. She also loves Middle-Grade Boy Fiction of all types. Ms. Bongiolatti will be a silent editor, critiquing manuscripts, but not speaking.

Tracey Adams, Agent, Adams Literary

Tracey Adams, together with her husband Josh, runs Adams Literary – a boutique agency exclusively dedicated to representing children’s and young adult authors and artists, including many award-winning and bestselling clients. She founded Adams Literary in 2004, after years with Writers House and McIntosh & Otis, where she was the head of the children’s department. Prior to becoming an agent, she worked in the marketing and editorial departments of Greenwillow Books and Margaret K. McElderry Books. Tracey speaks frequently about her profession and the children’s book industry at conferences across the country. She is a member of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI), the Association of Author Representatives (AAR), and a founding member of the Women’s National Book Association (WNBA) chapter in Charlotte, NC. In her free time, Tracey enjoys Taekwondo (she is currently a 2nd degree black belt), exploring the South (especially beaches), and test-marketing children’s books with her two daughters.

Josh Adams, Agent, Adams Literary

Josh Adams, together with his wife Tracey, runs Adams Literary, a boutique agency exclusively dedicated to representing children’s and young adult authors and artists, including many bestselling and award-winning clients. A graduate of Dartmouth College and Columbia Business School, Josh spent years in publishing and media before bringing his editorial and business backgrounds together as a literary agent. Mr. Adams will be on faculty to review manuscripts, but will not be speaking.

Erin Murphy, Agent, EMLA

Erin was born and raised in Arizona, and founded EMLA in Flagstaff in 1999. She works with publishers of all sizes all over the U.S., and has placed clients’ books with every major children’s house in New York and Boston, but she cut her teeth in regional publishing. She began her career at Northland Publishing/Rising Moon Books for Young Readers (a beloved decades-old Flagstaff company that was bought out in 2007), eventually becoming editor-in-chief, and was a member of the board of directors of PubWest, a professional development organization for small and mid-sized publishers in the West.

Erin represents writers and writer-illustrators of picture books, novels for middle-graders and young adults, and select nonfiction. She is especially drawn to strong characters and heart-centered stories. In her spare time she loves walking, baking, kayaking, knitting, traveling, reading (often audiobooks), and powering through her Netflix queue.

Charlie Price, Author

Charlie Price is a young adult author who graduated from Stanford in the late 60’s and has lived in Italy, New York City, Oakland, and Mexico before settling in Northern California. His thirty-five year’s work with adolescents ranges from teacher in street schools in Bedford-Stuyvesant, to group therapist on locked psychiatric units, to Academic Dean in therapeutic boarding schools. Charlie’s third book, The Interrogation of Gabriel James, won the 2011 EDGAR Young Adult award, and was selected as a Quick Pick for Reluctant Readers. His first book, Dead Connection, arrived received a starred review from Publisher’s Weekly and was selected a Best Book Young Adult and a Quick Pick for Reluctant Readers. Texas bought it for all their high school libraries and it was a finalist for Teen Readers and Library Awards in Georgia, Missouri, New Jersey, and South Carolina.  His second book LIZARD PEOPLE received excellent reviews from Kirkus and Booklist. His fourth book, Desert Angel, Farrar, Straus, & Giroux, has already received a starred review from Kirkus.

Charlie has been delightfully married for the past thirty years to Joan Pechanec, a psychotherapist, and has a 28 year-old daughter living in Portland. In spite of abundant flaws, he’s a decent guitar player, fly-fisherman, and free throw shooter. He currently lives on a river in Northern California.

Tracy Maurer, Author

Tracy Nelson Maurer has written more than eighty children’s nonfiction books. Her books have received favorable reviews from Booklist, ALA and VOYA; some served as examples in Models for Teaching Writing-Craft Target Skills by writing expert Marcia S. Freeman (Maupin House, 2005). Tracy’s fiction picture book, Storm Codes, earned the Northeastern Minnesota Book Awards Children’s Literature Honor, the Jeanette Fair Educators Award, and other regional and national recognition. A professional writer for more than 20 years, Tracy also develops, writes and edits for business publications and websites, as well as marketing and advertising materials. She has led workshops and writing groups, and served as the writing mentor for the Minnesota chapter of SCBWI. She holds an MFA in Writing for Children and Young Adults from Hamline University and lives near Minneapolis, Minnesota.