Welcome to our MG/YA Opportunities post! Marti Johnson and Lexi Donahue are excited to share MG/YA Opportunities each month, we started in April 2021. All opportunities listed are available to anyone with an internet connection.
Does your local writing organization, SCBWI region, etc. host virtual events that are available to anyone with an internet connection? Would you like them listed here? Please share the info in the comments, or use our Contact Form.
Click the links to go directly to each list.
MAY EVENTS
MAY SCBWI WEBINARS
REGISTER IN MAY
HAPPEN EVERY MONTH
To see what’s available all year, and what’s coming up the rest of this year, visit the MG/YA SUPPORT resource page.
Fee or free? Here’s a key:
(free) – no fee to enter or to participate
($) – fee to enter or to participate
(*See note) – look for *explanation within the blurb
MAY EVENTS
NESCBWI Spring Virtual Conference ($) April 30th – May 2nd
THE LOFT COURSES ($)
Pushing the Parameters of Memoir Kao Kalia Yang ($) May 10, 6 p.m.-8 p.m.
Social Media Strategy: A Class for Writers of Color and Indigenous Writers Rachel Werner ($) May 12, 6:30-8:30 p.m.
Make It Weirder: Strategies for Creative Revision Kathryn Nuernberger ($) May 14, 3 -6 p.m.
Travel Writing/Writing Travel Maggie Shipstead ($) May 16, 3 -5 p.m.
Finding Your Poem’s North Star Carrie Fountain ($) May 23, 11 a.m.-2 p.m.
GRUB STREET
Writers helping writers numerous workshops offered.
Advanced YA/MG Novel Revision ($) 6 Tuesdays beginning May 4, 6-12 EST
The End ($) 4 Sundays, starting May 2nd, 2:30-5:30 (EST)
Intro to Fiction ($) 6 weeks online; no live meetings. Class opens May 5th.
Setting as Character: How to Bring A Place to Life ($) May 28th, 10:30am-1:30pm (EST)
Getting Over Writer’s Block ($) May 29th, 10:30am-1:30pm (EST)
HIGHLIGHTS FOUNDATION COURSES ($)
World Building: Construct Real and Fantastical Worlds, a Two-Day Intensive ($) May 6 & 7,
Writing About Mental Health in Youth Literature: Impact & Experience ($) May 13-27
Getting Your Story Unstuck: A Weekend Intensive for Writers of Chapter Books, MG, and YA Novels ($) May 15-16
DIY Revision for Your Novel or Nonfiction ($) May 20-23
WHALE ROCK WORKSHOPS ($)
Write Now! ($) A writing group that runs April 6th through July 2nd. There’s nothing like a regular meeting time and space to keep your writing commitments honest.
Master Skills With Patti Gauch and Gary D. Schmidt ($) MAY 30 – JUNE 5
THE WRITING BARN COURSES
Creative Black Joy for the Black/African American ($) May 20
Compelling Nonfiction Narratives and Gripping Story Arcs with Ann Angel ($) May 29
SCBWI WEBINARS ($)
Low-cost webinars hosted by SCBWI regional chapters, available everywhere.
Grow With the Pros! Art Director Kirk Benshoff The Graphic Novel Process and how to Best Showcase Your Work ($) May 1 10:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. EDT
MayFest Conference ($) May 1 9 a.m.-5:00 p.m.
2021 Writers & Illustrators Working Conference! ($) May 1-2, 7 am – 6 pm Central
Spring Studio – PrePAIRing for Success! ($) May 1, 9 a.m. – 3:30 p.m. Central
Poetry Magic with Michelle Schaub: Exploring the Children’s Poetry Market ($) May 3, 6 PM CST
Poetic Techniques to Help Make Your Writing Come Alive ($) May 4, 7:30 EDT
The Heart of Your Story: Outlines for Brainstorming and Revision ($) May 4, 7-8:30 pm (Eastern)
KidLit Nonfiction Workshop: Interest + Impact: Finding a Marketable Nonfiction Topic and Where to Go From There ($) May 8, 10:00AM-11:00Am Pacific Time
Picture Book Building Blocks Webinar with Agent Paige Terlip ($) May 10 7 PM EST
Self-publishing children’s books: An Introduction ($) May 16, at 5:00pm Paris Time
Crafting Chapter Books ($) Tue, May 18 7pm-8pm ET
Taking Your Author Website to the Next Level ($) May 18th, 7-8:30pm EST
Query Grind–Part 3: Navigating the Author/Agent Relationship with literary agent Reiko Davis ($) May 20, 2021 @7pm EST
Celebrating Asian Voices (*)May 20: 1-2PM PT SCBWI #Own Voices Panel discussion with Julie Abe, Samira Ahmed, Mike Jung, Emily X.R. Pan, Dow Phumiruk, Paula Yoo, moderated by Alvina Line, VP and Editor in Chief, Little Brown BRYR *Free to dues-paying member of SCBWI.
Graphic Novels with Author/Illustrator Drew Brockington ($) May 21, 7 p.m. Central
Show & Tell 2021: An Online Pitch Event ($) May 22, 9:30 AM-4:45 PM Eastern
Maximizing Your Social Media Presence and Effectiveness (*) May 27 1-2PM PT with Author Greg Pincus. *Free to dues-paying member of SCBWI.
KidLit Tools Workshop: Inside-Out: Creating Believable Characters Through Emotion & Sensory Detail ($) May 29, 2021 10:00am-11:30am Pacific Time
REGISTER IN MAY, HAPPENING LATER:
Grub Street: Jumpstart Your Writing ($) 6 Tuesdays 10:30 am – 1:30 pm (EST) starting June 1st.
HAPPEN EVERY MONTH
Ditty of the Month Club (DMC) (free)
Practice writing in rhyme and submit your poem. A new challenge each month, plus interviews. Hosted by Michelle H. Barnes on Today’s Little Ditty website.
Four on 400 (free) A monthly contest where 1 kidlit writer is selected to receive feedback on the opening 400 words of their manuscript (MG and YA writers) April 4, 2021.
GETTING YOUR MIDDLE GRADE OR YOUNG ADULT NOVEL UNSTUCK: AN ON DEMAND ONLINE WORKSHOP 2021 ($) An on demand workshop available all year long with Erin Dionne and Chris Tebbetts. Learn lots of tools for getting unstuck! Gain access to workshop videos, worksheets, a 20 minute zoom with Erin or Chris to discuss your WIP, monthly office hours, and access to a community discussion page!
KidLit Distancing Social (free)
A free educational hangout for kidlit writers featuring guest speakers, news, every Tuesday: 8pm Eastern Time, 7pm Central, 6pm Mountain, 5pm Pacific. Replays available here. Presented by Children’s Book Insider.
Monthly Twitter Writing Challenge (free)
Participants agree to aim for 500 words or 1 hour of editing each day for a month. Five hundred words? That’s a whole picture book. Founded by author Kristy Acevedo.
#write5minutes ($)
Write your children’s book this year 5 minutes at a time in a DIY writing workshop for board books to YA taught by author and editor Anastasia Suen.
Writing Blueprints ($)
On-demand webinars and resources. Each Writing Blueprint takes a particular genre or category of book and breaks the process of writing and revising it into tiny steps. Each step then features a video with an expert instructor describing this piece of the writing puzzle and giving instructions about using the fillable PDF form for that step. From Children’s Book Insider.
Does your local writing organization, SCBWI region, etc. host virtual events that are available to anyone with an internet connection? Would you like them listed here? Please share the info in the comments, or use our Contact Form.
Months of a Year Banner Illustrations by Lexi Donahue Featured Image Line Art by Valenty, Can Stock Photos
WRITERS' RUMPUS 
What a terrific list of workshops and classes. Thank you Marti and Lexi!
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This is a great #kidlit resource, Marti! Thanks.
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