[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":11},["ShallowReactive",2],{"blog-post-scbwi-conference-2015":3},{"_type":4,"body":5,"bodyHtml":6,"excerpt":5,"featuredImage":5,"publishedAt":7,"slug":8,"tags":9,"title":10},"blogPost",null,"Here's my favourite photo from this year's conference of the \u003Ca href=\"https://britishisles.scbwi.org/\">Society of Children's Book Writers & Illustrators\u003C/a> in Winchester: debut author \u003Ca href=\"https://mrsbung.wordpress.com/\">Kathryn Evans\u003C/a> modeling her Seawig in front of seafaring costume judges \u003Ca href=\"http://philipreeve.blogspot.co.uk/\">Philip Reeve\u003C/a> and \u003Ca href=\"http://www.jonny-duddle.com/\">Jonny Duddle\u003C/a>. \\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/nicky_seawig_zps2yh7lvfh-ed1af1172d.jpg\">\\r\n\u003Ci>\u003Cfont size=\"1\">Photo by \u003Ca href=\"http://teriterry.jimdo.com/\">Teri Terry\u003C/a>\u003C/i>\u003C/font>\\r\n\\r\nAnd check out the party costumes of organisers \u003Ca href=\"https://twitter.com/headfirst_dom"\">Dom Conlon\u003C/a> (fish bones in the beard!) and \u003Ca href=\"http://www.georgekirk.co.uk/\">George Kirk\u003C/a> (giant squid, with Seawig!).\\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/costumes_dom_george_zps2iahc8k5-b7c9765dac.jpg\">\\r\n\u003Ci>\u003Cfont size=\"1\">Photos by Philip Reeve, George Kirk & \u003Ca href=\"http://candygourlay.com/\">Candy Gourlay\u003C/a>\u003C/i>\u003C/font>\\r\n\\r\nThe SCBWI Conference is a great chance for long-time friends and total newbies to meet up, celebrate their books, learn how to make and pitch new ones and generally muck about.\\r\n \\r\n\u003C!--more Click here for more under the cut!-->\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/scbwi_costumes_zpsaqcdk9ag-cd096baf95.jpg\">\\r\n\u003Ci>\u003Cfont size=\"1\">Photos by Candy Gourlay\u003C/i>\u003C/font>\\r\n\\r\nI've been to the conference before, but this was the first time I had a few hours to wander around Winchester, which looks sparkly and gorgeous in the run up to Christmas. Philip and I bought mulled wine at the Christmas market and I bought earmuffs; it was all very cosy. \\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/cathedral_zpsnaicusm7-c2d9e07199.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\nObligatory lovely \u003Ca href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Winchester_Cathedral"\">Winchester Cathedral\u003C/a> pics:\\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/cathedral2_zpsq8mf9ra1-7541a18e57.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\nActually, this was the view of the cathedral from my hotel room! \\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/hotel_window_zpssm2g9ulm-112415debf.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\nThe cool thing about Winchester is that anyone who sleeps within a stone's throw of the cathedral gets two little elf-priests to sit at their feet all night. (Well, perhaps historically.)\\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/tomb_winchester_zpsmgktzovu-05c01dd059.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\nSCBWI treated us to a nice dinner on the first night (and I wore my new Esther Marfo dress, love it love it). \\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/scbwi_dinner_zpsmksedz4b-14411a03c3.jpg\">\\r\n\u003Ci>\u003Cfont size=\"1\">Photo by George Kirk\u003C/i>\u003C/font>\\r\n\\r\nWe found out it was illustrator \u003Ca href=\"http://www.clare-tovey.com/\">Clare Tovey\u003C/a>'s birthday so a bunch of us rallied to make her a cake. \\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/clare_cake_zpsbodgd9ro-468a78695b.jpg\">\\r\n\u003Ci>\u003Cfont size=\"1\">Photo on left by George Kirk\u003C/i>\u003C/font>\\r\n\\r\nPhilip and I gave the opening keynote speech and George Kirk did an amazing job introducing us by playing a song she'd written for us on the ukulele. Wow! \\r\n\\r\n\u003Clj-embed id=\"3252\"/>\\r\n\u003Ci>\u003Cfont size=\"1\">\u003Ca href=\"https://youtu.be/zTtvQqIhAh4\">Direct YouTube link\u003C/a>\u003C/font>\u003C/i>\\r\n\\r\nThanks, George! Philip and I led everyone through a few of the activities we do with kids, to engage them in our books, including drawing, singing and creating and playing a giant board game. \\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/George_stage2_zpsqes5co5h-e58eae7ec3.jpg\">\\r\n\u003Ci>\u003Cfont size=\"1\">Tweet (and pug) by \u003Ca href=\"https://twitter.com/JoolsAWilson\">@JoolsAWilson\u003C/a>, photo by George Kirk\u003C/i>\u003C/font>\\r\n\\r\nThen we got to listen to a talk by illustrator-write \u003Ca href=\"http://www.jonny-duddle.com/\">Jonny Duddle\u003C/a>, who has a background in designing characters for computer games and who designed the pirates for the recent Aardman animated film. I loved hearing about his year at sea, when he got to crew an actual old-style pirate ship, which is sort of my dream; and how photos he took from that year became such valuable reference images for his later pirate picture books. \\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/jonny_sow_zpsqs3fd8yz-e0be169cc3.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\nDespite posting those costume photos, I didn't actually get to go to the evening's fancy dress party. Philip was the Reeve & McIntyre ambassador while I kept a long-standing date with my husband Stuart back in London to go see the play \u003Ci>Farinelli and the King\u003C/i>. (Here's a picture of the glowing candle-lit Duke of York's Theatre.)\\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/theatre_zpskyiqhiar-a248a80e50.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\nBut it was great to see people being so creative! Well done on those costumes, guys, and it was fun popping in to see the conference illustrator exhibition! \\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/creativity_zpsciwaqg9p-66bd81fd92.jpg\">\\r\n\u003Ci>\u003Cfont size=\"1\">Tweet by \u003Ca href=\"https://twitter.com/SwapnaHaddow\">@SwapnaHaddow\u003C/a>\u003C/i>\u003C/font>\\r\n\\r\nA couple more photos of Kathy's Seawig; isn't she glorious? :D \\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/nicky_seawig2_zpsmqn4ku6h-1f43dd080b.jpg\">\\r\n\u003Ci>\u003Cfont size=\"1\">Photos by Candy Gourlay\u003C/i>\u003C/font>\\r\n\\r\nHuge thanks to George Kirk (here's her \u003Ca href=\"http://www.georgekirk.co.uk/my-news/how-to-tion-the-scbwi-conferenecne\">blog\u003C/a>), Jan Carr, Dom Conlon, Candy Gourlay, Mo O'Hara, Suzie Wilde, Natascha Biebow, local \u003Ca href=\"https://twitter.com/Bookwells\">P&G Wells\u003C/a> booksellers and everyone on the team who helped to make the conference run so smoothly!","2015-11-23T23:34:00.000Z","scbwi-conference-2015",[],"scbwi conference 2015",1776628727962]