SCBWI Children’s Book Seminar (2010 September 18)

The 4th SCBWI Children’s Book Seminar will be held on Saturday, September 18, 2010 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the University of the Philippines Visayas (UPV), Iloilo City. It is open to published and unpublished children’s book writers and illustrators, teachers, librarians, college and graduate students, parents, and anyone who has a keen interest in children’s literature.* The organizers are the Philippine chapter of the Society of Childrens’ Book Writers & Illustrators (SCBWI) and the UPV Chancellor’s Committee for Culture and the Arts (CCCA).

PROGRAM:

8:00-8:30 — Log-in & Book-Browsing

8:30-8:45 — Opening Remarks (Prof. Vicente Tan)

8:45-9:00 — Introduction of attendees (Nikki Torres)

9:00-10:00 — Writing for Children (Prof. Vicente Tan). Thinking about your own past while staying in touch with the young people of today.

10:00-12:00 – Roundtable Booktalk (Beaulah Taguiwalo). Why did you pick this book? What do you like about it? Do you think children will love it? Why? Do you think some children won’t like it? Why? If you can make your own version, what would it be like?

12:00-1:00 — Lunch

1:00-2:00 — Notable Children’s Books Worldwide (Beaulah). Examples, hands-on exercises and/or critiques.

2:00-3:30 — From Book to Stage (Nikki Torres). Performances based on well-loved children’s books. Taking a well-crafted children’s story and turning it into a performance script for children. Hands-on exercises on writing dialogue for children’s plays.

3:30-4:30 — Children’s Books in Hiligaynon/Kinaray-a (Beaulah). Examples, hands-on exercises and/or critiques.

4:30-4:45 — Closing Remarks (Prof. Vicente Tan)

4:45-5:00 — Certificates of Attendance (Nikki)

FACULTY:

Prof. Vicente Tan teaches Communication and Media Studies at UP Visayas. He also chairs the UPV Chancellor’s Committee for Culture and the Arts, and curates the UPV Art Gallery. He has conducted training programs in theater, leadership, and team building for pre-elementary, elementary, and high school students. In 2009 he directed and wrote the script of a short film for children. He will talk about writing for children based on his experience in the arts and culture scene in Iloilo, Manila, and other places and countries.

Beaulah Pedregosa Taguiwalo is a book designer and children’s illustrator. Her work is in more than 45 published books. In 2009 she designed 15 children’s books in Hiligaynon and Kinaray-a written by children and illustrated by children. In 2010 she co-edited, designed, and produced 10 seafarer children’s books based on prize-winning stories for children whose fathers are mostly away at sea.

Dominique Garde Torres (Nikki) has worked with the CCP Dramatic Arts Division for nearly 20 years. Her articles are regularly featured in the Philippine Free Press. In 2007 the script for Tukso that she co-authored won the award for Best Screenplay in Cinemalaya, the CCP’s annual film festival. She also wrote the text for the Discussion Guide of PETA’s play on voter education.

REGISTRATION:

Pre-registration and payment is required.

To register, see Prof. Vicente Tan c/o Fryia Guzman at the Art Gallery, UP Visayas, Gen. Luna Street, Iloilo City, Tel. (033) 337-9159.

Pay the registration fee in full and submit your complete registration information: name, age (at least 18*), occupation, company or organization, e-mail address, telephone number, and mailing address.

Registration will close at 5 p.m., Wednesday September 8, 2010.

FEE:

Early Bird – P350 until 5 p.m.
Friday, August 27, 2010

Regular – P450 until 5 p.m.
Wednesday September 8, 2010

The fee is transferable but not
refundable. Lunch is included.

CONTACT:

Beaulah Pedregosa Taguiwalo
taguiwalo8888@yahoo.com
Tel. 0917-787-4956

Dominique (Nikki) Garde Torres
nikkigtorres@yahoo.com
Tel. 0905-347-1668

Prof. Vicente Tan c/o Fryia Guzman
Tel. (033) 337-9159

* Participants in SCBWI Philippines events must be at least 18 years old.

SCBWI Children’s Lit Booktalk & Critique (August 2010)

Our special topic this month: The making of Quintin And His Violin, a seafarer children’s book

Are you a published or aspiring writer or illustrator of children’s books? Do you have a keen interest in children’s literature? If so, come and join our monthly booktalk!

WHEN: 6-8 p.m. on Monday 2010 August 16

WHERE: Figaro Greenbelt 3, Makati

WHAT: It’s basically a booktalk: everyone brings a book for children or young adults to talk about. We use this as a springboard for questions and answers about writing and illustrating, getting published, promoting one’s books, and other markets, media, and issues related to children’s books.

WHO: This for published or unpublished writers and illustrators of books for children and young adults. It’s also for those who love or work with children’s books: publishers, editors, translators, book designers, book packagers, book distributors, booksellers, librarians, storytellers, college and graduate students, parents, teachers, guidance counselors, and creators of stage, television and movie adaptations of children’s books. SCBWI members and non-members are both welcome.*

HOST: SCBWI Philippines, the Philippine chapter of the Society of Children’s Book Writers & Illustrators (SCBWI)

FEE: P20 and a receipt for something — anything! — that you ordered from the venue. For  SCBWI members, no fee.

BRING: A children’s or young adult book to talk about. Or, bring your children’s book manuscript or illustrations and ask for a group critique.

HOW: Depending on the size of the group, we first give each person five to ten minutes to speak. Then we have a round-table discussion — about the books that we brought, and whatever other topics these books suggest as long as they’re related to children’s and young adult books. Everyone present is encouraged to ask and answer questions, solicit advice, give suggestions, share their experience. It’s usually fun, enlightening, inspiring, sometimes dismaying or even disturbing, always stimulating and thought-provoking.

GUIDELINES: We actually have very few rules. One of them is that when it’s your turn to talk about the book you chose, please do not tell us the whole story. Two or three sentences telling us what the book is about is fine.

The rest of your booktalk can be what else you considered worth noting about the book: the writer’s writing style, the writer’s other books, the writer’s life and careeer, the price of the book (not a small thing!), the state of the book (worn and tattered and obviously well used, perhaps), the book design, the quality and type of illustrations, the illustrator’s life and career, the quality of the printing and binding, the covers, the beautiful (or pitiful) paper for the inside pages, what you know or would like to know about the book’s publisher.

You can also talk about your reason for choosing this particular book: what about it makes you feel inspired, enlightened, happy, comforted, dismayed, disturbed, sad, calm, agitated, etc. Is it a book you read and liked when you were a child? Is it a book you still love to read as an adult? Is it a book you’d love (or require) other children to read? Is it a book you wish you wrote? Or illustrated? Is it a book you think should be given to all children? Or should it be given to children selectively and carefully? Or maybe not at all? Etc., etc. (Now you know why some of us have to be told we’ve talked beyond the time limit!)

NOTE: This is a monthly event. It is organized by SCBWI Philippines every 2nd Monday. Let us know if you’re coming!

CONTACT:
scbwiphilippines@gmail.com
Beaulah at 0917-787-4956
Nikki at 0905-347-1668

* Participants in SCBWI Philippines events must be at least 18 years old.

1st Philippine National Children’s Book Awards

Adarna House, Rusell Molina, and Jomike Tejido won multiple honors at the Philippines’ 1st National Children’s Book Awards (NCBA) held last July 24, 2010 at Mandarin Oriental Hotel in Makati City. Three of the six books cited were published by Adarna House, two were written by Molina, and two were illustrated by Tejido, including one that he also wrote.

The winning books are: Araw sa Palengke (Adarna House) written by May Tobias-Papa and illustrated by Isabel Roxas; Tuwing Sabado (Lampara Books) written by Russell Molina and illustrated by Sergio Bumatay III; Can WeLive on Mars (Adarna House) written by Gidget Roceles-Jimenez and illustrated by Bru; Lub-Dub, Lub-Dub (Bookmark) written by Russell Molina and illustrated by Jomike Tejido; Tagu-Taguan (Tahanan Books) written and illustrated by Jomike Tejido; JustAdd Dirt (Adarna) written by Becky Bravo and illustrated by Jason Moss.

One of the winning authors, Gidget Roceles-Jimenez, is a member of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI).

Adarna House. Founded in 1980, Adarna House is the Philippines’ first and largest publisher of children’s books. Its roots go back to the Aklat Adarna book series that supplemented the mental feeding program of the Nutrition Center of the Philippines in the 1970s. Today, it is the leading publisher of storybooks for children and manuals for parents, teachers, and daycare workers.

Russell Molina. Russell works in an advertising agency. He also loves to write, draw, and create stories for children. Some of his published children’s books are Ang Lumang Kumot ni Lola; Uuwi Na Ang Nanay Kong Si Darna; Sandosenang Kuya; Ako si Kaliwa, Ako si Kanan; Ang Madyik Silya ni Titoy; Lola Puti; and Sampu Pataas, Sampu Pababa.

Jomike Tejido. Jomike is an architect, a painter, and a children’s writer and illustrator. The first children’s book that he illustrated is Abot Mo Ba Ang Tainga Mo? by Heidi Abad. He also illustrated The General by Kitkat Roces, and Musician for the Filipino Church by Lin Acacio Flores. Other children’s books that he wrote and illustrated include Dindo Bodindo and Ang Pambihirang Sombrero.

The NCBA is given by the National Book Development Board (NBDB) and the Philippine Board on Books for Young People (PBBY). For the 1st NCBA, the organizers considered books published in 2008 and 2009. A total of 131 books were nominated.

The National Book Development Board (NBDB) is the government agency mandated to develop and support the Philippine book publishing industry. It is run by a Governing Board chaired by Dr. Dennis T. Gonzalez and a Secretariat with by Atty. Andrea Passion-Flores as Executive Director.

The Philippine Board on Books for Young People (PBBY) is a non-profit volunteer organization composed of sectoral representatives from the Philippine children’s book industry. It has representatives for children’s book publishers, booksellers, children’s writers, children’s illustrators, children’s librarians, educators, research, and mass media. It started as the Philippine branch of the International Board on Books for Young People (IBBY) based in Basel, Switzerland. Every year, on the 3rd Tuesday of July, the PBBY takes the lead in celebrating National Children’s Book Day (NCBD) in the Philippines. The date commemorates the publication of Dr. Jose Rizal’s retelling and illustrations of Ang Pagong at ang Matsing (The Turtle and the Monkey) in Trubner’s Oriental Record in London.

See the press release of NBDB here.