This past weekend I had the immense joy of attending the SCBWI Spring Mingle conference in Atlanta, Georgia. For those of you who may not know, SCBWI stands for the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators, and it is the premier organization for writers like me who write for kids.
I've been a member of SCBWI for several years and have participated in several of their online events (not to mention I LOVE their podcast!), but this was my first in-person event (and the SCBWI Southern Breeze Chapter's first in-person event since 2019!). It was so much fun meeting fellow writers in person and learning all sorts of helpful things from professionals from across the children's book industry.
And you could tell everyone was just so happy to be BACK! Writing is, for the most part, a solitary journey, so opportunities to mix and mingle and make new friends really fuel the soul and help this creative endeavor we all love so much feel less like a mountain we're climbing on our own. It's still a mountain, of course, but it's nice to be reminded we are climbing it together.