THE MECHANICS OF PICTURE BOOKS
The Inner Workings of a Great Picture Book Text
June 20-23, 2024
Join author Annie Barrows and editor Susan Rich for a weekend writing workshop where we’ll peek under the hood of picture books and consider what makes them work. Through writing exercises, collaborative creation, readings, conversation, and a scavenger hunt in the Milkwood library, we will roll up our sleeves, break down the parts, and think about how to build books that work.
Participants are invited to submit one picture book manuscript or dummy ahead of the weekend, in order to schedule a one-on-one consultation about your work-in-progress.
This workshop retreat accommodates 10 people and is open to published and pre-published writers of picture books.
Prices include accommodations and all meals from Thursday afternoon to Sunday afternoon.
Single rooms are $1,800. Two bedrooms offer the possibility of double occupancy, at $1,450 per person.
Annie Barrows has written scads of books for children of various sizes. Among them are the Ivy and Bean chapter-book series; the mid-grade Iggy series and Magic Half novels; a YA entitled Nothing; and, most recently, Like, a picture book illustrated by Leo Espinosa. Coming in the fall of 2024 is the first book in a new series about a pair of sisters, Stella & Marigold, illustrated by Sophie Blackall.
Susan Rich is Editor-at-Large for Little, Brown Books for Young Readers. She has published the work of Sophie Blackall, Michaela Goade, Phoebe Wahl, Maira Kalman, Raúl the Third, Lemony Snicket, Thomas King, and others. Susan earned a Masters Degree in Children’s Literature from the Center for the Study of Children’s Literature at Simmons College, began her publishing career in New York, and now lives and works in Toronto.
DAILY SCHEDULE for WORKSHOP RETREATS
Thursday
3:00-6:00 PM — Arrival and check-in
6:30-7:00 PM — Appetizers and cocktails in the library
7:00 PM — Dinner in the dining room
9:00PM — Introductory assignment
Friday
7:00-9:00 AM — Breakfast in the dining room
9:00 AM-12:00 PM — Workshop
12:00-1:00 PM — Free
1:00-2:00 PM — Lunch in the dining room
2:30-5:30 PM — Workshop
5:30-6:30 PM — Free
6:30-7:00 PM — Drinks in the open-air pole barn
7:00-9:00 PM — Cookout dinner in the garden
9:00 PM — Dessert around the fire pit
Saturday
7:00-9:00 AM — Breakfast in the dining room
9:00 AM-12:00 PM — Workshop
12:00-1:00 PM — Free
1:00-2:00 PM — Lunch in the dining room
2:30-5:30 PM — Workshop
5:30-6:30 PM — Free
6:30-7:00 PM — Appetizers and cocktails in the upstairs bar
7:00-9:00 PM — Dinner in the hayloft
9:00 PM — Show & Tell by guests in the hayloft
These Show & Tell presentations are short, informal, and voluntary. This is your chance to preview new work, sing a song, tell a story, entertain or amaze your fellow retreaters. We have a microphone, music stands, a projector and screen, and a sound system.
Sunday
7:00-9:00 AM — Breakfast
9:00 AM-12:00 PM — Workshop
12:00-1:00 PM — Free
1:00-2:00 PM — Lunch
2:00 PM — Check-out and farewells