Date/Time
Date(s) - 09/16/2022 - 09/18/2022
1:30 pm - 12:00 pm
Location
Asilomar Conference Grounds
800 Asilomar Avenue - Pacific Grove, California [CA] 93950
***Registration is Now Closed!***
The San Francisco South Region of SCBWI is excited to announce the 38th Annual SCBWI Golden Gate Conference and Retreat, to be held September 16th-18th, 2022, at the Asilomar Conference Grounds in Pacific Grove, CA. The conference will run from Friday afternoon until lunch on Sunday. More details about the conference program can be found below.
Important! Please Note: Registration for the Golden Gate Conference requires TWO steps.
Step 1: Register below to attend the conference and for optional consultations. (Pricing details are below in the REGISTRATION section.)
Step 2: Register directly with Asilomar for your housing and meals. Meal tickets are included in Asilomar’s housing price. (Housing pricing details are below in the HOUSING section.)
For questions regarding registration, please contact sfsouth@scbwi.org.
CONFERENCE DETAILS
Over the years, the Golden Gate Conference has gained a reputation as one of the best and most intimate gatherings of authors and illustrators. Our faculty of speakers includes the industry’s top authors, illustrators, agents, editors, and publishers.
The conference is limited to a small group of approximately 120 people. The Asilomar grounds are on the Pacific Ocean near Monterey Bay in Northern California, two hours south of San Francisco. Many of the Asilomar buildings are historic, and the famous dining hall, designed by Julia Morgan, provides a friendly, personal gathering place for conference attendees and speakers. You can see the conference grounds in more depth at www.visitasilomar.com.
This year’s conference theme is:
Celebrating the Process of Creativity!
Join us to celebrate your creativity and explore your unique voice, story, and style with a weekend of inspiring workshops and presentations. When you find joy in your work, your readers will feel it too. Discover the story that only you can tell.
Click here to view our Golden Gate Conference video!
COVID-19 POLICIES AND PROTOCOLS
Click here to read our COVID-19 Policies and Protocols.
2022 CONFERENCE FACULTY
Click here to read the Conference Faculty Bios.
Click here to see 2022’s schedule.
Click here to see the presentation descriptions.
Cátia Chien – Keynote Illustrator
Liz Garton Scanlon- Keynote Author
Amy Novesky- Children’s Book Editorial Director, Cameron Kids
Claire Tattersfield – Publishing Coordinator, Penguin Random House Children’s Books
Cheryl Klein – Editorial Director, Algonquin Young Readers
Martha Rago – VP, Executive Creative Director, Random House Children’s Books
Jennifer Rofe – Agent, Andrea Brown Literary Agency
Stephen Fraser – Agent, The Jennifer De Chiara Literary Agency
Wendi Gu – Agent, Sanford J. Greenburger Associates
Lisa Moore Ramee – Author
Nikki Shannon Smith – Author
Shirley Ng-Benitez – Author/Illustrator
Carter Hasegawa – Editor, Candlewick Press – VIRTUAL CRITIQUES
HOUSING
Please Note: SCBWI does not handle Asilomar housing reservations. Attendees must register for housing ONLINE through the Asilomar housing link (in GREEN below) to secure their room and board. Attendees will be offered a special SCBWI group rate when registering.
Asilomar Roommate Requests
If you have COVID concerns regarding a roommate, then a single room is recommended. Otherwise if you need a double room, please book with someone you know. If you need a roommate, please coordinate on our self-serve roommate list here. Both parties will need to register separately and then give Asilomar the name of your roommate.
- – You must request each other as roommates to be assigned to the same room.
- – If you request someone to be your roommate and they do not request you, your reservation will be put on hold.
- – All requested roommates must be registered for the same lodging nights and must register within 5 business days of each other.
Asilomar Housing Rates
Two-night double occupancy at Asilomar is $405.96. Two-night single occupancy is $605.62. All housing registration includes a $20 processing fee per person.
After you complete your conference registration, click the link below for housing reservations.
*CLOSED* – Asilomar’s SCBWI housing registration page.
Housing Reservation Deadline
After you complete your conference registration with SCBWI by selecting your “On-Campus” ticket, you must then complete your housing reservation with Asilomar. Your housing reservation must be completed within TEN DAYS from when you register for the conference. While we will do our best to follow up with you, if you do not follow this policy we reserve the right to cancel your conference registration with SCBWI San Francisco South, less a $25 fee. We appreciate your proactive communication and follow-through, as it saves valuable volunteer hours.
Housing Refunds
Housing refunds are subject to Asilomar’s terms and limitations, which you can review at:
https://www.visitasilomar.com/plan/policies-information/
Regrettably, there can be no refunds given after September 1st, 2022. Additional questions can be addressed to AsilomarSales@aramark.com.
Housing Questions
If you have any questions regarding Asilomar room or board, please direct them to:
Vivian Garcia at Garcia-Vivian@aramark.com. You may also call 831-642-4213 Monday through Friday (7AM-3PM PST). Please do not contact SCBWI or the SF/South regional team with Asilomar housing questions, as we will be unable to assist you.
Note Regarding Off-Campus Housing
Some attendees, especially those who live near the Asilomar campus, may prefer to make overnight accommodations off-campus for the duration of the conference. The Asilomar Conference Center allows us a very limited number of “Off-Campus” tickets. The majority of our attendees must stay overnight on the Asilomar campus for the duration of the conference. We have reserved 25 “Off-Campus” tickets which are first-come first-serve. You may register for an “Off-Campus” ticket with the understanding that if we are not able to meet the minimum number of onsite spots, we may require you to stay onsite or refund your registration fee in full.
GOLDEN GATE AWARDS
Each year at the Golden Gate Conference, we award the annual Golden Gate Writer(s) Award–one for a picture book and one for a MG or YA novel. Faculty will choose candidates for the Awards from those writers who submit their work for a paid manuscript critique.
Please note: While we will have a “Best in Show” for our portfolio show, the official Golden Gate Illustrator’s Award is now awarded at our bi-annual Illustrator’s Day event next September. New this year is a “People’s Choice” award! Attendees can vote for their favorite portfolio at the Friday night cocktail hour/portfolio show.
Illustrators – check out our PORTFOLIO SHOWCASE GUIDELINES!
OPTIONAL EVENT EXTRAS
Attention: If you plan to receive a manuscript consultation, you must first register for the conference and pay for a confirmed (not waitlisted) consultation.
1. Manuscript Individual Consultation
Includes a 15-minute manuscript critique with a faculty member. All manuscripts will be reviewed by an agent or editor. You will have an opportunity to indicate your top 3 picks for a manuscript reviewer when you upload your manuscript on our Manuscript Submission Page (click link below for submission details). Submission deadline is July 1st.
The submission policy is as follows:
One picture book manuscript of up to six pages in length (1,000 words max, or 1,200 if non-fiction). You may only submit ONE picture book manuscript per paid consultation, regardless of the length.
Or, for Chapter books and MG/YA novels, up to 10 pages (2,500 words max). You may include a brief one page optional synopsis in addition to your 10 page sample. Note: If your submission is over 10 pages, only the first 10 pages will be forwarded to the faculty reader.
Click here for all manuscript submission details and requirements.
2. Illustration Portfolio Individual Consultation
Includes a 15-minute illustration portfolio critique with our art director or keynote illustrator. Please bring your portfolio to the conference. Maximum size: 11″ x 17″. Do not bring original art.
We will be hosting an illustration portfolio display, so we encourage you to bring your illustration portfolio even if you choose not to purchase an individual consultation. All portfolios of illustrators who attend the conference will be eligible for a “Best in Show” award. Please note: The official Golden Gate Illustrator’s Award is now awarded at our bi-annual Illustrator’s Day event next September.
3. Author Round Table Consultations
NOTE: Select only ONE Round Table option. Editor and Agent Round Tables happen simultaneously during the conference.
The author round tables will discuss “First Pages” and will accommodate up to six participants with either an agent or editor. Each participant will bring to the conference 7 copies of the first full page of their manuscript (up to 275 words max of either a novel or picture book). Text should begin at the top of the page, double-spaced, 12 pt. font. Please include your name, title and genre. You will be paired with like-genre, if possible. The submission will be read at the beginning of the session and commented on openly by the agent or editor. Each writer will be given the opportunity to ask questions for clarification after the agent or editor comments on his/her piece, but otherwise, writers are asked to remain silent while listening to the faculty member’s valuable feedback. In this way, you will have the opportunity to receive your own feedback and listen to the consultations of others.
4. Illustrator Round Table Consultations
NOTE: Select only ONE Round Table option. Editor and Agent Round Tables happen simultaneously during the conference.
The First Look round table consultations will accommodate up to six participants with either an agent or editor. Bring a book dummy of a work-in-progress, or up to 3 illustrations from your portfolio for discussion.
5. Peer Critique
Sign up for Conference Peer Critiques if you would like an opportunity to give and receive feedback on your work with fellow artists/writers. If you select this free add-on during registration, we will contact you with further details about how to prepare for your participation. Cost: Free.
Attention authors and illustrators:
Due to limited availability, attendees may select only ONE round table in total. In other words, you cannot attend an Author round table AND an Illustrator round table. We want as many attendees as possible to enjoy this unique opportunity.
If you have any questions regarding Illustrator round tables, please contact our Illustrator Coordinator, Rob Sayegh at sfsouth-ic@scbwi.org.
REGISTRATION
** Registration is now closed for 2022. Please email sfsouth-ra2@scbwi.org to check for availability. **
You must be logged onto your SCBWI account to register for member pricing. Scroll down to the bottom of the page to register.
For questions regarding registration, please contact sfsouth@scbwi.org
Early Bird Pricing
SCBWI members receive the Early Bird on-campus registration price of $375 until June 1, 2022. Starting June 1, 2022, the regular on-campus ticket price for members will increase to $400. NOTE: If you are an active SCBWI member, you must be logged into your account on the www.scbwi.org website in order to register at the exclusive SCBWI member Early Bird rate.
Conference Tuition Prices: (These do NOT include housing).
- Early Bird On-Campus Member – $375
- Early Bird Off-Campus Member (limited number) – $475
- Standard Pricing (after June 1st) On-Campus Member – $400
- Standard Pricing Off-Campus Member (if available) – $500
- Standard Pricing On-Campus Non-Member – $475
Accepted Credit Cards
The SCBWI registration system accepts VISA or MasterCard.
After You Press Continue…
After you have made your registration selections below, click Continue. A few seconds later, you will see a pop-up window with confirmation of your information. NOTE: You will need to scroll down inside that pop-up window to see all information and enter your credit card number. If the pop-up window does not appear, you may need to allow pop-ups in your internet browser’s preferences or switch to a different browser.
Regarding Conference Pricing
SCBWI is a non-profit 501(c)3 organization. Membership dues support big-picture functions of the international organization such as the website and many online resources, award programs and scholarships, as well as the hard-working and visionary HQ staff.
Local conferences, such as Asilomar, are carefully priced to cover expenses. For all SCBWI events, members are given the lowest-cost tuition for attendance. The early bird on-campus tuition for SCBWI members for the 2022 Golden Gate Conference is $375.
Our hope always, as your volunteer regional leadership team, is that as many of our members as possible will be able to join us at our yearly local Conference. Our primary goal is to continue to build community among the members of the SF/South region of SCBWI and the Golden Gate conference is a huge part of that effort! Whether you’re pre-published, traditionally or independently published, a picture book, middle-grade or YA author or an illustrator, we are confident that year after year our exceptional faculty will inspire you, develop your craft, and support your career growth.
Accessibility
We encourage everyone to attend our conference. If you require accessibility accommodations (visual, audio, etc.) please let us know at sfsouth@scbwi.org by July 15th so we can meet your needs.
Refunds
Critiques: There will be no refunds on critiques once payment has been made.
Conference tuition: You may request a refund until July 1st. All refunds are subject to a $25 cancellation fee. No refunds after July 1st. However, if you are ill or showing symptoms of COVID within 24-hours of the conference, please be considerate of others and do not attend the conference. Please notify us at sfsouth@scbwi.org to cancel your registration and receive a refund. Note that this applies only to conference registration and not to critiques, round tables, and housing.
Housing: Asilomar has their own cancellation policy with different dates. Be sure to note their policies when you make your housing reservation. https://www.visitasilomar.com/plan/policies-information/
For questions regarding registration, please contact sfsouth@scbwi.org.
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