This KidLit Events listing focuses on webinars, courses, and conferences that are accessible for a majority of people. Most are online, but I have included larger in-person events. I update this list continually, so please let me know if I am missing or incorrect information.
THE KIDLIT WEEKLY: You can now receive weekly KidLit events in your Inbox
every Thursday morning for the following week.
You can find now and sign up for The KidLit Weekly on Substack!
JAN | FEB | MAR | APR | MAY | JUN | JUL | AUG | SEP | OCT | NOV | DEC
DESCRIPTION OF EVENT CATEGORIES
Webinar: a single session class online
* Cities noted refer to location of in-person events.
Workshop: one-to-two session intensive
Online Course: multiple-session class online
Online Program: longer-term or ongoing programs
Conference: multiple courses within a single event
Hybrid Event: in-person event with an online option
Contest: submission opportunity where winner(s) are selected
Pitch Event: opportunity to pitch projects to editors/agents
Challenge: timed event set to accomplish a certain project(s)
Blog Event: special blog series that run for a short period of time
APRIL 2026
(24-26) POCONO & THE THREE BEARS: IN SEARCH OF JUST RIGHT
Milanville, PA: SCBWI Pennsylvania East
(25) YALL WEST BOOK FESTIVAL
Santa Monica, CA: YallFest
(25) FROM DULL TO DAZZLING: SYMOBLISM with Jessica Vitalis
Webinar: The Writing Barn
(25) FINDING YOUR VISUAL VOICE
Webinar: SCBWI Long Island
(27) EIGHT WAYS TO WAKE UP YOUR POETRY
Webinar: Inked Voices
(27) ADVANCED PICTURE BOOKS with Sarah Stephens
Online Course: Inked Voices
(27) MIDDLE GRADE OPENING PAGES with Anjali Bisaria
Online Course: Inked Voices
(28) SUCCESS WITHOUT THE STRESS: GET A HANDLE ON YOUR AUTHOR BIZ
Webinar: SCBWI New Mexico
(29) #QUESTPIT
Pitch Party: QuestPit
(29-30) CALLED TO KIDLIT CONFERENCE
Online Event: Bless This Press
(30) WHOLE NOVEL WORKSHOP: MG & YA WRITERS
Online Course: Boyds Mills
(30) REVISE YOUR PICTURE BOOK MANUSCRIPTS
Online Course: Whale Rock Workshops
MAY 2026
(2) THE HEART OF THE STORY with Melissa Manlove
Webinar: SCBWI Wisconsin
(2) TOGETHER IN STORY KIDLIT CONFERENCE
Seattle, WA: SCBWI Western Washington
(2) VIRTUALLY SPRING INTO STORY
Online Workshop: SCBWI Indiana
(2) WHERE WORDS MEET IMAGES: INTEGRATING TEXT & ART ACROSS CHILDREN’S FORMATS
Webinar: The Writing Barn
(2) STORYTELLING THROUGH PICTURES
Webinar: SCBWI Alaska
(2) START AND FINISH THAT NOVEL BOOTCAMP
Online Event: SCBWI Texas Austin
(4) PICTURE BOOKS with Lisa Rosinsky
Online Course: Inked Voices
(4) ASIAN VOICES IN CHILDREN’S LITERATURE CONTEST OPENS
Contest: Free Spirit Publishing
(4) #INDIEPIT
Pitch Pary: X
(5) PICTURE BOOKS with Wendy McClure
Online Course: Inked Voices
(6) PICTURE BOOK PLOTTING FROM A-Z
Online Course: Boyds Mills
(6) CRAFTING THE POETRY NOVEL FOR YOUNG ADULTS
Online Course: Writers.com
(6) YA AUTHOR-EDITOR INSIGHTS
Webinar: SCBWI England North
(7-8) TWO STEP CRITIQUE with Kait Feldmann
Online Event: SCBWI Pennsylvania East
(7-10) CELEBRATING ASIAN AND ASIAN AMERICAN STORIES
Milanville, PA: Boyds Mills
(9) BEYOND THE EVIL STEPMOTHER: CRAFTING VILIANS WITH GOALS, VULNERABILITIES, & HUMANITY
Webinar: SCBWI Southern Breeze
(11) PICTURE BOOKS with Elizabeth Lazowski
Online Course: Inked Voices
(11) THE CRAFT OF CHARACTERISATION
Webinar: SCBWI England North
(11-18) KINDLING WORDS WEST
Whidbey Island, WA: Kindling Words
(12) CHILDREN’S BOOK WRITING I
Online Course: Gotham Writers
(12-14) CHARACTER DESIGN BASICS FOR ILLUSTRATORS
Online Workshop: Boyds Mills
(14) BRINGING THE VISION TO LIFE: BOARD BOOK CREATION
Webinar: SCBWI Delaware-Maryland-West Virginia
(15) GETTING TO KNOW YOUR CHARACTER
Online Course: Boyds Mill
(16) HUMOROUS WAYS TO SURPRISE YOUR READERS
Webinar: SCBWI Arizona
(16) QUERY LETTER LAB: STRUCTURE, STRATEGY, AND RESULTS
Webinar: The Writing Barn
(17) THE INTERSECTION OF STORY, PRODUCT DESIGN, ILLUSTRATION, & BRANDING
Webinar: SCBWI Nevada
(17-22) CRAFT AND CAREER: A SPRING WRITER’S INTENSIVE
Online Workshop: Whale Rock Workshops
(19) PICTURE BOOKS with Emma Sakamoto
Online Course: Inked Voices
(19) YOUNG ADULT OPENING PAGES with Lee O’Brien
Online Course: Inked Voices
(19) SUSTAINING A CAREER IN ILLUSTRATION
Webinar: SCBWI Mid-Atlantic
(19-21) WRITING NONFICTION: HOOKING YOUR READER & FINDING SUCCESS
Online Workshop: Boyds Mills
(20) STORYSNOBS PITCH CONTEST
Webinar: Good Story Company
(20) WHAT CHILDREN’S EDITORS ARE LOOKING FOR
Webinar: At Home Author
(20) WHO SHOULD TELL THE STORY: CHOOSING THE RIGHT POINT OF VIEW
Webinar: Rosie J. Pova
(21) MG/YA OPENING PAGES with Kortney Nash
Online Course: Inked Voices
(21) PICTURE BOOKS with Kaitlyn Sanchez
Online Course: Inked Voices
(21) MASTERING THE DUAL ROLE OF BEING AN AUTHOR-ILLUSTRATOR
Webinar: SCBWI Pennsylvania East
(21) PATHWAYS TO PUBLISHING PANEL
Webinar: SCBWI Maryland-Delaware-West Virginia
(21) CRAFTING PICTURE BOOK MANUSCRIPTS AGENTS & EDITORS CAN’T RESIST
Webinar: The Writing Barn
(21) WORKING WITH SMALL AND INDEPENDENT PUBLISHERS
Webinar: Inked Voices
(23) MAYFEST VIRTUAL CONFERENCE
Online Event: SCBWI San Diego
(23) #WIPPIT
Pitch Party: X
(27) CHARACTERS THAT DRIVE THE PLOT with Vicky Weber
Webinar: SCBWI Long Island
(27) FICTION PICTURE BOOKS with Gianna Lakenauth
Online Course: Inked Voices
(28) WE ARE WORLDBUILDERS: A GENERATIVE SETTING
Webinar: Whale Rock Workshops
(30) ASIAN VOICES IN CHILDREN’S LITERATURE DEADLINE
Contest: Free Spirit Publishing
(30) SIX STEPS TO SUBMISSION
Webinar: SCBWI Houston
(31) CELEBRATING LATINX STORIES IN KIDLIT
Milanville, PA: Boyds Mills
(31) CANSCAIP WRITING FOR CHILDREN CONTEST DEADLINE
Contest: Canadian Society of Children’s Authors, Illustrators and Performers
JUNE 2026
(1) 2026 SEASONS OF KIDLIT BOOK AWARD OPENS FOR SUBMISSIONS
Contest: Seasons of KidLit
(1) WRITING YOUR CHILDREN’S BOOK with Lesley Parr
Online Course: Writers & Artists
(2-4) EDUCATIONAL WRITING: NAVIGATING NEW PATHS FOR YOUR WRITING
Online workshop: Boyds Mills
(3) THE LONG ROAD TO PUBLICATION: THE THRILLS AND SPILLS OF WRITING MIDDLE GRADE
Webinar: SCBWI England North
(3) THE CRASH COURSE IN CHILDREN’S BOOK PUBLISHING
Online Course: Boyds Mills
(3-6) ALL ABOUT PICTURE BOOKS
Milanville, PA: Boyds Mills
(3-9) MGHub Pitch Party
Discord Event: MGHubPitch
(3) CRASH COURSE IN CHILDREN’S BOOK PUBLISHING
Online Course: Boyds Mills
(4) 8 BOOKS IN 3 YEARS: SELF-PUBLISHING SUCCESS
Webinar: SCBWI Maryland-Delaware-West Virginia
(8-10) PICTURE BOOK MIDDLES: BRIDGING BEGINNING AND END
Online Course: Boyds Mills
(9) TOUGH TOPICS with Liz Wiemer
Webinar: SCBWI Wisconsin
(10) CONVERSATION WITH EDITOR JOY PESKIN, FARRAR GIROUX BOOKS
Webinar: Inked Voices
(11-14) SPOTLIGHT ON THE MIDDLE OF YOUR NOVEL
Milanville, PA: Boyds Mills
(12-14) EXPERIENCE REVISION RETREAT
Hiawatha, IO: Nonfiction Ninjas
(15-18) CELEBRATING NATIVE AND INDIGENOUS STORIES IN KIDLIT
Milanville, PA: Boyds Mills
(15-19) WIFYR CONFERENCE
Draper, UT: Writing and Illustrating for Young Readers
(16) WRITING TOUGH TOPICS: WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
Webinar: SCBWI Wisconsin
(16) LURE ‘EM IN WITH LAYERS
Webinar: SCBWI Houston
(18) Q AND A WITH JULIA CHURCHILL OF A.M. HEATH
Webinar: SCBWI England North
(23) GET FEATURED FAST: 3 EASY PUBLICITY TACTICS FOR KIDLIT AUTHORS
Webinar: At Home Author
(23) TEXT AND IMAGES OF PICTURE BOOKS
Webinar: SCBWI England North
(25) WRITING FOR THE EDUCATIONAL MARKET
Online Course: Boyds Mills
(29) INDUSTRY READY: BEST PRACTICES FOR ILLUSTRATORS
Webinar: SCBWI Maryland-Delaware-West Virginia
(30) ACFW KIDLIT CONTEST DEADLINE
Contest: ACFW KidLit Chapter
JULY 2026
(1) #QUEERPIT
Pitch Party: X and BlueSky
(7) CHILDREN’S BOOK WRITING I
Online Course: Gotham Writers
(8-12) SUMMER CAMP FOR WRITERS AND ILLUSTRATORS (Session One)
Milanville, PA: Boyds Mills
(9-12) GREEN GULCH WRITING RETREAT
San Francisco, CA: Katherine Rothschild
(11-12) CYA WRITERS & ILLUSTRATORS CONFERENCE
Brisbane, Australia: CYA Conference
(12-16) SUMMER CAMP FOR WRITERS AND ILLUSTRATORS (Session Two)
Milanville, PA: Boyds Mills
(13) AGENT TALK GEORGIA TOURNAY-GODFREY @ THE BRIGHT AGENCY
Webinar: SCBWI England North
(13-19) #SMALLPIT
Pitch Party: X and BlueSky
(22) JUMPSTART YOUR YA/MG FICTION
Online Course: Grubstreet Center for Creative Writing
(23) WRITING CHARACTER INTERIORITY
Webinar: Good Story Company
(23) MAKE WRITING FUN AGAIN with Adam Wallace
Webinar: At Home Author
(24) #QUESTPIT
Pitch Party: QuestPit
(28-30) CHAPTER BOOKS AND EARLY READERS: GETTING STARTED WITH BEGINNING READERS
Online Workshop: Boyds Mills
AUGUST 2026
(4) CHILDREN’S BOOK WRITING I
Online Course: Gotham Writers
(5) WRITE YOUR PICTURE BOOK
Online course: Writers.com
(9) CRITIQUE GROUP RENAISSANCE with Melissa Manlove
Webinar: SCBWI Wisconsin
(9-12) WRITING SHORTER: WHY (AND HOW) LESS CAN BE MORE
Milanville, PA: Boyds Mills
(15) HOW TO WRITE FOR YOUNG READERS
Webinar: Grubstreet Center for Creative Writing
(15-20) THE WHOLE NOVEL WORKSHOP RETREAT
Milanville, PA: Boyds Mills
(20) WRITING AN IRRESISTIBLE QUERY
Webinar: Good Story Company
(25) THE HISTORY OF CHILDREN’S LITERATURE
Online Course: Whale Rock Workshops
(26) STORYSNOBS PITCH CONTEST
Webinar: Good Story Company
(27) CRAFTING AUTHENTIC INVISIBLE REPRESENTATION IN CHILDREN’S BOOKS
Webinar: SCBWI Pennsylvania East
(27-30) CELEBRATION ASIAN AND ASIAN AMERICAN STORIES
Milanville, PA: Boyds Mills
SEPTEMBER 2026
(2) FROM IDEA TO SKETCH TO DUMMY
Online Course: Boyds Mills
(8-10) #PITCHDIS
Pitch Party: X and BlueSky
(9-30) REVISION ROADMAP
Online Course: Boyds Mills
(15) #LATINXPITCH
Pitch Party: X and BlueSky
(16) FEELING IT: CREATING EMOTIONAL DEPTH IN YOUR NOVEL
Online Course: Whale Rock Workshops
(16-19) PICTURE BOOK AUTHORS AND ILLUSTRATORS RETREAT
Milanville, PA: Boyds Mills
(17) WRITING IRRESISTIBLE FIRST PAGES
Webinar: Good Story Company
(18-19) AUTHOR AND THE ROUNDTABLES
Asheville, NC: SCBWI Carolinas
(23) JUST DO IT: FINISH YOUR DRAFT
Online Course: Boyds Mills
(26) 2026 MINI MFA CONFERENCE
Austin, TX: SCBWI Texas Austin
OCTOBER 2026
(1-4) MIDDLE GRADE WRITERS RETREAT
Milanville, PA: Boyds Mills
(6) WHOLE NOVEL WORKSHOP: MG & YA WRITERS
Online Course: Boyds Mills
(7) REVISING YOUR NOVEL IN VERSE
Online Course: Boyds Mills
(8-10) ENGAGING STORIES CONFERENCE
Green Lake, WI: SCBWI Wisconsin
(18-23) WHOLE NOVEL WORKSHOP RETREAT
Milanville, PA: Boyds Mills
(22) WRITING IRRESISTIBLE PICTURE BOOKS
Webinar: Good Story Company
(23-26) EARLY READERS AND CHAPTER BOOKS RETREAT
Milanville, PA: Boyds Mills
(24) PACKAGING YOUR IMAGINATION CONFERENCE
Toronto, Canada: Canadian Society for Children’s Authors, Illustrators, and Performers
(26-29) NOVELS IN VERSE RETREAT
Milanville, PA: Boyds Mills
(30) BIG SUR CHILDREN’S WRITERS WORKSHOP
Cape Cod, MA: Big Sur Children’S Writers Workshop
NOVEMBER 2026
(1-6) CABOOSE FARM RETREAT
Sabillasville, MD: Whale Rock Workshops
(4) #QUESTPIT
Pitch Party: QuestPit
(5-8) POETRY PALOOZA
Milanville, PA: Boyds Mills
(8-14) MASTER SKILLS WORKSHOP
Sabillasville, MD: Whale Rock Workshops
(10-12) PICTURE BOOK APPROACHES: CONCEPT BOOKS, BIOGRAPHIES, & MORE
Online Workshop: Boyds Mills
(13-14) YALL FEST BOOK FESTIVAL
Charleston, SC: YALL Fest
(19) EVALUATING YOUR WIP AND MOVING FORWARD
Webinar: The Good Story Company
DECEMBER 2026
(27) ROCK YOUR WRITING GOALS
Webinar: Good Story Company
Connect with me on Social Media:
CAROLYN BENNETT FRAISER 