Silvia Acevedo's Blog, page 4

L.A., baby!

Haha, no, don’t worry. I’m not jetting off to L.A. But I did have something awesome tie me in to Los Angeles, and it’s so exciting I just have to share.

SCBWI holds two international conferences annually, one in New York City and one in L.A. I’ve attended both, and they are simply amazing. The New York one is smaller, which might be surprising as NYC is the global publishing hub, but the NYC conference is focused on craft. The L.A. conference is huge, typically bringing in several thousand attendees and is thus a networking extravaganza.

The past few years these events have been held virtually, of course. They’re still excellent events, well organized, chock full of practical  and inspirational tidbits. The speakers are stars in the kidlit field or up-and-comers or people with an expertise in their niche. I walk away from each speaker better for having listened.

This year, they invited me to speak. Me! Little ol’ me. I was stunned at the invitation and remain so even after having finished the presentation. Speaking at their international conference is a big moment for me, and I worked hard to make my session worthwhile. I hope it was. Importantly, I continue to be grateful for this wonderful organization.

All the presentations were recorded and available for 30 days, so you could still register to see everything. I too will watch as many of these recordings as I can. It will make for some pleasant upcoming days.

The slate posted ahead of my live presentation

Zoom-zoom-zooming to SCBWI LA.

Illustration Intensive 2022

Whoo hoo! We got to hold this event in person for the first time in three years!

Fantasy Art Workshop’s Illustration Intensive is my husband’s and my week-long art workshop for professional and inspiring illustrators. It’s a fantastic event with lectures and teaching by top industry pros, art demos, deep-dive creating, and a week of networking. We last held it in 2019, and wow, judging by the response, people missed it!

To learn more about it, I really do encourage you to go the Illustration Intensive website, as I won’t cover it all here. If you’re an illustrator, do yourself a favor and look into it. If you know someone who’s into art, please share this event with them. We’re thrilled to know that many who’ve attend our event launched their professional careers here. And we love a good time, too.

A poem published!

I recently mentioned renewing my membership to a local writing association. That gave me some encouragement, let me tell you, because I’ve spent the past month and half trying to get back into my writing groove. And it’s paid off! — Not just because something I wrote was published but because I’ve finally, Finally, FINALLY (!) been able to put some words to paper once more.

Like so many people around the world, the past two-years’-plus worth of U.S. and world events have been stunning and horrifying and enraging and exhausting and deflating and utterly stifling. So many people could barely function, much less work at their best levels. I was among them.

The tipping point for me was a personal loss, two cats, adorable sweet sisters, rescues, whom we had to re-home because they couldn’t get along with our resident cats. They were lovely on their own. But we weren’t on our own. So in the best interest of all, they found new homes. That doesn’t mean I wasn’t heartbroken. So I set pen to paper and wrote a poem, tears streaming down my face. Poetry isn’t my default genre, but I’ve dabbled, and it leant itself to this raw emotion. I submitted the poem to the Wisconsin Writers Association’s Creative Wisconsin magazine.

And then a week or so later, I used WWA again as inspiration to write another spooky short story. This one I submitted to their Jade Ring contest. I don’t typically write to submit to contests, but, once again, these are strange times. We take inspiration where we can get it. It can sometimes lead to something good.

Today the inaugural online Creative Wisconsin magazine has my poem within. I’m a published poet! How cool is that? And how wonderful is it that I may be starting to get my writing groove back. It’s jarring when you lose a bit of yourself. It’s joyous when it comes back.

To enjoy the magazine, click on the image below. My poem is on page 21.

Creative Wisconsin magazine – June 2022

Mad Town Grad

My youngest child has graduated college. I can barely believe it. I’m immensely proud of him even though I don’t share too much of my kids’ lives here, as they deserve some privacy. However, a parent is also allowed to brag a bit.

Armando was a full-ride scholar with an honors degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Wisconsin’s flagship campus at Madison — my alma mater! He’s brilliant, funny, cheerful, chill, and just a joy to be around. Congrats, m’boy!

In-person events will come again

The first weekend in April was reserved on my calendar to attend the Marvelous Midwest conference. This large gathering is on by six Midwestern chapters of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators. I was really looking forward to it. During the early planning of the event, I was co-leading the Wisconsin chapter, and I reached out to many of the planned faculty. As I had already stepped down from that role, I wasn’t privy to any decision-making after Sept 2021. However, we original organizers had hopes for an in-person event.

Alas, it was not to be. It was postponed due to rising COVID-19 cases to a yet-to-be-announced date. In-person events will come again. In truth, many are already happening, but event decisions need to made months in advance, and no one has a functioning crystal ball. Those who made their events in person rolled the dice one way. Others are rolling it another. If the pandemic’s taught us anything, it’s that it behooves us to be flexible. And so we have to accept this with understanding and grace.

In a separate act of support for creatives, I just renewed my membership with the Wisconsin Writers Association. I was on their board of directors last year before the big move to New York, and let me tell you, this organization has a lot of great things going on! I’m lucky to be connected to such groups. They really make this creative journey a pleasure.

Glyph

Back home and added another member to our family. Glyph is eight months old, cute, cuddly, purrs a lot, and is a sweet and happy boy.

Those green nail covers, by the way, were put on by the shelter to prevent scratching. They’ll fall off naturally, and I won’t replace them. Cats gotta cat, after all.

The Haunted States of America

Whoo hoo! A short story I wrote will represent Wisconsin in a middle grade horror anthology!

THE HAUNTED STATES OF AMERICA will be published by Henry Holt/Macmillan. HH joined forces with the Society of Children’s Book Writers & Illustrators on this to feature 52 spooky short stories, one from each state plus Puerto Rico and the District of Columbia. All stories are inspired by local events or myths and written by SCBWI members with a connection to the place. I created a spooky tale of South Milwaukee’s Seven Bridges, a beautiful but supposedly haunted place  where I spent so, so many hours in my childhood. The pictures of it below show how lovely — and at times secluded — it is.

I’m guessing the book will come out in one to two years, which is the usual pace for book publishers. When it does come out, I’m hoping you’ll buy a copy and read all the creepy tales.

And isn’t life funny that I learned this news the same week that I left my job at Scholastic? haha. But book news is great, and I can’t wait to read about our Haunted States.

The entrance to South Milwaukee’s Seven Bridges

“Enter this wild wood and view the haunts of nature”

The Seven Bridges’s opening bridge, overlooking a deep gorge

The drop, which is much steeper than this photo makes it appear

One adventure ends and another begins

What an adventure!

New York City has so much energy, excitement, and cultural relevance. Every bit of it seems famous, the food and social scene are incredible, and there’s goodness all around. I love New York, and I’ve loved my time here, but the adventure is coming to a close.After seven months at Scholastic, I realized the job wasn’t working out, which isn’t the end of the world. I’m proud of myself for recognizing it. Plus, I have forces pulling me back home, in a good way.

Experiencing the publishing world in its global heart was amazing. I learned so much, made great friends, and might continue in another capacity, just not in NYC and not in this moment. Here are a few final pics before I head back to a Great Place Near a Great Lake (aka, Milwaukee —- who remembers that jingle?)

Jeff and me outside NYC’s main library

The library’s famed Rose Reading Room

And from the other side

My daughter Antonia and me at Central Park

And on the ferry

At John Wick’s famed Continental Hotel. Sanctuary!

My yoga group as we wish each other well

The endlessly gorgeous Manhattan skyline, this time at night. Goodbye for now, my dear NYC.

Snow!

Finally, some snow! Jersey City and New York City seems generally about ten to 15 degrees warmer to me than Milwaukee, and their weather events are a day behind. So when I saw that a snowstorm was expected to hit Wisconsin and travel on as a nor’easter, I was like, whoo hoo!!! Snow at last! It wasn’t deep, not a huge snowfall, but area officials and regular folks took precautions. It was a generally well handled storm, and yes, it was beautiful.

My cats sensing snowy weather

The sky above Manhattan portends a storm

The snowy city from my top floor apartment window

Street view

Snow and a beautiful sunset would make anyone smile

 

A diamond award?! For me? *gasps and nearly faints*

Every once in a while someone does something for you that melts your heart. That happened today, when I received this stunning keepsake from Lin Oliver and the Society of Children’s Book Writers & Illustrators. I’ve been a member of SCBWI since 2007 and was so honored to eventually lead my home state of SCBWI-Wisconsin as regional advisor. This big and beautiful desk ornament will get a special place in my home, and I will treasure it always.

Lin officially retired yesterday from running SCBWI full-time. She has touched so many lives that it’s hard to quantify how she’s influenced the world. What a life she’s led and what an amazing organization she’s built, one that’s still changing and growing and learning. And what a legacy she passes to her successors. She’s the gem here. I just got to be in her light. Thanks, Lin and SCBWI. I’m touched and amazed by this.