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Summer is finally here, and SCBWI-Illinois members couldn’t be busier! Whether at the Printers Row Book Fair or the Words in the Woods retreat, this chapter’s writers and illustrators are showing what a dynamic organization this is. And with this Summer issue of the Prairie Wind, we have more proof of the energy our members bring to this chapter: Ruth Spiro tells us Continue reading Summer Sizzle What: Opening night wine-and-cheese reception for the Aurora Public Art Commission Gallery’s Golden Books exhibit Golden Legacy: Little Golden Books. Kick-off a new year of programs by attending the (free) reception. Continue reading Golden Moments in Children’s Literature What: Prairie Writer’s Day IV: Smarts and Craft! Featuring Arthur Levine Books editor Cheryl Klein, Greenwillow Associate Editor Martha Mahalick, Wendy Lamb Books Assistant Editor Caroline Meckler, Harold Underdown, Andrea Brown agent Michelle Handleman and Sharon Darrow, Vermont College faculty member. Registration information and manuscript critique submission information will Continue reading Save the Date for Prairie Writer’s Day By Jenny Meyerhoff Manuscript Makeover It’s often said that the mark of a good writer is how well she can revise. That’s why so many agents and editors request revisions before offering representation or a contract: They are evaluating your ability to take a good story and make it better. But revision means more than adding commas. A good revision involves seeing your book in a new light: re-visioning. Continue reading Manuscript Revision in Three Parts By Kathleen Rietz Many people called me fortunate. I made a pretty comfortable living working as a freelance artist for nearly two decades. Versatility was my specialty. I did a little of everything, from developing product lines for retail stores such as Target and Pier 1 Imports, to designing corporate logos for a company that imported pineapples from Ghana, West Africa, to illustrating licensed Precious Moments characters on giftware for Enesco Corporation. Being a creative chameleon was fun at times. Continue reading Who Are You? Discovering Your Style By Pamela Todd When my middle-grade novel, Pig and the Shrink (Random House) came out in 1999, I had a lot to learn about book promotion, including the fact that a great deal of it would be up to me. Now that I have a young adult novel, The Blind Faith Hotel (Simon and Schuster) coming out in the fall, I’ve made up my mind to get started early and do whatever I can to help get the word out. Continue reading Finding a Strong Hook for Your Book By Rich and Mary Chamberlin “I want to bring together readers and writers,” is the wish of Bonnie Matheis, coordinator of Illinois Center for the Book.
“Books can inspire people,” Bonnie declares. When she read the Harry Potter series with her son, they would alternate pages. “It created a bonding experience. For children, every story is an opportunity for change.” Now her son is an avid reader. Continue reading Bonnie Matheis & the Center for the Book Last June? The cicadas serenaded us. Ah, but this June? We have the dulcet tones of our SCBWI-Illinois children’s book creators sharing their stories out-and-about across Illinois. Continue reading Sounds of Summer By Mary Loftus I’ll never finish. This is what I often tell myself when pondering my YA manuscript, or the MG manuscript, or that little file I’ve opened over there. Nothing will ever come of it, I despair. Continue reading Heavy Lifting: On Free Weights and Finished Manuscripts By June Sengpiehl The Food For Thought meeting of SCBWI-IL was held on March 22, 2008, at the Gail Borden Library, in Elgin, Illinois. The meeting was organized by Natalie Rompella and Sara Shacter, and about 20 people attended on a cold snowy 
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With their recent enhancements to their programs and website, they are in a great position to assist aspiring and experienced authors alike (such as Illinois luminaries Richard Peck and Ray Elliott, picture here with Bonnie). We spent a few minutes chatting with Bonnie recently and believe she really is Someone You Should Know.