I'm never quite sure how my talks go over with people. Sometimes there will be encouraging smiles and nods. Sometimes sighs. Sometimes people will talk to each other, depending on the size of the group. Sometimes kids will look as if they're about to go to sleep. Sometimes they sit on the edge of their seats. You can drive yourself crazy, trying to interpret what this all means (you can also lose your place in your talk!). I often hear from people after a talk. But maybe the best feedback I've ever received was last spring, when I was asked to join the faculty of ENCORE! 2011, a one-day conference sponsored by SCBWI in Southern New England and the Alliance for the Study and Teaching of Adolescent Literature (ASTAL) at Rhode Island College in Providence. I will join other presenters John Bell, Erin Dionne, Mary Lee Donovan and Mark Peter Hughes. We were asked to repeat workshops that we first gave at the NESCBWI conference last spring because they went over so well with participants.

ENCORE! 2011 will take place on Saturday, October 29, 2011. For more information and to read about the wonderful writers/editor who will be there:

http://www.nescbwi.org/scbwi-events/encore/