Network News: South East... and a surprisingly high score from Southampton

Southampton FC seem to be doing ok at the moment - they're still in the premier league which means they must have been scoring goals…

Exactly like SCBWI So'ton.


Our goal setting supper group,  Helen Dineen, Helen Bonney, Veronica Cossanteli, Ken Lymer, Lorraine Cooke and me, Jan Carr, meets monthly on a Thursday evening at 7:30pm in the Cowherds Pub on Southampton Common. And since our first meeting in May last year, we have grown! Last month we were so pleased to welcome, illustrator Duncan Wilson to the group. 

We have all started, finished, revised and submitted work. Helen (D) has signed with Agent Anne Clark, Lorraine has had two shortlistings, Helen (B) has written and composed a musical, Veronica has published with Chicken House and triumphantly handled her first author visits. Ken has developed picture book ideas, written for Words & Pictures and started blogging, and I finished a book that,  in May '13, was under serious threat of the bin.

Goal setting is such a good idea.

Southampton Common

Quite a few of us across the country now seem to be making goals a focus for getting together. It's interesting to read about how different groups approach goal setting. Here's the routine we've fallen into in Southampton:

• Meet at 7:30pm at our favourite round table in the window
• General catch up while ordering drinks and 'supper'.
• Go round the group, in turn, updating how we did on last month's goals
• Eat (this isn't compulsory but we usually come hungry!)
• Commit ( aspirationally is fine) to a goal for next month
• Jan notes these down 
• Go home in complete control of faculties, encouraged and inspired at about 9:45pm
• Before the next meeting, Jan emails everyone's goals to the whole group with a reminder of the date for our next meeting, and books the favourite table.

Our next goal setting supper is Thursday March 20th

In the coming months we're looking forward to taking part in the Ejector Seat Arts Festival in the City Centre, Southampton Central Library showing of the wonderful SCBWI Showcase and we hope, very soon, to confirm our first SCBWI So'ton workshop on 'Voice'.

Watch this space!

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Jan Carr is the editor of Words & Pictures. Her fiction is all over the place she blogs occasionally and loves to write in magenta.

Network News: South East Spotlight on Southampton

Southampton Common

It's all happening with SCBWI in Southampton...

We had our first SCBWI Southampton Goal Setting Supper  on Thursday May 16th and on Monday May 20th, the SCBWI Illustrators Juried Exhibition went up in Southampton Central Library.

SCBWI Southampton Goal Setting Supper

Following a comment from John on a Network News post a few weeks ago I thought 'ooh that's easy, I wonder if there are any more SCBWIs in Southampton?' So, I went to scbwi.org and searched for members. By only filling in the city and country search boxes I was surpised to find there are seven of us.

I contacted everyone through a combination of SCBWI messaging and email. It was lovely to have such an enthusiastic response to the idea of meeting up. I gave everyone a list of dates and venues and asked people to say what dates they absolutely couldn't do and to choose a venue. After a few people had responded,  I was left with only one date so I picked that and hoped for the best!  Most people chose The Cowherds Pub, where the food is tasty and not too expensive, and on the edge of Southampton Common, a beautiful large green space in the heart of the city.

Green and Blue

We didn't know it was going to be a goal setting supper when we arranged to meet, but over pre-supper drinks, when it was suggested, everyone enthusiastically agreed. It's a great idea because it provides a positive focus for the meeting, it works well for mixed (author/illustrator, picture book to YA)  groups, and we can do what SCBWI does best, which is support each other to reach those goals whatever they are.

And here we are...

From left to right: Lorraine Cook, Helen Dineen, Helen Bonney, Jan Carr, Ken Lymer, Veronica Cossanteli

Sadly, Sandra Horn and Holly Gatrell couldn't make that evening, we hope we'll see you next time. Next time is Thursday June 13th, 7:30pm at The Cowherds. 

If you're a SCBWI member and you'd like to join us, you're very welcome.
Let me know in the comments below.

The SCBWI Illustrators Juried Exhibition, Southampton Central Library 

a perfectly balanced exhibition

The Illustrations, first seen at The WInchester Conference in November, then in April at Foyles in Charing Cross Road are now in the Central Library in Southampton, until Friday June 14th.

They were very easy to transport I took them down on Monday morning on my bike, sooo glad it wasn't raining.

We're really lucky that in Southampton that we still have a good library service however in this year's round of cuts many staff were lost and the opening hours reduced. 

Southampton Central Library with Clock Tower - so Back to the Future!

Several people stopped to chat as I was putting them up and it was great to able to give them a card. If you're in Southampton over the next few weeks, do stop by and take a look.

Balance maintained.

Next stop, Norwich!

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Jan Carr is the editor of Words & Pictures. Her fiction is older middle grade, she blogs occasionally and loves to write in magenta.

South East Network News

by Mariam Vossough 

Kathy and Mariam

The South East Network Co-ordinators are Mariam Vossough and Kathy Evans. If you're a SCBWI member living anywhere in the South East area they would love to hear from you. The whole area covers Oxfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Berkshire, Kent, East and West Sussex, Surrey, Hampshire and the Isle of Wight. This Network News from the South East spotlights Southampton Fareham, Chichester, Canterbury and Woking.



NEW FAREHAM/SOUTHAMPTON GROUP
After requests from members, we are looking to restart a critique group in the Fareham/Southampton area. We’d love to hear from someone willing to run the group, or maybe you could share the responsibility with someone else. Kathy and I can advise and support you so please get in contact if you’re interested. Contact us at southeastATbritishscbwiDOTorg.

HELLO FROM CHICHESTER
Chichester SCBWI goes from strength to strength, from just two of us meeting in a coffee shop over a year ago, we’re now a regular and vibrant body of ten. We’re a happy mixture of unpublished and well established writers offering support, encouragement and industry news. We’re at capacity now but if there are any more local people seeking a similar group please contact southeastATscbwiDOTorg and we’ll help you get something set up. Writing doesn’t have to be lonely!

HELLO FROM CANTERBURY COFFEE AND CHAT
The Canterbury coffee and chat continues to meet on the first Saturday of each month upstairs in Costa Coffee, High Street, Canterbury, from 10.30 -12.00. We've welcomed some new regulars to our mix of creative and talented illustrators and writers. There's never a shortage of things to talk about in this friendly and supportive group - and there's usually time to share work for a quickie critique. All members welcome to just turn up, but if you're new please alert janeATjane-clarkeDOTcoDOTuk to look out for you.

HELLO FROM WOKING
The Woking group is now entering its third year. We have a steady membership of five at the moment, and would be very happy to consider a further one or two folk to join our merry band. We spend our monthly meetings catching up on all things writerly and then providing feedback on submitted work. The members all write different things – from picture books to contemporary teen fiction by way of younger readers’ humour and 9-12 historical fiction – but that’s what makes it such fun! Please make contact via the Ning if you are interested in joining.

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Mariam Vossough is a children's writer and scriptwriter. She also runs workshops and reviews books.