Jewish Children’s Literature Experts Offer Writing Workshop

From the Highlights Foundation:

Publishers of Jewish-Themed children’s writing are heading off in new directions, and the Highlights Foundation invited Barbara Krasner, publisher of The Whole Megillah: The Writer’s Resource for Jewish-themed Children’s Books, to create an expert-packed workshop to guide writers along the path.

Writing Jewish-Themed Children’s Books will take place May 15-18, 2011, at the homeplace of the Founders of Highlights for Children near Honesdale, Pennsylvania. Guest faculty includes Linda Silver, author of Best Jewish Books for Children and Teens; Margery Cuyler, publisher, Marshall Cavendish Children’s Books and its new Jewish imprint, Shofar Books; Ruth Katcher, Egmont editor-at-large; Natalie Blitt, expert on Jewish children’s literature and former program director and book selection committee chair, The PJ Library; Debra Hess, Senior Editor, Highlights for Children; and Laurel Snyder, author of Baxter, the Pig Who Wanted to Be Kosher and Penny Dreadful.

2010 workshop participant Dorothy Gilbert Goldstone shares her experience:

“The workshop is like a mini-conference, with an extra day of writing time as well, plus in-depth one-on-one time with an editor. The ‘face time’ I got with top professionals which left me with access afterwards to all of them was invaluable. The editorial feedback made a major difference to the novel I am working on. The small group of fellow writers and illustrators were of such high caliber, that every comment, both on work and how they managed their life/work juggle, was an inspiration.”

Ready to learn what it really takes to get published in the field of Jewish-themed children’s literature? To secure your spot in Writing Jewish-Themed Children’s Books, or for more information, contact Jo Lloyd at 570-253-1192, e-mail jo.lloyd@highlightsfoundation.org, or request an application online.

Check out the videos from the 2010 workshop’s Editor/Agent Roundtable:

• Rubin Pfeffer, East/West Literary Agency
• Mary Kole, Andrea Brown Literary Agency
• Francoise Bui, Delacorte Press
• Devorah Leah Blumenfeld, Hachai

Highlights Foundation Founders Workshops take place near Honesdale, Pennsylvania. You’ll stay in your own cozy cabin, surrounded by 1,300 wooded acres and hiking trails. Workshop fee includes individual cabins; all meals (provided by a top-notch chef); airport pickup service, if needed; and an intimate teaching setting at the homeplace of the Founders of Highlights for Children.