Hearing a presentation at the UND Writers Conference in Children’s Literature inspired Janice Tingum to write a biography of the author E.B. White. Among White’s many works are such children’s classics as Charlotte’s Web and Stuart Little.

Conferenece launches, reinvigorates writing careers

By Kathryn Sweney

Rip-roaring humor, advice and encouragement from published writers, a chance to talk to editors and publishers informally: the annual UND Writers Conference in Children’s Literature offers all this — and more — every fall.

The encouragement pays off. One author won $1,000 in a fiction contest, another had her first writing published, and yet another read from her 2005 children’s book, P is for Peace Garden: A North Dakota Alphabet.

“I love this conference,” said featured speaker Jane Kurtz. “It made a big difference in my publishing life.” When Kurtz moved to Grand Forks, she had one published book. When she left 12 years later, she had become a full-time author and speaker. She met her agent and editors at conferences and now has published 20 books for young readers and three for teachers and librarians. Kurtz’s picture book about the Red River flood of 1997, River Friendly River Wild, won a Golden Kite award from the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI) for best picture book text of 2000.

Kurtz’s enthusiasm, encouragement, and willingness to share tips have helped a number of writers to publish, said Yvette LaPierre, who coordinates the conference with Jean Patrick, SCBWI regional advisor for the Dakotas. Both have published a number of books. Other published writers associated with the conference include Faythe Thureen, who also teaches Norwegian at UND, and Janet Spaeth, a librarian at the Chester Fritz Library.

A key feature of the conference is a manuscript critique and a one-on-one discussion with an editor and speaker. The Emily Award, honoring conference founder Emily Rhoads Johnson, is presented each year for most promising manuscript. This year’s winner, by Linda Sand of Moorhead, Minn., was chosen from 43 submitted manuscripts. The $250 award is sponsored by the UND Alumni Foundation.

Janice Tingum first participated in the conference in 1980 when she came to UND for law school. One year she heard an author who inspired her to write a biography of E. B. White, which was published in 1995. This year, Tingum won a $1,000 fiction prize from Highlights magazine for children for her short story, “Grandma’s Purse.”

The conference is educational and motivational, Tingum said. “I’ve learned the basics of how to prepare a manuscript for submission, and I’ve had a chance to hear editors from all over the country. I always come out of there fired up with hundreds of ideas.” One of the best parts of the conference is networking with other writers, she said.

This year’s network was larger than usual: more than 60 writers came from Michigan, Montana, Minnesota, South Dakota, and North
Dakota. Presenters included Heather Delabre, editor for the Carus magazine group, which publishes Spider magazine and Cricket books; and Jen Weiss, editor at Simon and Schuster, which publishes the Nancy Drew and Hardy Boys series.

Emily Rhoads Johnson founded the conference 25 years ago when she was a UND graduate student and the only member of SCBWI in the state. She wanted “to encourage aspiring writers to publish excellent, creative stories for children of all ages.” She directed the conference until 1986. Her young adult novels are Spring and the Shadow Man, A House Full of Strangers, and Write Me If You Dare. She lives and teaches in Ithaca, N.Y.

EDITOR’S NOTE: UND’s 2006 Conference in Children’s Literature is set for Oct. 13-14 in the Memorial Union.