NESCBWI Spring Conference

Conference Registration Opens tomorrow, March 15, at 10 am ET!

Here are the incredible publishing professionals who will be doing critiques at the event:

EVE ADLER, Agent, Red Fox Literary (PB Dummies/Portfolios, PB Manuscripts, MG, Graphic Novels)

LINDSEY ADUSKEVICH, Literary Manager, Martin Literary Management (PB Dummies/Portfolios, PB Manuscripts, MG, YA)

ADAM BLACKMAN, Acquisitions Editor, Cardinal Rule Press (PB Manuscripts, MG)

JULIE BLIVENS, Editorial Consultant & Author (PB Dummies/Portfolios, PB Manuscripts, Middle Grade)

KANDACE COSTON, Editor, LEE & LOW BOOKS (PB Dummies/Portfolios, PB Manuscripts)

SARAH DILLARD, Agent, Painted Words (PB Dummies/Portfolios, PB Manuscripts, Graphic Novels)

JULIA ERMI, Agency manager, Heirloom Literary & Media (PB Manuscripts, YA)

CHRISTY EWERS, Agent, CAT Agency (PB Dummies/Portfolios, PB Manuscripts)

SAMANTHA GENTRY, Editor, Little Brown (PB Dummies/Portfolios, PB Manuscripts, MG, YA)

CARTER HASEGAWA, Agent, Tugeau 2 Art & Literary Agency (PB Dummies/Portfolios, PB Manuscripts, MG, YA, Graphic Novels)

ALEXANDRA HINRICHS, Editor, Islandport Press (PB Manuscripts, MG)

SASHA ILLNGWORTH, Associate Creative Director, Little Brown Books for Young Readers (PB Dummies/Portfolios, YA, Graphic Novels)

OLIVIA LUCHINI, Associate Editor, Penguin Workshop, Penguin Young Reader (PB Manuscripts, MG, YA)

KRISTEN NOBLES, Art Director, Charlesbridge (PB Dummies/Portfolios, PB Manuscripts)

MATT PHIPPS, Editor, G.P. Putnam’s Sons (PB Dummies/Portfolios, PB Manuscripts, MG, YA, Graphic Novels)

SERA RIVERS Literary Agent, Speilburg Literary (PB Dummies/Portfolios, PB Manuscripts, MG, YA, Graphic Novels)

ALISON WEISS, Editorial Consultant, Alison Weiss Editorial (PB Dummies/Portfolios, PB Manuscripts, MG, YA, Graphic Novels)

The critiques are separated into Friday Night, Saturday, and Sunday. If a publishing pro is sold out during one of those times, look at the other two before giving up. Some of the professionals listed below will only be at the event on Saturday. Make sure to click on SCHEDULE in advance of registration to see which days they will be at the event.

A good tip is to have a list of the pro you want along with backups with you when you register.

If you were not able to get a spot, but still decide to register, please fill out the waitlist form. Last year we were able to accommodate most people because of cancellations.

Keep in mind that you may still use the post conference submission opportunity if you do not have a critique.

2026 New England Spring Conference We are thrilled to go back to UConn Stamford for our Regional Conference May 15 - 17, 2026! Registration opens March 15 at 10AM EST! Bookmark this page for conference updates.

We are so excited to share our 2026 conference keynotes! Registration opens one week from today! We look forward to seeing you there!

Saturday Keynote:
Heidi EY Stemple (she/her) didn’t want to be a writer when she grew up. In fact, after she graduated from college, she became a probation officer in Florida. It wasn’t until she was 28 years old that she gave in and joined the family business, publishing her first short story in a book called Famous Writers and Their Kids Write Spooky Stories. The famous writer was her mom, author Jane Yolen. Since then, she has published almost 50 books with more under contract. Her newest include, THE POETRY OF CAR MECHANICS, a verse novel, JANIE WRITES A PLAY, a picture book, and the first book of the AVIAN ADVENTURERS, an eco-series for middle grade readers.

Heidi lives and writes on a big old farm in Massachusetts that she shares with a dozen deer, a family of bears, three coyotes, two bobcats, a gray fox, a red fox, tons of birds, and some very fat groundhogs. Once a year she calls and counts owls for the Audubon Christmas Bird Count.

Sunday Keynote:
Nina Crews (she/her) is an award-winning children’s book author and illustrator. Her first book, One Hot Summer Day, was published in 1995 and is still in print in hardcover and paperback. Other favorite titles include I’m Not Small, The Neighborhood Mother Goose, Not Done Yet: Shirley Chisholm’s Fight for Change (written by Tameka Fryer Brown), A Girl Like Me (written by Angela Johnson,) and Seeing Into Tomorrow: Haiku by Richard Wright (poems by Richard Wright). She will have two new picture books in 2025, Big Family Beach Day, multigenerational celebration of summer, and Liftoff: How the Apollo Moon Missions Made Alma Thomas’s Art Soar, a STEAM-themed true story with tremendous visual appeal.

Nina’s work has been recognized by the ALA Notable Committee, the Black Caucus of the ALA, The Horn Book, Junior Library Guild, NCTE, CCBC, New York Public Library, Chicago Public Library, Bank Street College of Education, and many others. She is the recipient of the 2023 New York State Library Association’s Empire State Award. Nina is the daughter of children’s book authors and illustrators Donald Crews and Ann Jonas. She lives in Brooklyn, New York, with her husband and son.

Stay up to date with conference announcements by bookmarking the conference registration page: https://www.scbwi.org/events/2026-new-england-spring-conference

Thank you to New England Illustrator Coordinator, Theresa Tuano, for creating our amazing conference artwork!

Visit her online at https://theresatuano.com

Today we announced our 2026 conference theme: Create Boldly! The World Needs Your Story

Creators create. Even when we don’t know what to write or draw. Even when we struggle to combat imposter syndrome. Even when the world around us is crumbling. We do it. We create.

To create boldly means to do so in joyous times and even when it’s hard. When we don’t feel like it. When we’re struggling to navigate the inequities and discrimination that abound in the world around us. When some people want certain voices and stories silenced. These are the times when we must be our boldest. For those of us who represent groups that some don’t want to hear – or even wish that we didn’t exist – we must raise our voices louder and more boldly to tell the stories that only we can tell.

Even if it may be difficult now to get an agent or have a submission acquired, that doesn’t mean we should stop creating. It means that we must continue to create and resolve to do so even more fervently. We must tell those stories that some in the world may not want to hear – or may even want to ban – but that we know children need. And we must fight for – and always create for – the world in which we want to live.

By attending NESCBWI 26, you’re taking a step toward building the kind of world we want to live in. A world where our stories – and all stories – are welcomed and valued, ready to be placed into the hands of the children for whom we write. We hope you’re able to join us in May when we will celebrate and learn more about creating boldly together!

-Valerie Bolling, Assistant Conference Director

https://www.scbwi.org/events/2026-new-england-spring-conference

More announcements coming soon!

2026 New England Spring Conference We are thrilled to go back to UConn Stamford for our Regional Conference May 15 - 17, 2026! Registration opens March 15! Bookmark this page for conference updates. PLEASE NOTE THAT REGISTRATION MIGHT LOOK OPEN AS WE TEST THE PAGE BEFORE MARCH 15. ANY REGISTRATIONS BEFORE THAT DATE WILL BE DELETED

Conference registration opens March 15!

Keep an eye on your inbox. We're counting down to May 15 - 18, and can't wait to reveal all we have planned. Our first big announcement is arriving today, and it’s just the beginning!

If you’re not on our email list, don’t worry, every announcement will also be shared here in the Facebook group after it goes out to members.

We hope to see you there!

Send a message to learn more