Event—Adult Education

Oh, the Possibilities: Writing for Children in Today's Publishing World

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A whirlwind immersive one-day tour of the Children's Book World.

A postcard depicting a child holding a candle and a large red book. A small dog follows him at his feet. At the top, it says, "good night."

Good Night. John I. Monroe collection of artist-signed postcards. Source: Newberry Library Modern MS Monroe Artist Box 10 no. 557.

Class Description

Are you interested in writing for children? Join Esther Hershenhorn as she introduces you to and grounds you in her very terrific Children’s Book World. Participants will leave this workshop with (1) a basic understanding of the publishing, writing, connection, and submission possibilities and opportunities, (2) navigational short cuts to make their way, and (3) a sense of their manuscripts’ format options, suitability, and marketability. This immersive one-day workshop will make sure you are confident in pursuing your writing, knowledgeable of next steps to take, and inspired to tell your stories to young readers.

Esther Hershenhorn authors picture books and middle grade fiction, coaches children’s books writers and recently served on the Board of Advisors of The Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators.

Materials List

No Required Materials

A Brief Syllabus

Morning: Introduction to Children’s Book World

Hour Break

Afternoon: Learning and Honing Your Craft

Cost and Registration

1 Session, $165 ($148 for Newberry members, seniors, and students). Learn about becoming a member.

We offer our classes at three different price options: Regular ($165), Community Supported ($155), and Sponsor ($175).  Following the models of other institutions, we want to ensure that our classes are accessible to a wider audience while continuing to support our instructors. You may choose the price that best fits your situation when registering through Learning Stream.

To register multiple people for this class, please go through the course calendar in Learning Stream, our registration platform. When you select the course and register, you’ll be prompted to add another registrant.

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Class List

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Call us at (312) 255-3700 or send us an email at adulteducation@newberry.org.

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