We, your regional SCBWI Carolinas team, take seriously our fiduciary responsibility to adhere to all the contracts and agreements we have signed. We are honor bound to the members of this region as well as to the mission of SCBWI to make sure that the best conference we can put together happens.
Continuing to present the 2016 The Power Of Story conference in Charlotte North Carolina was a consensus decision made by the regional team in consultation with the international SCBWI leadership.
No conference comes together in a few short months. The planning of a regional conference develops over a twelve to eighteen month time period prior to the event date. In good faith we signed contracts with the venue. In good faith we secured agreements with writing and illustrating professionals. In good faith we contracted with editors, agents and an art director. And, in good faith we announced the conference in our newsletter and on our chapter website.
There is turmoil in the state of North Carolina at this time over HB2. We know one of the amazing things about the community of writers and illustrators in the Carolinas region is the commitment to diversity and equal rights. With this understanding, we contacted all faculty and volunteers who signed commitments to participate in person in our conference giving all the option to rescind the agreement, without penalty, based on their personal convictions. A listing of the faculty who will participate can be found at Our 2016 Faculty.
We value the members of our region. Some of you may be weighing your participation in the Charlotte conference against your own convictions. And, we understand. No one has a crystal ball, us least of all, and we have no clue as to how this action between the North Carolina state government and the city of Charlotte will be resolved or when. However is our belief that in continuing with our conference in September we are supporting diversity, equal rights and the people of Charlotte.
Our conference focuses on the art and craft of writing, illustrating and publishing in the field of children’s literature. The basic truth is that we do believe in the Power Of Story—its amazing ability to entertain, inform, enlighten and even change stereotypes and bias.
As our registration opens May 3, 2016 we hope you will take this information to heart and join us. We look forward to greeting old friends and meeting new ones in September!
Sláinte,
- Teresa Fannin, Regional Advisor
- Bonnie Adamson, Assistant Regional Advisor
- Deborah Johnson, Illustrator Coordinator