Follow Us on Facebook

Oceanside Rainbow

Oceanside Rainbow

Oregon Coast Children's Book Writers Workshop



Children's Book Manuscript Advisors

 

Great Blue Heron on the beach

Blue Heron on the beach
Sitting at the beach writing a story

Working on a manuscript
outside the classroom
Oceanside Rocks Seen Through Tunnel

Oceanside rocks
seen through tunnel
White feather on the sandy beach

White feather on
the sandy beach

OCCBWW is currently on hiatus.
We (David & Susan Greenberg, Directors) have moved to Hong Kong for a few years of adventure. The course will start up again when we return. Keep writing! Stay tuned...

Daisy flowers with Pacific Ocean background
Flowers seen from classroom.

“Totally brilliant. The course surpassed my expectations. Inspiring, encouraging, amazing, interesting, friendly, happy, delightful so many tools to improve the craft and this adventure I have embarked on.”

Tone Fokstuen
OCCBWW 2016

Purpose: This is an intensive workshop for those who are not only passionate about children's book writing, but who dream of publishing their own children's books. Getting attendees published is the end goal. (Over half-a-dozen of our students have published their first books! Others have signed with our agent and editor instructors.) The course is designed for beginner, intermediate, and advanced writers. It consists of presentations by eight full-time instructors, gobs of writing, group manuscript sharing, and intensive consults with instructors. The instructors are five professional children's book authors, two children's book editors from major publishing houses, and a full-time children's book agent. What makes this course distinctive is the enormous amount of one-on-one coaching from the instructors, far, far more than from any other course we're aware of. The teacher-student ratio will be one to seven (or less). This means that students can have at least one major manuscript consult per day, and possibly more.

Hours: Six hours and fifteen minutes a day, 9:00 am-12:00 pm, 1:15 pm-4:30 pm. Between 8:00 am and 9:00 am, Tuesday through Friday, there is optional, informal class time in which students can write, share, and consult with instructors.

Bare feet in the Pacific Ocean
Walk along the sandy shores of the Pacific Ocean and get your feet wet.

“This workshop blew all my expectations away! Even my dream scenario for a children’s writing workshop did not come close to what this workshop delivered.”

Elaine Gencarelli
OCCBWW 2016

Tidalpool
Oceanside tidalpool.

Guest Lecturer: There will be one guest lecturer, an established children's book author who is an expert on writing and the children's book world.

Evening Presentations: On Tuesday and Wednesday night of the course, class authors-instructors will present.

Pre-Workshop Manuscript Review: Those who wish may submit a manuscript of picture book length or up to five pages from a larger work. Every single instructor will read it before class begins giving them a running start with you from day one.

Morning "Before-Class" Consults: Every morning, before class officially starts, between 8:00am-9:00am, most instructors will be available for informal consults (at no additional charge).

Out-Of-Class Consults: If you wish, several instructors (not necessarily all) will be available for 60 minute manuscript consults, outside of class hours, for a fee of $110. We will distribute information about which instructors are available several months before class starts.

Manuscript Review by Children's Book Editor or Agent: If you wish, upon finishing the course, an editor at a major publisher or a children's book agent will read a portion of your manuscript and offer you a professional critique. The cost for this is $150 (which, for manuscript reviews of this sort, is extremely reasonable).

Cost without graduate credit: $869

Graduate Credit Available from University of the Pacific: Up to three graduate level credits @ $62 per credit. Some additional course work required. Call 1-800-479-1995 for further details. Please see the information in the box below titled "University Semester Credit Option".

UNIVERSITY SEMESTER CREDIT OPTION:

Semester hours, from University of the Pacific, Center for Professional and Continuing Education. $62 per credit. Acceptable to most participants, including many on district funding or release time, as credit is awarded for additional, "Teacher-Friendly" follow-up activities. For Graduate Professional Development participants NOT pursuing an advanced degree at UOP. Enroll at the seminar. For other credit questions ONLY, call (800) 479-1995.

“The course met my expectations and then went beyond. I didn't expect so much individual attention. It was invaluable.”

Paisley Schade
OCCBWW 2016

Red poppy flower close-up

Location: This workshop is held in the exquisite, isolated coastal town of Oceanside, Oregon (which is roughly 90 miles from Portland, and ten miles from Tillamook and is so minuscule that it's not on all maps). The town basically amounts to a small, gnarled mountain whose hemline is the seashore. There are giant rocks off-shore that are home to sea lions (who snort at night) and sea birds. There are tidal pools everywhere, seals, herons, pelicans. It is entirely non-commercial, under-populated. Aside from a few modest motels, the only businesses are a little tavern (that has a great selection of micro-brews) and a small restaurant directly by the beach that sells good seafood and burgers, and, if it's chilly, heats by wood-stove. You can buy a latte. The town could market itself as a Haiku.

Beach from classroom patio
Beach from classroom patio.

“A Master's course, in a matter of 5 days. Learned a lot. Loved it!”

Rebecca Hamm
OCCBWW 2016

The classroom will be the comfortable Oceanside Community Center (one of the few classrooms in the world with a wood-burning fireplace) which is directly by the beach. In fact, if you fell off its patio (where many instructors hold one-on-one consults in good weather), and were it a very high tide, you'd end up in the ocean.

Lodging: There are modest motels, B&B's and house rentals available in Oceanside (and all the nearby towns). Many of them have stunning views of the ocean. There are also nearby campsites you can reserve. For those participants who wish, we will give them the e-mail addresses of everyone else who has signed up so they can contact each other about sharing houses (or transportation). For information on where to stay, please see Lodging Information.

Cancellation Policy: You may cancel at any time up to six weeks before the class and receive a full refund of your registration (minus a processing charge of $65). Between six weeks and three weeks before the class there is a 50% refund (minus a processing charge of $65). And within three weeks of the class no refund is available.

Questions? If you have any questions, please e-mail us at authilus@teleport.com.

Class of 2015
Oregon Coast Children's Book Writers Workshop Class of 2015 on classroom patio.


 


Inquiries about Oregon Coast Children's Book Writers Workshop