Encore

Encore grew out of two needs. First, many members expressed a desire for regular SCBWI programming beyond the Annual Spring Conference and the Whispering Pines retreat in Rhode Island. Second, some Spring Conference attendees have been disappointed that they could not attend more of the valuable workshops. Encore was developed in the fall of 2007 to meet these needs. It is a one-day conference that repeats five of the most popular presentations from the Spring Conference–an “encore performance,” if you will.

In Southern New England, RA (now RA-Emeritus) Sally Riley approached Jean Brown, the director of the Alliance for the Study and Teaching of Adolescent Literature (ASTAL) at Rhode Island College. Jean was eager to develop an ongoing relationship with SCBWI and offered the facilities at Rhode Island College for the program. Working with Betty Brown and Linda Crotta Brennan, Sally planned a successful event with twenty-eight paying attendees in 2007. Despite Janet Arden’s best efforts, the Encore program held in New Hampshire did not draw enough attendees to break even. As a result, Encore was discontinued in Northern New England. In 2008, the second Encore! program at Rhode Island College drew fifty-one attendees. Since then, the program has continued to gain momentum, and attendance has increased each year. In 2015, when a full enrollment was reached in only one or two days, the Regional Team decided to create a second, duplicate event northern Massachusetts. Francine Puckly coordinated this session in 2016. It was very successful, so two sessions were also held in 2017.