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Packaging Your Imagination (PYI) Conference

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Photos from PYI 2019 by Caroline Fernandez

CANSCAIP’s Packaging Your Imagination Conference 

For almost 40 years, CANSCAIP has hosted Packaging Your Imagination (PYI), a highly regarded professional development conference. Canada's community of writers, illustrators, performers and publishers for young people gather for an inspiring day of learning, business and networking.


PYI 2023 IN PERSON

Saturday October 21

9:00 am to 5:00 pm (welcome desk opens 8:00am)

Li Ka Shing Knowledge Institute
209 Victoria Street, Toronto


PYI 2023 RECORDED

Online videos available 
November 1 to December 31


PICK YOUR OWN PYI 2023


You choose 4 of the 12 in person (or recorded) sessions. 

ALL registrations include both keynote speakers.

RECORDINGS OF ADDITIONAL PYI SESSIONS

When you register, you can pick additional recorded sessions
for just $10 each

PYI 2023 SPEAKERS 

  1. The Wow Factor – SHARON JENNINGS
  2. Laughing Through the Tears: Humour in Dark or Difficult Books – JOANNE LEVY
  3. Pushing Illustrating Your Difficult Character – PEGGY COLLINS
  4. Making Dreams Come True – JENNIFER MARUNO, MIKI SATO
  5. Interviewing for Stories – KATHY KACER, KEN SETTERINGTON
  6. The Wonderful World of Non-Fiction Illustration: Exploring Imaginations with Kids – SUHARU OGAWA
  7. Breaking In Panel – ADAM SCHAFER, SADÉ SMITH, VICTOR WONG, KATE BLAIR (Moderator)
  8. Dripping Data in Mystery Stories – MICHAEL HUTCHINSON
  9. Writing Graphic Novels: Packaging Your Vision for Your Artist – J. TORRES
  10. Publishing Panel – SERAH-MARIE McMAHON (Annick Press), PETER PHILLIPS (Tundra Books), KATIE SCOTT (Kids Can Press), NASEEM HRAB (Moderator)
  11. Unleash Your Inner Educator! Use Curricula to Guide Your Writing – KARI-LYNN WINTERS
  12. Illustration Between the Lines – JULIA BRECKENREID

OPENING KEYNOTE: Dear Me: Notes on a Writer's Life – ANDREW LARSEN

CLAIRE MACKAY MEMORIAL LECTURE: Fresh Stories for a Different World: Challenge and Opportunity – SHELLEY TANAKA

The Claire Mackay Memorial Lecture is sponsored by the Peter and Eleanor Daniels Foundation

ONE-TO-ONE AT PYI 2023

For an additional $75, you can add a One-to-One to your PYI IN PERSON registration. 

A One-to-One is 15-minute  meeting with a publishing professional who has evaluated 1,000 words of your manuscript, or up to 10 images from your online illustration portfolio.  

One-to-One meetings are in person at the PYI venue on Sat Oct 21at the end of the conference day, between 5:00 and 8:30pm ET. 

One-to-Ones are verbal evaluations without written notes.

The One-to-One evaluators at PYI 2023 are:

Margot Blankier – Tundra Book Group

Claire Caldwell – Annick Press

Khary Mathurin – Annick Press

Serah-Marie McMahon - Annick Press

Patricia Ocampo - Kids Can Press

Peter Phillips - Tundra Book Group

Ella Russell – Owlkids Books

Emma Sakamoto -  Groundwood Books

Katie Scott - Kids Can Press

Amanda Sun - Scholastic Canada

Michael Solomon - Groundwood Books (portfolios)


WHAT PAST ATTENDEES ARE SAYING

"I always come away from PYI having learned something, having been inspired, and feeling more confident about my writing."

"Always amazing--I recommend it to EVERYONE."

THANK YOU!

Your PYI registration helps support CANSCAIP—and our PYI speakers.

Learn more about CANSCAIP

CANSCAIP
720 Bathurst St., Suite 412, Toronto, ON M5S 2R4

Email: office@canscaip.org
Phone: 1-416-515-1559

Copyright 2023 Canadian Society of Children's Authors, Illustrators and Performers

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