1. Respect and safety for our members, officers, and faculty are equally important. Everyone should feel safe during a CBIG event. Please keep this in mind regarding how you conduct yourself at our meetings.

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2. CBIG members are illustrators first. Many of us are author/illustrators. But we are not a home for authors only. Please consider another group if you only have writing to share.

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3. CBIG members are varied in their experiences. Many are established professionals. But we are also a nurturing group to new folks eager to learn. Please treat new people well, and share what you can to help them grow, too.

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4. Members are encouraged to ask thoughtful, industry-related questions of the faculty. Personal questions are not appropriate.

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5. During the Q&A portion of the event, please ask your question, with a follow-up if needed, but then hold on in case another member has a question. Monopolizing the speaker’s time with question after question frustrates them and makes us, as a group, appear less professional.

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6. During a break, please be considerate to the faculty and let them have some space. No one should approach them unless they have gotten up and had a chance to enjoy some refreshments. Friendly conversation is great. Under no

circumstances should you take this time to pitch your work. You can follow up via email if the speaker offers to keep in contact or accepts submissions after the event.

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7. If your portfolio is chosen for a review, please listen to the faculty give their views. If you talk more than they do, no one benefits. If you have a question or need clarification, feel free to ask. Please do not argue with the faculty. It makes everyone at CBIG appear less professional as a group. If the interpretation of your work is way off-that is also a valuable experience. Sometimes reviewers will not be on the same page. After the critique, feel free to analyze the review with your friends. Just not while the reviewer is speaking.

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8. To ensure fairness in the portfolio lottery, our policy is to ask folks who have been reviewed once to sit out for the rest of the year. Sometimes everyone at the meeting has been reviewed already. In cases like these, the lottery opens back up to everyone again-but just for that meeting.

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9. To participate in the Annual Portfolio Review you must have a kid lit art portfolio and/or a book dummy. You also need to be open to criticism.

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10. If you witness inappropriate behavior at a CBIG event, please report it to the CBIG officers in attendance. We can protect your anonymity, should that feel necessary.

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11. Many of CBIG's members are also members of The Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI).  As such, CBIG also adheres to The SCBWI Anti-Harassment Policy.

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We are proud of our CBIG members and their collective body of work, and the growth exhibited over years of attending our meetings and more. We simply want everyone to have a good time, learn a lot, grow in their art, and feel the safe and supportive community that is CBIG.

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Thank you in advance for your cooperation and understanding.

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-The Officers of CBIG

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