July was a month of mostly teaching, and it was good.
First I joined the faculty of the Vermont College of Fine Arts MFA in Writing for Children and Young Adults. The on-campus residency was an intense fortnight full of warmth, welcome, and an exacting dedication to literary craft. Writers need community, and VCFA is an amazing place to find it.
Next I taught at Shared Worlds, a writing camp for teenagers. Students create worlds in the first week and write stories set in those freshly minted places during the second. My classroom of kids came up with a brilliant setting and a nuanced way to write about violence. I wish this workshop had existed when I was fourteen. Writers of all ages need community. You might find yours here.
After Shared Worlds I went on a virtual classroom visit with journalist and 6th grader Grace Clark. The video is here. (Scroll down a bit.) Don’t miss the Kathi Appelt interview on the same page.
Now July is over. The next thing on my calendar is the Mythopoeic Award Ceremony, though sadly I won’t get to be there in person. Myth-makers, world-builders, and scholars of the Inklings will be honored. One of the following novels will win in the kidlit category:
Shadows by Robin McKinley,
Conjured by Sara Beth Durst,
Killer of Enemies by Joseph Bruchac,
Doll Bones by Holly Black,
or Ghoulish Song by me.
This is thrilling and intimidating. Holly Black is a friend, mentor, and one of my Clarion instructors. Joseph Bruchac has written approximately a bazillion badass books. Sara Beth Durst has won the Mythopoeic Award before. And I’ve read and loved Robin McKinley’s novels since eighth grade.
Feels good to stand in such company.