MFA in Writing for Children & Young Adults Archive

Melanie Crowder (she/her) is an educator, speaker, and the acclaimed author of nine novels for young readers. Her work has received numerous awards and starred...

Anica Mrose Rissi is the award-winning author of more than a dozen books for kids and teens, including picture books, chapter books, middle grade, and...

Emily X.R. Pan (she/her) is the New York Times-bestselling and award-winning author best known for The Astonishing Color of After...

"We can’t shy away from the complexities of our history, because if we don’t let kids experience complexity when they’re young, how will they be...

Yamile (sha-MEE-lay) Saied Méndez is a fútbol-obsessed Argentine-American Pura Belpré gold medal-winning author. She lives in Utah with her Puerto Rican husband and their five...

Mitali Perkins (mitaliperkins.com) has written many books for young readers, including You Bring the Distant Near (nominated for a...

In this season of giving thanks and celebrating connections, we are grateful to everyone in the VCFA community.

Laura Shovan is a Pushcart Prize-nominated poet and the author of the middle grade novels The Last Fifth Grade of Emerson Elementary, Takedown...

Rita Williams-Garcia, a Queens, New York, native, is the celebrated author of novels for young adults and middle grade readers. Her middle grade novel ...

Jasmine Warga is the New York Times-bestselling author of Other Words For Home, which earned multiple awards including a ...