MFA in Writing for Children & Young Adults Work
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Secrets of the Sea, by Evan Griffith ('19 WCYA)
Evan Griffith's picture book Secrets of the Sea: The Story of Jeanne Power, Revolutionary Marine Scientist will be published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt on March 9, 2021. Griffith notes, "I wrote the early drafts of this picture book during my time at VCFA under the mentorship of Mary Quattlebaum and Martha Brockenbrough." Learn more at evangriffithbooks.com.
A Friend for Henry, by Jenn Bailey ('17 WCYA)
Jenn Bailey's picture book A Friend for Henry, which was part of her creative thesis at VCFA, was published by Chronicle Books on February 26, 2019. Learn more at jennbailey.com.
Where Are You From?, by Yamile Saied Méndez ('17 WCYA)
Yamile Saied Méndez's picture book Where Are You From? was published by HarperCollins on June 4, 2019. In an interview for the Wild Things blog, Méndez said, "I can’t pinpoint to any specific lectures or classes during VCFA to credit them in the creation of my picture book. I wrote it in between semesters, and I never turned it in to any advisors. However, I read it at my graduate reading, and the reception was so warm and enthusiastic, that after my graduation I submitted it to my agent who sent it out to editors. We had offers for it right away. Although the poem isn’t the direct product of one particular assignment, the collective influence of my reading and writing during the program definitely helped me write the poem that became my picture book."
Chicken Break, by Cate Berry ('17 WCYA)
Cate Berry's rhyming picture book Chicken Break was published by Feiwel and Friends on October 29, 2019. In an interview for the Wild Things blog, Berry noted, "I started working on it as a class assignment and I continued revising it all through VCFA. [And] I actually sold my first book in my first semester of VCFA. I signed with my agent right before first residency and we went on sub during res!"
Now I'm a Bird, by Sue Ganz-Schmitt ('19 WCYA)
Sue Ganz-Schmitt reads from Now I'm a Bird (Albert Whitman & Co., 2020) at a WCYA Book Birthday Party event on October 14, 2020. The book was inspired by her trip to the Bath Spa/Oxford residency during her time at VCFA, and she worked on it with her faculty advisor, Tom Birdseye.
No Vacancy, by Tziporah Cohen ('15 WCYA)
Tziporah Cohen reads from No Vacancy (Groundwood Books, 2020) at a WCYA Book Birthday Party event on September 16, 2020. Cohen started the book during her second semester with Sarah Ellis, and it was part of her creative thesis.
The Hive Queen, by Robin Kirk ('14 WCYA)
Robin Kirk reads from The Hive Queen (Blue Crow Books, 2020) at a WCYA Book Birthday Party event on September 16, 2020. The novel is part of The Bond Trilogy, which Kirk worked on during her time at VCFA.