I promised I'd chat a bit about my experiences thus far with the
Vermont College of Fine Arts. Since my studies don't officially begin until the July residency, I thought I'd give an idea of the things that happen before that time--the "pre-residency" phase of enrollment. By the way, if you're not familiar with the Vermont College MFA in Writing for Children and Young Adults Program, click
HERE to read a very nice overview of it, by former graduate Erik Talkin.
I applied in the fall of '08 (the deadline for fall 2009 wasn't until March 2009, but I'm the kind of person who likes to get things turned in early, if at all possible). The application packet consisted of an application, two letters of recommendation, college transcripts, writing samples and two essays--one personal essay that addresses questions posed by the college, the other being a critical essay on some aspect of writing for children.
I found out in mid-February that I had been accepted. Yea! Snoopy dance time! (quickly followed by a big, "Oh my gosh--what have I gotten myself into? Can I really do this?" moment. ;-)
The folks at VCFA have been incredibly friendly, generous with answering my endless questions/concerns, and helping me in many ways. And when I say, "folks”, I mean the administrators and students (current and past). Everyone immediately suggested I join the student forum (online) where I could ask questions and introduce myself. There is also an extensive FAQ page, packed with tons of info about everything from academics to housing. The students I've cyber-met on the forum have been so nice, and very helpful! I can't wait to meet them this summer; my fellow travelers on the VC MFA journey.
I have to say though, that I've relied on three of my regional SCBWI buddies, and former VC students, (
Sherry Shahan,
Dianne White and
Mary Ann Dames) to chat with about the program, answer questions and give me a very real sense of what the experience will be like (thanks, ladies--you all rock!). I must admit though, this feels eerily similar to my pregnancy experience, where everyone smiled, told me it would be life-changing, generously offered words of wisdom—but none of it *really* prepared me for it until I was right there in the trenches actually living through it. And both experiences seem to involve extremely hard work, lack of sleep, exhaustion at times and hopefully not too much crying!
Next, I'll talk a bit more about the next decision I had to make--what to do about the fall semester...
I'm packing up to head down to Ventura for my SCBWI workshop on Saturday, "The ABCs of Writing EZ Readers." We've got a good number of folks signed up so it should be a fabulous afternoon on learning, interacting and reveling in our craft!
I just got word that my very first picture book, Two Tales of Hawai'i (Island Heritage Publishing), is going out of print. I'm saddend, but I know I shouldn't be surprised. Given the current economy, book publishers are forced to take a much harder look at what they're keeping in print and what they're letting go. And Two Tales has been in print since 
2003, so it's outlived many other picture books.
I promised I'd chat a bit about my experiences thus far with the Vermont College of Fine Arts. Since my studies don't officially begin until the July residency, I thought I'd give an idea of the things that happen before that time--the "pre-residency" phase of enrollment. By the way, if you're not familiar with the Vermont College MFA in Writing for Children and Young Adults Program, click HERE to read a very nice overview of it, by former graduate Erik Talkin.
I'll be presenting an SCBWI workshop on Easy Readers on Saturday, May 30 from 1:00-4:30 PM in Ventura, CA. For anyone interested in attending, or learning more details, please click HERE. It should be a fun (and informative!) afternoon. My goal is for attendees to leave feeling like their heads are overflowing with information. And the packets I'll provide...ah, the packets!
VALERIE HOBBS did not set out to write novels for young adults, but ever since critics praised her 1995 coming-of-age story, HOW FAR WOULD YOU HAVE GOTTEN IF I HADN’T CALLED YOU BACK?, she has been a respected author of fiction for teens. At the rate of approximately one book per year, Hobbs has crafted character-driven tales about young people on the verge of adulthood, forced to make serious decisions about the direction their lives will take. Often the young protagonists are confronted with circumstances beyond their control--the death of a guardian or a boyfriend, parental divorce, or physical disability. How they deal with these challenges forms the core of Hobbs's works.
getting old. So I identify with Pearl in Defiance, but the cow and Toby, too, and with the grandmother in The Last Best Summer (Spring 2010). I've mined a lot of things from my own life. I always recommend fictionalizing events drawn from our own lives because getting in touch with what we remember and know really deepens what we're writing, gives it an authenticity that's harder to create when a story is entirely made up. Or so I think. "Sheep", for example, is based on having a homeless Border collie for three weeks, "Sonny's War" came out of having a brother who went to Vietnam, and my first novel, "How Far Would You Have Gotten If I Hadn't Called You Back" is pretty much a rip off of my 16th year.
As some of you might know from my past blogs about migraines, I suffer from these deplorable, head-hammering demons. Last week was a bad one (will the spring winds EVER go away?), as I spent most of my daylight hours sacked out on the couch (seriously, I fear I've actually lost brain cells from watching so much daytime TV).