Children’s Literature and Children’s Book Illustration
Summer 2023: June 19 – July 28
The first degree program of its kind in the world, Hollins’ well-respected program offers multiple options in the study, writing, and illustration of literature for children. Books such as Goodnight Moon by Hollins alumna Margaret Wise Brown start us on our path in life, and the books that children are reading now will shape our future world.
Our newest degree offering, Children’s Book Writing and Illustrating, is a unique program bringing together the best of both disciplines. All programs share courses and top-notch faculty and writers-in-residence so that students in each degree path learn from and work with each other in a collaborative, supportive environment.
Children’s Literature M.F.A. and Children’s Book Writing and Illustrating graduate program candidates talk about why, as one student explains, “It’s like no other environment I’ve ever been in.”
Programs Offered
Master of Arts in Children's Literature
M.A. in the scholarly study of the history and criticism of children’s literature, with the option to take some coursework in creative endeavors. 40 credits. More info >
Children’s Literature M.F.A.
M.F.A in writing for children and adolescents, with a grounding in the scholarship of children’s literature. 48 credits. More info >
Master of Fine Arts in Children's Book Writing & Illustrating
M.F.A. in writing and illustrating books for children and teens, including picture books, chapter books, illustrated novels, and graphic novels. 60 credits. More info >
Certificate in Children's Book Illustration
Certificate program in the illustration of books for children and adolescents. 24 credits. The certificate courses may be applied to the M.F.A. in Children’s Book Writing and Illustrating. More info >
Non-Degree Offerings
We welcome students not in pursuit of a degree, but of a greater understanding of the significance of children’s literature to the growth of the individual. Almost all courses in scholarly study and creative work are open to applicants wishing to take a few individual courses. More info >
SCBWI Membership
Membership in the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators serves you throughout your creative journey. Whether you’re new to the publishing business or a seasoned pro, SCBWI provides valuable member benefits and especially the community you want along your career path. Join today!
Already a member? Contact us at hugrad@hollins.edu regarding program application benefits. (Proof of membership will be required.)
New Financial Assistance Opportunities
Hollins now offers several new financial assistance opportunities, including assistance particularly for teachers and librarians.
Writer-in-Residence, Scholar-in-Residence and Visiting Illustrators
These visitors conduct workshops each summer, and meet individually with students. In addition, you’ll meet many other visiting scholars, writers and artists every summer. More about them and recent guest lecturers
The Margaret Wise Brown Prize
In 2016 Hollins inaugurated the first Margaret Wise Brown Prize for a picture book text, honoring Brown, a Hollins alumna from the class of 1932. The prize carries a $1,000 award and a bronze medal with an image of Brown on the front and the winner’s name and winning book title on the back. The 2022 winner was Muon Thi Van, for Wishes, illustrated by Victo Ngai and published by Orchard Books. There was one Honor Book named: The Longest Letsgoboy, written by debut author Derick Wilder, illustrated by Cátia Chen, and published by Chronicle Books.
Children’s Literature Journal
Children’s Literature is the annual journal of the Modern Language Association Division on Children’s Literature and of the Children’s Literature Association. It was founded in 1972 by the late Francelia Butler and is now edited at Hollins by Lisa Rowe Fraustino, with R.H.W. Dillard serving as editor-in-chief. Students in the Hollins M.A. program in children’s literature have the opportunity to apply for a summer internship with the journal. Visit the Children’s Literature Association website.
Our Faculty
Our faculty don’t just teach — they do. They are all working writers and artists or scholars active in the field, and sometimes all three. They will teach you to find your own voice, your style, your medium, your passion. In addition you’ll meet visiting scholars, writers and artists every summer.
News
Hollins University’s graduate programs in children’s literature and children’s book illustration are applauding what director Lisa Fraustino called “a true bounty of books published this year by our faculty and program graduates.”
Current M.F.A. in children’s literature student Maleeha Malik is a recipient of the 2022 New Voices Award given by Lee & Low Books. Her winning picture book manuscript, At Home in My Skin, is about a child with vitiligo and was written in a summer 2021 class. The award comes with a $2,000 cash prize and publication.
In fall 2021, prolific M.A. alumna and faculty author Candice Ransom published a new picture book biography about another Hollins alumna, Only Margaret: A Story about Margaret Wise Brown, illustrated by Nan Lawson (Eerdman’s Press).
Alumna Rebekah Lowell began her debut book, The Road to After, at Hollins in 2016 as a student in our M.F.A. in children’s book writing and illustrating. Published in May 2022 by Nancy Paulsen Books, this illustrated novel in verse follows a girl who discovers the healing power of nature after escaping domestic abuse.
M.A. in children’s literature alumna Jen McConnel has a new book out in May 2022, Styling Your Writing: Mixing and Matching Academic Writing Techniques to Create Something Uniquely You, with the prestigious academic press Routledge. McConnel is an assistant professor of English education at Longwood University.
Following on the heels of her #1 Amazon bestselling debut novel After the Ink Dries, M.F.A. in children’s literature alumna Cassie Gustafson has a second book coming. Simon & Schuster is scheduled to publish The Secrets We Keep in fall 2022.
Meet the Director
Lisa Rowe Fraustino, director of the graduate programs in children’s literature; Ph.D., Binghamton University.
Both an author and scholar, Fraustino has won the Article Award of the Children’s Literature Association for her essay, “The Rights and Wrongs of Anthropomorphis in Children’s Literture,” as well as the Edited Book Award (with Karen Coats) for Mothers in Children’s Literature. Her middle-grade novel, The Hole in the Wall, won the Milkweed Prize for Children’s Literature. She is past president of the Children’s Literature Association, and is also the author of I Walk in Dread: The Diary of Deliverance Trembley, Witness to the Salem Witch Trials; The Hickory Chair; and Ash. http://lisarowefraustino.com/
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