Hollins University’s graduate programs in children’s literature are renowned for their emphasis on the study, writing, and illustrating of work in the field. We also offer one-week intensive workshops for teachers and librarians, aspiring authors and illustrators, and alumnae/i of Hollins’ undergraduate and graduate programs. Whether you want to grow your skills as a picture book creator, scholar, or curator, or would like to enhance your skills to write for children, these workshops offer practical guidance through the expertise of published experts.
Picture Book Trends: A Curated Reading Workshop
June 3 – 7, 2024
Are you a parent, teacher, or librarian overwhelmed by the prospect of picking out the best new picture books for your young readers? Are you a creator who needs to stay on top of today’s picture book marketplace? If so, let this expert guide you on a curated reading journey.
Over the course of five days, Dr. e, will guide you through the picture book submissions for the annual Margaret Wise Brown Prize, identifying current themes and trends, and pointing out the written and visual tricks that make them popular, successful, and beloved. By the end of the week, you will have a solid grasp of the current picture book landscape to better prepare you to recommend books to others or create them yourself.
Instructor: Elizabeth “e” Dulemba, Ph.D, Director, Graduate Programs in Children’s Literature and Illustration at Hollins
“Dr. e” is an award-winning illustrator, author, teacher, blogger, and speaker (including TED). Readers can enjoy her three-dozen books, including the illustrated novel, A Bird on Water Street, or her recent picture books as illustrator, written by New York Times Best-selling author Jane Yolen. She spent six years as illustrator coordinator for the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators southeast region and as a board member for the Georgia Center for the Book. She received an M.F.A. in illustration and a Ph.D. in children’s literature from the Universities of Edinburgh and Glasgow in Scotland. Following that, she was associate professor of illustration at Winthrop University, before moving to Hollins to be the director of graduate programs in children’s literature and illustration and help launch exciting endeavors. Learn more at www.dulemba.com and subscribe to her newsletter.
Workshop runs Monday 1 – 5 pm; T/W/TH 9 am – noon and 2 – 5 pm; Friday 9 am – noon.
Writing Intensive: The Path to Publication
July 8-12, 2024
You’ve spent months (or, very likely, years!) writing and editing your novel, workshopping and rereading and editing again, and you are ready to seek out traditional publication. What’s next? This workshop will cover all the steps you need to take your work from manuscript to book: crafting a query letter, learning what comp titles are (and how to find yours), researching which agents to query, writing a synopsis, making sure your first page shines, learning about the market, seeing what your agent relationship might look like, and working on your platform (and knowing if you need one at all).
This intensive is a 20-hour advanced tutorial intended for authors of novel-length works (chapter books, middle grade, and young adult) who have completed or nearly-completed manuscripts and are preparing to seek traditional publication. The goal of the intensive is for you to finish the week with a polished query package and an understanding of how to seek out and approach the right agent for your work.
Instructor: Erin Clyburn, literary agent with Howland Literary
Clyburn is a literary agent with Howland Literary. Prior to joining Howland Literary, she was an associate agent with The Jennifer De Chiara Literary Agency. She was the general manager and director of collection development for Turtleback Books, a distributor of books to the school and library market, and she has over a decade of experience in magazine publishing, having worked for brands including Food & Wine, Cooking Light, People, and Entertainment Weekly. She received her B.A. in English literature from Mississippi State University and her M.A. in children’s literature from Hollins. She lives in Birmingham, Alabama, with her partner, Michael, and three unruly rabbits.
Erin represents middle grade fiction, YA fiction, and adult fiction and nonfiction. In MG and YA, she is looking for horror, mystery, thriller, big-hearted contemporary, and grounded stories with magical or speculative elements. In adult fiction, she is most interested in upmarket and literary fiction, and she gravitates toward the dark and strange: horror, thriller, mystery, and grounded stories with speculative or magical elements. In a nutshell: She loves weird books. In nonfiction, she’s interested in intersectional perspectives and is looking for narrative nonfiction and deep dives into topics including pop science, nature, food and culinary history, and sports and adventure. An Alabamian with Louisiana roots, Erin is particularly interested in Southern literary and upmarket fiction from diverse voices in the above genres.
Find Erin online at howlandliterary.com and on Twitter @erin_clyburn
Workshop runs Monday 1 – 5 pm; T/W/TH 9 am – noon and 2 – 5 pm; Friday 9 am – noon.
Character Design for Children’s Books
June 24 – 28, 2024
What makes a winning children’s book character? In this week-long intensive course, students will develop two children’s book characters, pairing humans, animals, inanimate objects, mythical or imaginary friends/creatures in a creative combination. We’ll study books with great characters and character interaction, both human and non-human. Lectures will cover methods of both realistic and stylized character construction, thinking about gesture, shape, proportion, expression, and basic principles of composition. Students will develop a dynamic interactive scene between their two characters, followed by a finished illustration in their medium of choice.
Included with the workshop is a “Lunch and Learn” talk on Wednesday, June 26, titled “Inventing Characters.” Ruth will give a PowerPoint talk and discuss the challenges of creating simple characters in a new style for her new board book series.
Instructor: Ruth Sanderson, educator and award-winning illustrator
Ruth Sanderson designed the Certificate in Children’s Book Illustration at Hollins and cofounded the M.F.A. in children’s book writing and illustration. She has illustrated over 90 children’s books over her long career, including a number of award-winning fairy tales. Her most recent picture book is a biography: A Storm of Horses: The Story of Rosa Bonheur, which received starred reviews from Booklist and School Library Journal. Ruth lives in Massachusetts, and her website is www.ruthsanderson.com.
Workshop description: What makes a winning children’s book character? In this week-long intensive course, students will develop two children’s book characters, pairing humans, animals, inanimate objects, mythical or imaginary friends/creatures in a creative combination. We’ll study books with great characters and character interaction, both human and non-human. Lectures will cover methods of both realistic and stylized character construction, thinking about gesture, shape, proportion, expression, and basic principles of composition. Students will develop a dynamic interactive scene between their two characters, followed by a finished illustration in their medium of choice.
Workshop runs Monday 1 – 5 pm; T/W/TH 9 am – noon and 2 – 5 pm; Friday 9 am – noon.
Picture Book Tips from Behind the Editor’s Desk
July 15-17, 2024
Class runs Monday-Tuesday, 9 am-5 pm with a two-hour lunch break, and Wednesday, with one-on-one critiques from 9 am-noon, followed by a program talk at 1 pm: “Not Sticking to the Rules”
Monday and Tuesday experience an interactive workshop covering the basics of children’s book creation, best practices, hooks, rhyming, humor, and rule-breaking with writing exercises and feedback from Frances and fellow students, along with a behind the scenes description about how acquisitions meetings work and the process from submission to publication, all from an industry insider.
Put what you’ve learned to work on Wednesday morning with one-on-one critiques followed by a program talk open to all Hollins students at 1 pm on “Not Sticking to the Rules.”
Instructor: Frances Gilbert, VP, Editor-in-Chief of Doubleday Books for Young Readers
Frances Gilbert started her career in children’s books when she was still a child, working in the children’s department of her town library throughout high school. After graduating from university with an M.A. in English, Frances’ first job in publishing was as a book club editor at Scholastic Canada in Toronto. She moved to New York in 2000 to set up a children’s editorial division at Sterling Publishing, where she stayed until 2012. Frances then moved to Random House Children’s Books, where she is VP, editor-in-chief of Doubleday Books for Young Readers. Titles she has acquired and edited include the New York Times bestseller The Purloining of Prince Oleomargarine by Mark Twain, Philip Stead, and Erin Stead; I Don’t Want to Be a Frog by Dev Petty and Mike Boldt; the Happy Hair series by Mechal Renee Roe; Bunny’s Book Club by Annie Silvestro and Tatjana Mai-Wyss; and Wordy Birdy by Tammi Sauer and Dave Mottram.
In addition to editing children’s books, Frances also writes them: She is the author of the picture books Can You Hug a Forest?, Go, Girls, Go!, Too Much Slime!, and I Will Always Be Your Bunny and the Step Into Reading titles I Love Pink!, I Love My Tutu!, I Love My Grandma!, I Love Cake!, and I Love My Teacher!
You can follow Frances on Twitter at @GoGirlsGoBooks, where she posts about children’s writing and editing.
(Photo of Frances Gilbert by Alix Mullins, Children’s Book Writing and Illustrating M.F.A. candidate.)
Header artwork from Merbaby’s Lullaby, written by Jane Yolen, illustrated by Elizabeth Dulemba. (Little Simon, 2019)
Details and Fees
*Recertification points are granted for all workshops.
NOTE: Registration is first come, first served. Some workshops will fill quickly — please register early and clearly note your order of preferred choices. Must be 18 or older to attend.
Registration
$1,000 for Elizabeth Dulemba, Ruth Sanderson, or Erin Clyburn workshops ($100 discount for Hollins alumnae/i)
$750 for Frances Gilbert workshop ($100 discount for Hollins alumnae/i)
Housing
Housing is available on campus or at area hotels. Campus dorm rooms are fully air-conditioned, single rooms, with shared, hall bathrooms. On campus housing is limited and available on a first-come, first-served basis.
Country Inn & Suites by Radisson offers a Hollins rate of $90-$95/night (double or king). Call 540-366-5678 and ask for the Hollins rate.
On Campus Housing Fee: $120 for all workshops
Meal Plan
Meal plan includes breakfast, lunch, and dinner served in the main dining hall. Please note, meals are available M-F only.
$130 for Elizabeth Dulemba, Ruth Sanderson, or Erin Clyburn workshops
$100 for Frances Gilbert workshop
Cancellation and Refund Policies
- All requests for refunds must be made in writing by email to hugrad@hollins.edu.
- If you cancel your registration less than 30 days before the start of your workshop, your entire workshop fee, lodging, and meal fees will be forfeited.
- No refunds will be given for those who must leave the workshop early.
- In the unlikely event that we cancel your workshop, we will refund your payment in full.