Imagine a book that’s full of magic, set in a world with its own rules and physics and monsters. Think of yourself turning to the first page, tumbling headfirst into the story, losing track of all time…until something interrupts your attention. You come up for air, and it’s almost dizzying to remember that these characters you love, this world that you ache to touch—they exist only within those pages. The sorcery of that reading experience is what this course is about. We’ll look at how writers breathe life into impossible things, how they push and pull at our expectations, how they nudge us up to the peak of the rollercoaster so sneakily that we don’t even realize we’ve suspended our disbelief by the time we’re falling and flying. We’ll look at different styles and subgenres of fantasy, mostly ranging from young adult to new adult age categories, possibly with an upper middle grade or two thrown in. Our aim will be to read not as audience members, but instead as mechanics looking under the hood so that we can reverse engineer the way that these stories are assembled. Assignments will include short written responses and a final presentation. The reading list for this class will be determined after the first day of class, so that the semester can be geared towards the interests of the students.

Author Gary Schmidt once said that what ties the variety of writers of young people’s literature together is that “we’ve all chosen to do our best work for children.” Writing for young people, whether they be in pre-K or high school, is playful and serious work. Picture, chapter, middle grade, and YA books tackle subjects as humorous as interrupting chickens and as challenging as death, divorce, social justice. Seasoned children’s book authors know that young people are curious, resourceful, and wildly imaginative beings who deserve authentic stories which will give them room to laugh, cry, explore fear and make meaning of the world. By exploring picture books, middle grade novels, and peeking into the YA world, writers will gain understanding of the various forms, create a language of craft, and gain effective tools and techniques that will engage and provoke spirited young readers of any age (even groan-ups). Who This Course Is For: When asked for her qualifications for being an editor and publisher of books for children, the famed Ursula Nordstrom (whom discovered Maurice Sendak among other beloved authors) stated, “I am a former child.” So, while this class is designed for the Writing for Children/YA MFA writers, it is also for all former children who want to explore and develop the craft of writing for current and future young people. Content/Expectations: We will focus on reading and unpacking contemporary and classic fictional picture books and middle grade novels with a glimpse of YA novels put out by major American publishers. Additional reading may include articles, craft texts. Participants in the course will be expected to complete weekly reading, write 1–3 page reading responses and/or creative exercises, and actively participate in discussions. In addition, they may be asked to work on ongoing projects, prepare a final written and/or oral assignment. Note that for part of the semester, students will be expected to spend an hour or more each week in a library or bookstore. A full list of books and potential guests will be available to students in advance or at the first class. “This is too magnificent and powerful a story for anyone to worry over whether it will scare some timid adults.” - Ursula Nordstrom, editor and publisher of Harpers children’s book department 1940-73. "