- Emphatically, Erin
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Bummer Summer
Welcome to summer 2024!
I don’t know what it is about this summer, but it’s making me nostalgic. I was recently thinking about summers past and how much things have changed. In summer 2004, I had just graduated from college and was preparing for law school. I was interning in the general counsel’s office at a chemical company in Indianapolis, listening to the Beatles obsessively (still do), and planning my move to Cleveland with the best roommate ever (just texted with her today!).
This is from Summer 2001 which has nothing to do with anything I’ve just written about, but it’s the only summertime photo I have from that era, so there you have it.
The best of my summers were yet to come, but thinking back on it, I felt like I was on the verge of something big. Summer has always felt like a season of transition to me. I never liked summer growing up. It was too hot, too lonely, too boring. (But I could’ve told you the price of Comet within ten cents without going over.) But boredom breeds creativity, and necessity is the mother of invention. Maybe that’s why most of my early memories of writing come from the summer months?
Do you feel more creative in the summer? Or is your summer magical/a bummer too?
MY NEMESIS
This summer already feels like it’s gotten away from me and it’s barely even begun! There are pros and cons to carefully planning out your summer. For example, I have a deadline July 1, and then I’ll have another at the end of the summer. Everything else fits in around that, including editorial work, social media planning, continuing education, etc. And in order to make that happen, my kiddos are scheduled for camps throughout the summer. It’s a well-oiled machine, but it works for a reason.
Except for when you get a puppy.
“Waffle Waffle Man, I’ve got to be a Waffle Man…”
Meet Waffle. He’s cute and he knows it. He chews on everything, has zero respect for deadlines, and has learned how to climb over a safety gate. He is my new nemesis. And he is the reason this newsletter is a week late.
WRITER WORKSHOPS
This may not be the time of year when most people think about planning for writing workshops. But I’ve been taking the most wonderful seminar with Tin House, and it’s made me hungry for more. In my research I’ve been craving a list of workshops, classes, and seminars, especially for writers of Young Adult and Kidlit. So I thought I’d share the wealth this month.
Note: This is not an endorsement of any of the following workshops/retreats/classes. I have not been compensated for including any of them on my list.
This annual in-person retreat for MG and YA writers has been running since 2014. Less than 30 authors gather in the Bay area with 4 industry professionals for 4 days of critique, workshops, and camaraderie. Admission is application based. (I have attended this twice in person, and twice during Covid, and have met the most wonderful humans and critique partners.)
Put on by Andrea Brown Literary Agency, this in-person event is held bi-annually, once on the west coast and once on the east coast. Admission is application based. (I attended in 2019 and received invaluable feedback that propelled me on my journey.)
Tin House Workshops and Seminars
Tin House is based in Portland and hosts an annual week-long workshop. They used to offer a shorter YA workshop (which I attended in 2022) and I hope it will return. They offer shorter online seminars and one day virtual classes throughout the year, taught by an enviable faculty roster. Admission is application based and competitive.
While I have attended a retreat at their beautiful property in Boyd Mills, PA, I haven’t taken a class through Highlights yet. But I’ve heard such incredible things that I’m planning to register for one this summer. Their online offerings for KidLit writers are dense and change seasonally, always taught by an impressive faculty. Registration is open to all kidlit writers.
I haven’t taken a class through Literary Arts, but their seasonal catalogue is impressive and leans literary as the name might suggest. Their offerings span the gamete from poetry to screenwriting.
Based in Seattle, Hugo House offers both online and in person classes that lean literary as well. I haven’t taken a class with them yet, but have heard wonderful things, particularly about their poetry offerings.
The very first workshop I ever participated in was at The Attic, so it holds a special place in my heart. Check out their Atheneum program which bills itself as a MFA without the high expense.
I attended this wonderful retreat in 2022 and it felt like I had gone back to college, in the best way possible. With a combination of critique, workshopping, and readings, there is plenty of time for heads down writing time. The most decadent part was that I was given two dorm rooms on their campus: one for sleeping, and one as a dedicated writing studio. (the location has now shifted) Admission is open to VCFA graduates or writers with an advanced degree.
Non-workshop but worth mentioning:
Is there anything I’ve left off? If you’ve attended something truly wonderful, let me know!
BACKLIST BOOK CLUB
As it turns out, I read a lot of middle grade. When you have a 9 year old and an 11 year old, that happens. But I don’t often read middle grade just for myself. But when Nova Ren Suma recommends a book, you just read it.
RULES FOR STEALING STARS by Corey Ann Haydu took my breath away. It’s a sister story about four girls living in a summer house with magical closets. When their mom has to go Away because she’s not well (TW: alcoholism, depression) the girls find solace by exploring the impossible closets of the house. But sometimes an escape can prove too intoxicating, and the girls must decide whether to choose life in the fantasy or reality.
I wish I could re-read this book again for the first time. But since I can’t, I’ll just give it 5/5 perfect glowy stars.
That’s it for now! I’ll be back next month with updates on my own projects! Until then…
