Summer Young Writers’ Workshop

June 24-28, 2019

In addition to our week-long workshops with National Writing Project Teacher Consultants for writers in grades 4-8 and 9-12, we are pleased to announce the Guest Authors* for this summer:

Leslie Connor is the author of middle grade books, ALL RISE FOR THE HONORABLE PERRY T. COOK, CRUNCH, and WAITING FOR NORMAL, and books for teens, THE THINGS YOU KISS GOODBYE and DEAD ON TOWN LINE, as well as the picture book, MISS BRIDIE CHOSE A SHOVEL.

Connor will be visiting us on Tuesday. Attendees will receive a copy of The Truth as Told by Mason Buttle.

Aisha Saeed is a New York Times bestselling author. She wrote WRITTEN IN THE STARS (Penguin/Nancy Paulsen Books, 2015) which was listed as a best book of 2015 by Bank Street Books and a 2016 YALSA Quick Pick For Reluctant Readers. She is also the author of the middle grade novel AMAL UNBOUND (Penguin/Nancy Paulsen Books, 2018) a Summer 2018 Indie Next Pick, An Amazon Best Book of the Month, has received starred reviews from Publisher’s Weekly and Kirkus and is a Global Read Aloud for 2018. She also has a forthcoming picture book BILAL COOKS DAAL (Simon & Schuster/Salaam Reads, 2019). Aisha is also a founding member of the nonprofit We Need Diverse Books™. She has been featured on MTV, the Huffington Post, NBC, and the BBC, and her writings have appeared in publications including the journal ALAN and the Orlando Sentinel.

Saeed will be with us on Wednesday. Book selection to be determined.

Dashka Slater is an author, storyteller, and journalist. She is the author of nine books for children and adults, including the acclaimed 2017 releases The Antlered Ship, Escargot and The 57 Bus. Her book Dangerously Ever After is currently being made into an animated film by Fantasiation Studios. A recipient of a Creative Writing Fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts, Slater is also an award-winning journalist whose articles have appeared in such publications as Newsweek, Salon, The New York Times Magazine and Mother Jones.

Slater will visit us on Thursday. Writers in grades 4-7 will receive a copy of The Antlered Ship and writers in grades 8-12 will receive The 57 Bus.

Adam Gidwitz is the bestselling author of A TALE DARK AND GRIMM, IN A GLASS GRIMMLY, and THE GRIMM CONCLUSION, as well as THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK: SO YOU WANT TO BE A JEDI?, Newbery Honored novel, THE INQUISITOR’S TALE, and brand new series, THE UNICORN RESCUE SOCIETY. He is also the creator of the podcast, GRIMM, GRIMMER, GRIMMEST—available on Apple Podcasts!

Gidwitz will visit us on Friday. Writers in grades 4-7 will receive A Tale Dark and Grimm and writers in grades 8-12 will receive a copy of the Newbery Honored novel The Inquisitor’s Tale.

*Authors are tentative. Therefore, names may be subtracted or added without notice. A huge thank you to Shenandoah University’s Children’s Literature Conference for making the Guest Authors possible! Another huge thank you to the Claude Moore Charitable Foundation for providing funding for scholarships to students with financial need.