Alumni Highlights
MFA in Writing for Children and Young Adults (MFAC)
To date, Hamline MFAC alumni have together published nearly 200 books and won over 80 awards, including a Newbery Honor and two Minnesota Book Awards. Their work has been featured on several “Best of” lists, including as a Bank Street Best Children’s Book, and an NPR Favorite. Most importantly, many of our alumni are living the “writer’s life” — earning their livings through a writing practice honed in our program.
For an in-depth look at all-things-writing as told by our alumni and faculty, visit the Hamline MFAC blog, The Storyteller’s Inkpot.
When I started the program at Hamline, I knew that the faculty would be outstanding. I knew that I would be challenged to elevate my craft. I knew that I would be exposed to new and interesting ways of thinking about writing for children. What I didn't expect, however, was the wonderful sense of community that the Hamline MFAC program embodies. It's a great feeling to know that my classmates and the faculty sincerely want me to succeed. Their encouragement, wisdom, and kindness continue to sustain me, even now that I have graduated.
Featured MFAC alumni
Alicia D. Williams
MFAC '13
Winner of a Newbery Honor for her middle-grade novel, Genesis Begins Again, praised by the New York Times as “a stunning debut novel . . . reminiscent of Toni Morrison's The Bluest Eye.”
Justina Ireland
MFAC '13
New York Times bestselling author of numerous books, including the Locus-winning Dread Nation, an alternate history of the U.S. Civil War.
Tracy Nelson Maurer
MFAC '09
Author of over 100 informational books—for audiences pre-K to upper-grade—including the nonfiction picture book John Deere, That’s Who!, which was selected as both a Junior Library Guild Selection and a National Science Teaching Association STEM Book.
Elizabeth Verdick
MFAC '13
Author of over thirty books for toddlers to teens, including the Best Behavior series and Small Walt, described by Kirkus Reviews as “reminiscent of Virginia Burton’s classics.”
A few of our alumni awards and honors
Hamline’s MFAC alumni have won or been nominated for some of the most prestigious awards in children’s literature and appeared on numerous “Best of” lists. The following is a short selection of the more than 80 awards won by our graduates.
Selected awards
- Newbery Honor
- Minnesota Book Award
- Coretta Scott King - John Steptoe Award for New Talent
- Science Teachers of America STEM Award
- Scott O’Dell Award
- Locus Award
- Milkweed Prize for Literature
- Orbis Pictus Honor Book
- Robert Sitwell Honor Book
Other selected honors
- Junior Library Guild Selection
- Bank Street Best Children’s Book
- New York Times Bestseller
Contact information
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Creative Writing Programs, College of Liberal Arts
