Eliot Schrefer is a New York Times-bestselling author, has twice been a finalist for the National Book Award for Young People's Literature, received the Stonewall Honor for best LGBTQIA+ teen book, and received the Printz Honor Award for Best Young Adult book from the ALA. In naming him an Editor’s Choice, the New York Times has called his work “dazzling… big-hearted.” His science writing has appeared in Discover, Sierra, USAToday, Nautilus, and The Washington Post Magazine. He has an M.A. in Animal Studies from NYU and lives with his husband in New York City.
| How did you come to teach at Hamline MFAC? I’d gotten so much out of various conferences and workshops I’d been to, and I kept putting it out into the universe that I’d love to teach somewhere. Lo and behold, Coe Booth and Emily Jenkins (who was then on faculty) approached me about joining after my name came up at a faculty meeting. I was thrilled. |
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| What’s your favorite part of residency? I love workshop—especially finding ways, as a facilitator, to make sure that all students’ voices are heard equally. Since we meet for five days in a row, for two hours a day, we get a chance to really get to know one another. It feels a bit like a family by the end. Bonus: getting to learn from my co-leaders, like Elana K. Arnold, Meg Medina, and Sherri Smith. |
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| How would you describe your faculty advising style? I think I have a very editorial style of teaching, by which I mean I stay focused on the manuscript, using the specific pages the student has created as our source material, rather than branching out into other self-contained lessons. My goal is to see the student where they are, to communicate back to them what’s coming through in the manuscript, and help them better communicate the elements they wish were coming through stronger. I also give my feedback as an audio file instead of a letter, which I feel is a much warmer way to receive notes. |
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| What’s your favorite book to recommend to MFAC students? E.M. Forster’s Aspects of the Novel! It’s an oldie but a goodie, and I just love his treatment of round versus flat characters. |
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We asked you to send a photo that represents a favorite Hamline memory. What's happening in your photo? I co-taught a workshop with Meg Medina, and one student, Nancy Kolb, was knitting all the while. I assumed that she was just doing that to stay grounded and present, but it turned out at the end that she was knitting an outfit for Jericho, our workshop chimp! (I bring a stuffed animal to workshop each time, to sit with whoever is having their pages discussed so they will have some extra emotional support.) Brandy Colbert thought Jericho looked so good with his new scarf and hat that she spirited him back to LA to live with her. I will never forgive you, Brandy!!! |
Young adult
The Darkness Outside Us
Katherine Tegen Books, 2021
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Stonewall Honor Award Winner
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Chicago Public Library's Best of the Best Books of the Year
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A Booklist Editor's Choice of the Year
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A BCCB Blue Ribbon Book of the Year
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YALSA's 2022 Best Fiction for Young Adults +
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2022 Amazing Audiobooks for Young Adults
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Other young adult
Middle grade
Endangered
Scholastic Press, 2012
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Finalist for the National Book Award in Young People’s Literature, 2012
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NPR “Best Books 2012: 5 Young Adult Novels That You'll Never Outgrow”
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ALA Best Fiction for Young Adults, 2013
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Finalist for the Cybils award for young adult literature
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American Library Association’s Amelia Bloomer List Selection 2013
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recognizing best feminist books for young readers
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Chicago Public Library’s “Best of the Best” 2012