Reading & Writing on the Wild Side: Upcoming Online Class

This fall, I'll be co-teaching a new online course with my VCFA colleague, former advisor, and dear friend Mary Quattlebaum! See all the details below. Contact me at evan@evangriffithbooks.com with questions or to register.

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Reading & Writing on the Wild Side: Exploring Animal Representation in Children's Literature

Are you trying to craft animal characters and depict the natural world with greater awareness in your writing? What are the philosophical and practical considerations of this in children’s literature? Are you curious about recent scientific and scholarly research and their possible (and exciting) implications for your portrayal of animals and the environment in fiction and nonfiction?   

We will explore these and similar questions in this lively, interactive seminar led by two instructors whose books often feature animals and the natural world. Each biweekly session revolves around discussion of a specific text(s) and related writing exercises where you can generate new ideas or develop your works-in-progress. While we will not workshop our stories, there will be time for sharing, reflection, and discussion after the generative writing exercises. We will consider a range of genres/age categories, with participants receiving a short book list in advance of the seminar. 

By the end of the course, you will have deepened your understanding of these ever-evolving issues and honed your ability to create animal characters that leap, swim, and soar off the page and into young readers’ hearts.

Evan Griffith is the author of the middle-grade novels Manatee Summer and The Strange Wonders of Roots and the picture book biographies Secrets of the Sea: The Story of Jeanne Power, Revolutionary Marine Scientist and Wild at Heart: The Story of Olaus and Mardy Murie, Defenders of Nature.  His books have received the Green Earth Book Award and the Sigurd F. Olson Nature Writing Award, among other honors.  Forthcoming picture books include Flight of the Bats (about urban bat colonies) and What a Strange Creature! (about octopuses).  Evan received his MFA in Writing for Children and Young Adults at the Vermont College of Fine Arts, where he now serves as faculty.  He also worked for several years as an editor at Workman Publishing, where he specialized in children’s nonfiction.  He lives in Austin, Texas, with a mischievous tuxedo cat.

Mary Quattlebaum is the author of thirty picture books, books of poetry and nonfiction, early readers, chapter books, and novels, most of which feature animals and the natural world.  Recent titles include Hero Dogs, Hedgehogs, Mighty Mole and Super Soil, and the Jo MacDonald Nature series.  Mary’s books have received the Delacorte Prize for First Middle-Grade Novel, Parenting Reading Magic Award, SIBA Best Picture Book, Bank Street Best Book, NAPPA Gold, and been included on many ALA and state children’s choice lists.  She teaches in the MFA program in Writing for Children and Young Adults at the Vermont College of Fine Arts; works as a freelance writer, editor, and writing coach; and presents frequently at schools and conferences.  Mary lives in Washington, DC, where she, her family, and dog enjoy watching the wild visitors to their urban backyard habitat.

Dates: Offered through Zoom on Tuesdays, Oct. 21, Nov. 4, Nov. 18, and Dec. 2, 7:30 to 9 p.m. ET / 6:30 to 8 p.m. CT.  

Fee: $275

To register: Contact Evan at evan@evangriffithbooks.com