Well, ahem, it’s been a while. I don’t know about you, but 2021 sped by for me. But I am here now with some updates! I’ve been busy the last few days updating this website with new resources and opportunities. You can browse the pages, but I’ll also summarize the new things here. Starting with the most exciting… Books The book page has been updated to reflect the latest award nominations (including The Invisibly Boy‘s inclusion on theJames Reckitt Hull Children’s Book Award KS3 Shortlist 2021!) and two new international covers for The Eleventh Trade. I absolutely adore the Turkish design, and...
It’s the fifth and final round of my Q&A session about Bath Spa University’s Master of Arts in Writing for Young People. This section is all about the international student angle. Though I’m approaching it as an American, it should be basically applicable to my Aussie and Indian and Canadian and [insert origin of choice] friends looking into the course. You can see the rest of the series under the Q&A tag! As always, feel free to reach out with more questions by contacting me at: alyssamhollingsworth [at] gmail [dot] com A thousand disclaimers: I only have my experience of the Writing...
It’s round four of my Q&A session about Bath Spa University’s Master of Arts in Writing for Young People. This section is about the professional and personal development I underwent during the course. You can see more posts in the series under the Q&A tag! As always, feel free to reach out with more questions by contacting me at: alyssamhollingsworth [at] gmail [dot] com A thousand disclaimers: I only have my experience of the Writing for Young People course to draw from (class of 2014). I’m not a member of staff and can never hope to be as informed as the infallible Julia Green....
It’s round three of my Q&A session about Bath Spa University’s Master of Arts in Writing for Young People. This section is about the instruction and environment in the classroom, and what to expect during the final third term of the course. Enjoy! You can see more posts in the series under the Q&A tag! As always, feel free to reach out with more questions by contacting me at: alyssamhollingsworth [at] gmail [dot] com A thousand disclaimers: I only have my experience of the Writing for Young People course to draw from (class of 2014). I’m not a member of staff and...
It’s round two of my Q&A session about Bath Spa University’s Master of Arts in Writing for Young People. This section is about the classes (or, in British-speak, “modules”) and what to expect during the first two terms of the course. Enjoy! You can see more posts in the series under the Q&A tag! As always, you can reach out with more questions by contacting me at: alyssamhollingsworth [at] gmail [dot] com A thousand disclaimers: I only have my experience of the Writing for Young People course to draw from (class of 2014). I’m not a member of staff and can never hope...
It’s a well-documented fact that I love the Master of Arts in Writing for Young People program at Bath Spa University (geez, that’s a mouthful). Since posting my 5 Questions to Ask Before You Get a Master’s in Creative Writing entry, I’ve had a steady stream of perspective students reach out with questions about the course. I love chatting with these guys and I’m always excited to get a new email! A few particularly inquisitive students graciously gave me permission to share part of our exchange in a sort of Q&A for other perspective students out there. It got quite intense, so I’ve broken...
Back in 2014, I finished my MA in Writing for Young People. Workshops were a vital part of the coursework, my love for them grew exponentially. We officially stopped workshopping for class in May of that year. But unofficially? We never actually stopped. Sure, people pop in and out of the group as schedules change, and we’ve added another writer in the meantime. But a year and a half after our workshops “ended,” most of us meet every other week to critique each other’s pieces, even though we’re now split across three different time zones. How do we do it?...
Among other things, my family has given me the Hoarder Gene. Thus whenever I am traveling, I collect scraps (tickets, maps, miscellany) to store away forever. After I studied abroad in 2012, I wound up with a whole box of various bits and pieces, and little idea what to do with them. In spring of 2014, as I neared the last six months of my time in Bath, England, I happened upon a charming photo album on sale at Paperchase. In retrospect, I think it’s actually meant to be a wedding album, but at the time I had two thoughts:...
About a month ago, I had an email from my course leader for the MA Writing for Young People, Julia Green. She told me that I had been selected as valedictorian, and asked if I would be able to make it back across the Pond for graduation. I had composed a very gracious reply that basically said I couldn’t possibly afford it, but before I hit send I walked downstairs to tell my mom, figuring she would probably be pretty excited. Our conversation: Me: I had an email from Julia Green. Mom: [on phone texting] Mhm. Me: She said I’m...
Last July, I volunteered to co-edit the Bath Spa University MA Writing for Young People anthology with Irulan Horner. I don’t think either of us realized quite how much work we’d be doing, though we were warned. Over the last ten/eleven months, I’ve worked from afar extensively with our mail-out team, developed a website and social media strategy with Lindsay Schiro, and edited, edited, edited the little book that became Beautiful Lies. (Also, I’m going to humbly approach the #bragtable and mention that the title was my idea – based on a David Almond quote – and I am very...
