The Highlights Foundation began with a series of summer workshops in Chautauqua, NY, 40 years ago. The tradition continues. Our summer camps continue to be a space for writers and illustrators to work on their craft, connect with their contemporaries, and create stories that inspire.
This summer, the foundation welcomed more than 60 students and faculty in July to two summer camps (one in writing and one in illustration). Recently, four scholarship recipients reflected on their experience at Summer Camp in Writing: Create and Dream!, all finding community and inspiration to propel their craft forward.
Amy’s Story
Amy Cohen is a U.K.-based American elementary school teacher, tutor, and writer. She received the PJ Library Scholarship, and as an author working on a picture book, Amy said the experience gave her the tools she needed to refine her manuscript:
“Attending a Highlights Foundation workshop this summer was exactly what I needed: Learning from masters of the craft and learning from and connecting with a peer group were the best parts of my four-night retreat, but the time and space to write was also a tremendous gift. I completely redrafted my children’s picture book manuscript during my retreat. There is magic in the air at the Highlights Foundation.”
Summer camp workshops often provide guidance for both craft and career. Amy notes:
“I learned so much – everything from craft techniques to improve my writing further, to industry tips for finding an agent and publisher. I learned, too, the value of stepping away from my hectic ‘real life’ as a teacher and mom – that there is much beauty in giving my writing the time and space it needs to develop.”
A week spent working on craft also provided Amy with a renewed inspiration to create. “Being on campus at Highlights sparked something inside of me… I can’t wait to share my writing with children.”
Margaret’s Story
Margaret Deng is a high school teacher in the San Francisco Bay Area who teaches chemistry and marine biology. She loves grossing out her students with awful fun facts. A recipient of the Send a Teacher to Summer Camp scholarship, Margaret found a new sense of confidence in her work during the four-day camp.
“I’ve always been reluctant to share my writing with others, I think because I don’t enjoy being vulnerable and baring my soul to the world. When I applied for the scholarship, I’d never shared this story with anyone, except my high school creative writing teacher over a decade ago, and back then it was a very different story. Getting a scholarship has done wonders for my confidence and motivation. I’m so much more excited to write, and I feel like I can do anything.”
For Margaret, the workshop provided solid instruction on craft, but also revealed pathways in children’s publishing.
“Besides all the writing techniques and feedback, I learned a lot about the publishing industry and now to navigate it, which used to be quite nebulous to me. Now that I’ve met people who have published, it feels like a much more doable and tangible goal!”
What does the future hold? In addition to continuing to gross out her students with fun nematode facts, Margaret says: “This experience really inspired me to follow my dreams, and I hope to, in turn, give that spark to kids when I teach.”
Akiko’s Story
Akiko Sekihata, a recipient of the Asian and Asian American Storyteller scholarship, is a writer, illustrator, and teacher who divides her time between the United States and Japan. Currently, she teaches Japanese at Mississippi College in the U.S. and works as a writer for Japanese publishers specializing in children’s content.
For Akiko, who completed her MFA in children’s book writing and illustration at Hollins University in 2023, the workshop offer a chance to escape and find the space for deep work.
“After I graduated from Hollins University, I didn’t have a chance to be a part of the writing community. It was hard, while at home raising kids. What I need is an isolated place from all the hats I wear.”
Overall, Akiko says she found inspiration and encouragement from the “mindset and passion of fellow writers.” Plus, the author gained valuable feedback from her mentor and peer group to revise her manuscript.
Tricia’s Story
Tricia Elam Walker is a widely published author and professor, who is new to children’s book publishing. She received the Nikki Grimes Scholarship. The summer camp workshop, Tricia says, was a great chance to explore the heroes of her stories and work on her craft.
“I came away with a more profound understanding of the importance of the child protagonist being the hero of the story. This was critical information for me because that was not the case with some of my work that had been previously rejected, and I believe that may have been a reason. I also learned to sharpen my writing and get rid of unnecessary words in a picture book. Very important!”
Tricia says the scholarship was beyond meaningful, allowing her to feel more comfortable in children’s publishing.
“[The scholarship] was, first of all, encouraging to me and helped me feel seen and valued in terms of the work I am doing. I am new to children’s book writing and so it was a wonderful boost. It was also meaningful because it is the Nikki Grimes scholarship, and I am a huge fan of her work.”
Tricia has written for The Washington Post, Baltimore Sun, Essence, National Public Radio and others. Her short stories and essays have been published in several anthologies including the O. Henry Award stories, New Stories from the South, Father’s Song, Dream me Home Safely, All About Love and more. Her first novel, Breathing Room, was published by Pocket Books/Simon and Schuster.
Her first picture book, Nana Akua Goes to School, was published by Random House in 2020 and won the 2021 Ezra Jack Keats Award and the Children’s Africana Book Award. Her second picture book, Dream Street, was also published by Random House (2021), and was a New York Times 25 Best Children’s Book selection in 2021. Currently, Tricia is an Associate Professor of Creative Writing at Howard University in Washington, D.C.
