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Hollins To Launch M.F.A. In Children's Literature

Roanoke, Va. - Hollins University, one of the first schools in the country to offer a program devoted exclusively to the study and writing of children's literature, will begin offering a master of fine arts (M.F.A.) degree in the genre in the summer of 2005. Graduate students will now have the option of pursuing an M.F.A. or a master of arts (M.A.) degree in writing for children over a period of three to five summers.

Forty-eight credits are required for the M.F.A. degree (as compared to 40 credits for the M.A. degree), made up of ten four-credit courses and a thesis, which will consist of a book-length original work in poetry, fiction or drama for children. Students must also pass a comprehensive final examination.

The concurrent programs are closely associated with Hollins' nationally-recognized creative writing program, with faculty made up of Hollins writers and professors as well as other leading scholars from the field of children's literature.

The study of children's literature as a scholarly experience was initiated at Hollins in 1973 by the major American poet and children's poet William Jay Smith. The graduate degree in children's literature began in the summer of 1992.

Possibly the most widely known and read alumna of Hollins is Margaret Wise Brown, a 1932 graduate, among whose many books for children are the classics Goodnight Moon and The Runaway Bunny. Among the many other Hollins students who have written for children are Hillary Homzie, A. LaFaye, Lee Robinson, Karen Adams Sulkin, and Willie Wilson.

Hollins is an independent liberal arts university offering undergraduate education for women, selected graduate programs for men and women, and community outreach initiatives. In addition to children's literature, Hollins will begin offering M.F.A. degrees in dance and screenwriting next year.

The Looking Glass

The Looking Glass invites submissions to all columns and sections for the following special issues:
 
Japanese Children's Literature and Culture
Deadline for submissions: 1 October 2005
Publication date: April 2006
Critical, theoretical, and informative articles are welcome on any aspect of Japanese children's literature and culture. Some topics might include the history of children's literature and writing for children in Japan, genre surveys, analyses of modern and contemporary Japanese children's literature, technology and Japanese children's literature, manga and anime, World War II in Japanese children's literature, Japanese children's literature in translation into English and other languages, imported children's literature translated into Japanese, teaching children's literature in Japan, children's literature publishing in Japan, and various aspects of Japanese children's culture. Please see Contribute! for submission guidelines and editorial policies.

The Looking Glass also invites scholarly submissions for the following special topic to be highlighted in Alice's Academy, its scholarly refereed section:

Magic Realism in Children's Literature
Submission deadline: 1 September 2005
Publication date: January 2006
Articles are welcome on any critical or theoretical aspect of magic realism in children's literature. Please see Contribute! for submission guidelines and editorial policies.