Boston Public Library
Children's Writer-in-Residence Program

Associates of the Boston Public Library

Writer-in-Residence 2009-2010

The sixth Children's Writer-in-Residence Fellowship winner for the year 2009-2010 went to Kelly Hourihan of West Roxbury, Massachusetts who said, “I want to offer all the thanks in the world to the Associates for selecting me for the Children’s Writer-in-Residence program for this coming year. I honestly can’t express how much this means to me as I work towards shaping my career as a writer. Thank you, and thanks to everyone who was part of making the decision; I hope I’ll have the opportunity to thank some of the others personally as well.”

The Associates would like to thank all applicants for the 2009-2010 year for their efforts and interest in this position. There were many qualified applicants and it was a challenging choice.

Kelly Hourihan was born and raised in Roslindale, and she considers herself a Boston girl through and through. After attending Boston Latin School for her high school years, Kelly moved on to Harvard College, where she obtained a BA degree in English in 2004. She’s been trying to strike a balance between writing and “jobs that pay the rent” since then, and is thrilled to have this opportunity to spend the bulk of her time on her writing.

Kelly has also spent a good deal of time doing volunteer work, both as a mentor to young adults and as a certified rape crisis counselor. These experiences have informed the writing of Springbound, a contemporary young adult novel focusing on the struggles of a troubled teen in an alternative high school.

Writer-in-Residence 2008-2009

The Associates of the Boston Public Library is pleased to announce the selection of its fifth Children's Writer-in-Residence Fellowship winner for the year 2008-2009. The award goes to Sarah Hamburg of Somerville, Massachusetts. In her words, “Thank you so much! I must admit that I am overwhelmed-- and honored-- to have been selected. I am deeply grateful to the Associates for this tremendous opportunity.”

The Associates would like to thank all applicants for the 2008-2009 year for their efforts and interest in this position and to please accept apologies that each applicant can’t receive an individual note.

Sarah Hamburg was born in a farmhouse in rural Vermont, and her family moved to Boston when she was ten years old. She has been trying to balance her dual love of the city and the wilderness ever since. Sarah graduated from Hampshire College with a BA in Literature and Creative Writing, and received an MFA in Writing for Children and Young Adults from Vermont College. After completing her undergraduate degree, she spent six months hiking the Appalachian Trail, and later did volunteer work with a crew on the Long Trail in Vermont. Sarah lived for a time in Boulder, Colorado, and returned to the Boston area in 2004. She has spent the last ten years working with children.

Sarah’s book is tentatively entitled A River Outside, a middle-grade novel set in the Alaskan wilderness. The story follows Jonah, a quiet and thoughtful twelve year old whose life is closely attached to the rhythms and routines of his natural environment. When his grandparents invite him to stay in the city, Jonah must evaluate the life he has always taken for granted.

The residency at the BPL will start in September of 2008 and the Associates will welcome the winner with a reception on September 30^th (please call the office for more information). Created to provide an emerging children's writer with the financial support and privacy needed to complete one literary work within a nine-month period, the fellowship will provide Ms. Hamburg with a "room of her own" in the central Library, plus a $20,000 stipend.

"The Children's Writer-in-Residence Fellowship is cause for celebration for several reasons," noted Associates Chair Vivian Spiro. "First, it will provide an exciting new literary talent with the support and public exposure necessary for success; and second, it marks a promising new stage in the evolution of the Associates of the Boston Public Library as an organization. Through the Children's Writer-in-Residence Program, the Associates will visibly further its mission of supporting the Boston Public Library and promoting the importance of writers, books and reading in our culture." Ms. Spiro added that to the best of her knowledge, the Associates' stipend is one of the largest of its kind offered in the U.S. The fellowship is funded by an anonymous gift.

The Associates of the Boston Public Library is a community based, non-profit group dedicated to expanding the role of the Boston Public Library in the intellectual life of the city. Every year, The Associates presents a series of public programs promoting awareness of the Boston Public Library's collections and appreciation of writers, writing and books. These include Literary Lights, an annual black tie dinner honoring twelve outstanding New England authors; Literary Lights for Children, a program at which four distinguished children's authors tell Boston schoolchildren why and how they became writers; a hundred year retroactive National Book Award competition, featuring a spirited debate by three former Literary Lights; and readings, musical performances and receptions designed to enhance public awareness of the Library's holdings. The organization also oversees the David McCullough Conservation Fund, an independent fund dedicated to restoring and preserving the Library's many historic and artistic treasures.

Writer-in-Residence 2007-2008

The Children's Writer-in-Residence Fellowship winner for the year 2007-2008 is Sheryl DePaolo of Newton, Massachusetts. After graduating from The Hartford Art School with a BFA in Ceramics, Sheryl moved to Los Angeles where she worked for nearly a decade in film and television as a costumer. She returned to the East Coast and earned an MFA in Writing for Children from Simmons College. In her own words, Sheryl is “very grateful for the opportunity that the BPL has given me.” Sheryl’s proposed work is entitled “Child Star,” which will be a young adult novel about Sofia, a 14-year-old, who returns to her small Connecticut town after a brief career in a TV sitcom. Sofia must now readjust to small town life, her friends and her school after a brush with the fast-paced lifestyle of Hollywood. Through “Child Star,” Sheryl is excited about sharing some of her Hollywood experiences with a young adult audience. She presently resides in Newton, Massachusetts and is working at The Children's Bookshop in Brookline Village.

Writer-in-Residence 2006-2007

Anna Staniszewski, of Brighton, Massachusetts was the third recipient of the Associates of the Boston Public Library’s Writer-in-Residence fellowship. Born in Poland and raised in the United States, Ms. Staniszewski grew up enjoying stories in both languages. After receiving a B.F.A. in Theater from Sarah Lawrence College in Bronxville, NY, she was a Polish tutor in a first grade classroom and worked at The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art in Amherst, MA. She recently earned an M.A. in Children’s Literature as well as an M.F.A. in Writing for Children from Simmons College in Boston, MA. Her proposal was for a novel currently entitled THE LAST STORY, about a girl who resides in a closed island community separated from the rest of civilization. The novel will explore the way history can change over time and how a society that relies on an oral tradition and maintains strong taboos shapes its own story.

Writer-in-Residence 2005-2006

The winner of the Children's Writer in Residence fellowship for 2005-2006, was Jane LeGrow of Sandwich, Massachusetts , who worked at the Library from September through June.  Created to provide an emerging children's writer with the financial support and privacy needed to complete one literary work within a nine-month period, the fellowship has provided Ms. LeGrow with a "room of her own" in the central Library, plus a $20,000 stipend.

“I was very excited and pleased to have been selected by the Associates for this honor. The novel I’m working on is a work of historical fiction set in a women's craft cooperative in Dublin at the turn of the twentieth century.”

Writer-in-Residence 2004-2005

The Associates announced that Brighton resident Hannah Rodgers has been awarded the Associates’ first Children's Writer-in-Residence fellowship. Ms. Rodgers will spend October 1, 2004 through June 1, 2005 writing a novel tentatively titled Gideon and Portia, about a young girl who leaves a work camp for teenagers to follow a traveling carnival. While traveling across the United States with the carnival, the girl, Portia, and her mysterious friend Gideon meet and befriend other performers. Acquaintance with such marginalized and talented people prompts Portia to question the manner in which one society rejects those that don't conform, only to cause them to be accepted by others in similar circumstances.

Gideon and Portia was chosen in a blind evaluation process by a panel of six judges from the world of children's literature, including an award-winning author, a children's book editor, the owner of a children's bookstore and a literary historian. The judges praised Ms. Rodgers's proposal for its originality, humor and distinctive narrative voice. The author's identity was revealed only after all the judges had voted unanimously to award the fellowship to the creator of Gideon and Portia.

Ms. Rodgers's residency in the Library was formally inaugurated at a reception on September 14, 2004.

For further information about the Children's Writer-in-Residence Program, the 2004-05 recipient or about the Associates, please contact the Associates’ Office at 617.536.3886 or associates@bpl.org.

Associates of the Boston Public Library
700 Boylston Street
Boston, Massachusetts 02116
Phone: 617-536-3886
Fax: 617-536-3813
e-mail: associates@bpl.org