Writing for Children & Young Adults

Young readers deserve our best work. The Writing for Children and Young Adults concentration is part of The New School’s MFA Creative Writing program, founded in 1996. Students study with our prominent faculty of actively publishing authors, in a community of diverse and dynamic writers. They master their craft in the heart of New York City, where they have access to real-world experiences in the business of publishing. 

Works by our Writing for Children and Young Adults faculty and alumni authors sit on bookshelves worldwide, make best seller lists, win awards, and, most important, are loved by young readers. Our graduates influence young lives as publishing professionals, educators, and changemakers.

Honors and awards our faculty and alumni have received include National Book Awards, placement on the New York Times Best Seller list, Los Angeles Times Book Prizes, and many more. Our community advocates for young readers through organizations such as Authors Against Book Banning and We Need Diverse Books. We maintain vital partnerships with the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators, the Association of American Literary Agents, PEN America, and the Authors Guild.

Highlights

Our two-year program, designed for working writers by our faculty of working writers, shapes students’ skills while preparing them to live the writer’s life. Unique features include:

• Evening classes and events, held in person two to three times a week, allow students to write, work, and take advantage of NYC’s vast children’s and young adult events and opportunities.
  
• Students receive career guidance and preparation for the publishing business as well as special opportunities to meet editors, agents, and other publishing professionals.
• Opportunities for teacher training and teaching experiences are available through elective courses, internships, and guidance. 
• The MFA program’s distinctive model allows students the option of also taking MFA courses in adult fiction, nonfiction, and poetry.
  
• Students have the option of using additional credits to take a variety of approved university-wide electives.
  

Alumni

Our graduates influence young lives as publishing professionals, educators, and changemakers. Our alumni are represented by top agencies and published by prominent publishers—from boutique companies to the Big Five. Many work as publishing professionals, agents, professors, educational consultants, and entrepreneurs. We have too many extraordinary alumni to list—here are just a few: Kacen Callender, Seline Castrovilla, Dhonielle Clayton, Alyson Gerber, Lisa Graff, Jenny Han, Corey Ann Haydu, Kathryn Holmes, Sophia N. Lee, Janae Marks, Morgan Matson, Patricia McCormick, Haley Neil, Katie Sciurba, and Laura Silverman.