A DREAM IS A WISH YOUR ESSAY GRANTED

When my sister suggested I enter Visit Orlando’s Most Magical Gathering Contest, I wrote what I know: that magic lives in everyday moments. My essay, “Magic in Everyday Moments,” was selected as the Grand Prize Winner from tens of thousands of entries, earning our family a dream vacation to Disney World for fifty people.

I can hardly believe this adventure was real. From the rides and laughter to the moments I’ll carry forever, every second felt like the essay had already known this weekend was coming.

ISABELLA HAD A FARM, E-I-E-I-O

Volunteering at the Bellport Children’s Festival on Isabella Rossellini’s Mama Farm was one of those literary experiences that felt equal parts playful and unforgettable. I spent the day learning from children’s author E.V. Starkey, collaborating with Claire Gill of Storystock, and soaking in the kind of whimsy and laughter that reminds me exactly why I write for young readers.

Workshops, Fellowships, and Ongoing Study

Completing the Children’s Literature Fellowship Program at the Lichtenstein Center at Stony Brook Southampton — studying under the mentorship of Emma Walton Hamilton — remains one of the most formative experiences of my writing life. I recently completed a creative nonfiction writing certificate through Cornell University, and stay actively engaged through writing workshops, literary conferences, and a writing community I return to again and again.

Writing, I’ve learned, is never finished. And neither is the education that feeds it. You can read more about my writing circle and workshop community here.

“I always think, when I’m in motion, writing seems like the most natural thing.”

– Pam Houston