I’m a visiting faculty member for the Vermont College MFA in Writing for Children & Young Adults program summer residency, along with author Rita Williams-Garcia and author/editor Marc Aronson, but incoming guest faculty aren’t the only visitors.

Others include: author/editor/commentator/educator Michael Cart; author Ellen Wittlinger, author Nancy Werlin; editor Melanie Kroupa; and author/teacher David Gifaldi.

I just saw Nancy at ALA and finished one of Ellen’s novels. But it’s my first time to meet in person Rita and Marc, with whom I’d briefly e-corresponded, and Michael, whom I know only by reputation. I also know a few of the students from WriteFest, Austin SCBWI, and list servs.

We all join department chair Kathi Appelt as well as Marion Dane Bauer, Margaret Bechard, Sharon Darrow, Louise Hawes (read her recent lectures at Vermont College) Ellen Howard, Liz Ketchum, Ron Koertge, Norma Fox Mazer, Jane Resh Thomas, and Tim Wynne-Jones.

Cynsational Trivia: Norma, Rita, and I share a wonderful editor in HarperCollins’ Rosemary Brosnan; Kathi and Sharon are WriteFest alumnae; Sharon and I also used to be members of Illinois SCBWI; I first met Melanie at a Brazos Valley/Austin SCBWI conference in La Grange.