Monday, June 10, 2013

Highlights and Boyds Mills Press


We got a lovely tour of Highlights the day we arrived. Their offices are spacious and full of cover art and yes, even this replica of a dinosaur skull. Of course, I missed some of what the editors spoke because I wanted to spend more time sticking my head in its jaws. A part of me will never grow up ... 

It was great to meet some of the new editors  at Highlights and Boyds Mills Press, and to reconnect with my old ones. It's been a great pleasure to work with them. I encourage you to write for this crème de la crème of children's magazines. And the best way to get a feel for it is to read it. Get a subscription, check it out from the library, or go to the pediatrician's office.
 

Current fiction needs: holiday stories with religious significance, esp. Easter; folktales, rebus stories, mysteries, historical, and always: humor. Current nonfiction: poetry, career profiles (subjects must be squeaky clean), and religious nonfiction. I asked about lives of the saints, given that so many were teenagers, but I'll need to pick and choose carefully because the readership of the magazine is for 2-12 and being impaled, roasted alive, and drawn and quartered are not exactly appropriate fare for young children. Read complete guidelines on their website.

And for those of us anxiously waiting to hear about the annual contest results, Joelle said that they'll make the final decision by the end of June. Happy writing, all!



5 comments:

Katie L. Carroll said...

Sounds like a fun event...I don't blame you for wanting to stick your head in the dinosaur. Who doesn't want to do that!

Brianna Caplan Sayres said...

Thanks so much for sharing this list of needs Vijaya! It is great to know what Highlights is looking for now! Sounds like a wonderful conference!

Mirka Breen said...

Did Ms. Dinosaur find you yummy?
Glad you are having a good time, and a market for your stories.

Bish Denham said...

A magazine that has eluded me chasing after it. Sigh....

Rani Iyer said...

Sounds like fun, Vijaya!