REBECCA ROLLAND

A white woman in her forties, with brown hair and eyes.

 

 

 

Rebecca Rolland is the author of The Art of Talking with Children (HarperCollins, 2022), as well as three books of poems and many short stories. She won the Dana Award for Short Fiction and has published in Slice, Michigan Quarterly Review, and North American Review. She is a lecturer at the Harvard Graduate School of Education and is on the faculty at the Harvard Medical School. She also serves as an oral and written language specialist in the Neurology Department of Boston Children's Hospital and as an advisor in curriculum development for the World Bank. As a nationally-certified speech-language pathologist, she has worked clinically with populations ranging from early childhood through high school and has provided teacher professional development. She lives in Boston with her husband and two conversation-loving kids.

Read more on her website.

SESSION: On Writing About Children

It can be a challenge to write about children--your own, or others. Whether you're writing nonfiction or poetry, there are many questions that can arise: how many personal details to reveal, how to include dialogue, how to find a tone that is neither earnest nor overly sarcastic, and how to get past the tired tropes of parenthood. Through exercises, guided discussions, and readings, this session will get you excited about writing for children, help identify your goals, and pinpoint your strengths and challenges in this area of your writing life.