Dawn Simon

On March 25 th , I finished the first full draft of the middle grade novel that was my creative thesis at Vermont College of Fine Arts ....

The SCBWI conference in New York was excellent. The last SCBWI conference I'd attended was the NY conference in 2020, right before the...

My chapter book manuscript, CAT-NAPPED!, was a finalist in the Children's Picture/Chapter Book Category of the 2024 Pacific Northwest...

I feel incredibly honored and excited to have won VCFA's Award for Excellence in Writing Middle Grade! The manuscript, TRICK OF THE...

On July 21st, I graduated! I earned my MFA in Writing for Children and Young Adults from Vermont College of Fine Arts ! my fabulous...

Some Writer! The Story of E. B. White written and illustrated by Melissa Sweet Afterword by Martha White Houghton Mifflin Harcourt pub...

The cover was stained and faded, and the pages were tattered. The book I flipped through at the library book sale was clearly at the end...

In July, I'll start earning my MFA in Writing for Children and Young Adults at Vermont College of Fine Arts! Yayayay! Friends, I have...

The Water Bears by Kim Baker Wendy Lamb Books pub date: April 21, 2020 The Water Bears is a terrific middle-grade novel by Kim Baker....

SCBWI has been offering free digital workshops to its current members. When the digital workshops program was announced, the email from...

Lucky me! I received an e-ARC of Keep My Heart in San Francisco by Amelia Diane Coombs. Amelia and I are both represented by the...

My daughter, Nicole VanderMeer, is an interdisciplinary historian, and she offers research support to writers of fiction and nonfiction....

What I Carry, by my brilliant friend Jennifer Longo, is a beautifully written YA novel that's a treat for your heart. Here's Simon, my...

Thank you for returning to read about the rest of the conference! Ready, set, here we go! Kate Messner's keynote was fabulous. She said...

(Updating to give credit for the SCBWI Winter Conference image - art by Annie Bowler) I had an incredible time at the SCBWI Winter...

Welcome to my new blog, friends! Inhale. Smell that? It's new-website smell. :) My son, Kevin VanderMeer, built this website for me. Want...