About Jennifer Kay
Jennifer Kay is a KidLit author and Structural Engineer. She has a VCFA MFA in Writing for Children and Young Adults, is an SCBWI Rockford Network Rep, edits the SCBWI IL Prairie Wind, and belongs to Mystery Writers of America. Jennifer works as a writer, freelance editor, literary agency reader, and creative writing teacher.
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Category Archives: Creativity
Be A Maker
Engineer Jennifer has always been a builder. LEGOs were a right of passage for me – probably for most kids headed for a career in Civil Engineering. Among my peers, there were two schools of thought regarding those LEGO kit … Continue reading
Posted in Creativity, Engineering, Jennifer, Middle Grade Books, Nicole, Parenting, Picture Books, Publishing, Reading, Writing
Tagged Andrea Beaty, Be A Maker, Builder, Engineer, Goldie Blox Toys, Katey Howes, Keva Maker Bot Maze, Legos, Made by Maxine, Maker, Rosie Revere, Rube Goldberg, Ruth Spiro, The Mysterious Benedict Society, Trenton Lee Scott
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Finding My Own Inspiration
Last weekend many of my writing friends returned to VCFA for residency. I did not – for the first time in two and a half years. It was harder than I expected to view the social media posts about the … Continue reading
Posted in Art, Creativity, Home Improvements, Jennifer, MFA, SCBWI, VCFA MFA WCYA, Writing
Tagged Art Space, Creativity, Inspiration, Jennifer, NaNoWriMo, SCBWI IL Prairie Wind, VCFA Residency
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Post-Grad Revelations
Last month I checked a few major writing milestones off my bucket list: 1) Delivered my graduate reading of my young adult science fiction work-in-progress, Eraser. 2) Presented my graduate lecture, Shift That Narrow Trend Line into a Scatter Plot of … Continue reading
Posted in Creativity, Engineering, Family, Jennifer, MFA, Nature, RVC, SCBWI, Teaching, VCFA MFA WCYA, Writing
Tagged Goals, Graduation, Jennifer, MFA, RVC, Teach, VCFA, Writing
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The Open Question
My first revelation of 2018 is that MFA programs have magical time slip powers. I last blogged in September when my third semester at VCFA was just getting started and I had taken on the challenge of writing a pretty … Continue reading
Posted in Creativity, Jennifer, MFA, Nonfiction, Reading, SCBWI, VCFA MFA WCYA, Writing, Young Adult Books
Tagged Deborah Heiligman, VCFA MFA, Vincent and Theo: The Van Gogh Brothers
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Talking Slower and Thinking Deeper
My twelfth packet of MFA homework was due earlier this week. For once it was submitted without any all-nighters, drama, or emotional meltdowns. I had plenty of time to do the quantity and quality of work I knew I had in … Continue reading
Posted in Creativity, Jennifer, MFA, Poetry, VCFA MFA WCYA, Writing, Writing Excercise
Tagged A Poetry Handbook, Bernard Friot, Jennifer, Mary Oliver, Poetry, The Aspiring Poet's Journal
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Secret Hobbies
Ten years ago writing was my secret hobby. I had a story bubbling inside of me that slowly seeped out in stolen moments alone with my laptop. That secret hobby morphed over time from “something just for me” into a … Continue reading
Sample Illustrations
Where has Jennifer been for the past two months? Attached to my new digital drawing pad. It’s become a third limb. After only three hours of online webinars on how to use Manga Studio 5, I’ve reached below average functionality … Continue reading
Posted in Creativity, Graphic Novels, Jennifer, Middle Grade Books, Nicole, Publishing, Writing
Tagged Graphic Novels, Illustration, Jennifer, Kelly Sonnack, The Shooting Stars
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Starting the New Year with New Art Forms
It’s no secret I’m a creature of habit. If my online calendar crashed, my life would fall into utter chaos. I make lists. Even lists of my lists. There’s only one way to juggle so many balls for myself, my … Continue reading
Posted in Blogging, Creativity, Graphic Novels, Jennifer, Nicole, Parenting, Writing
Tagged Abigail and the Snowman, Amulet, Art, Baby Mouse, Bones, Graphic Novels, Jem and the Holograms, Jennifer, Mark Fearing, New Year Resolutions, Phoebe and her Unicorn, Rapunzel's Revenge, Scott McCloud, Toad Hall, Writing, Zita the Spacegirl
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Coloring – Not Just For Kids
In case you haven’t heard: Coloring is no longer just for kids. USA Today recently featured this article: Whimsical coloring books for grown-ups are a hit. Their story featured the break-out success of artist Johanna Basford, author of Secret Garden and … Continue reading
Posted in Adult Books, Creativity, Family, Jennifer
Tagged Adult Coloring, Enchanted Forest, Jennifer, Johanna Basford, Secret Garden
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