I’m reminded of my summers at Hollins whenever the weather gets warmer. Not too long ago, I was clutching my acceptance letter into the Graduate Programs in Children’s Literature and Illustration. I didn’t know I’d soon meet many wonderful friends during that first summer semester, which brings me to my dear friend and this month’s guest, Gabry.
Meet Gabry, repping Hollins (image courtesy of Gabriella Crivilare).
When a bunch of us first started our Hollins journey in 2018, I was so afraid to meet new people. Thanks to Gabry and other second and third year students, us program newbies were immediately welcomed into Hollins. Our daytimes were filled with classes and special author and illustrator visits. At night, we watched movies and explored all the beauty the Blue Ridge Mountains had to offer on free weekends. Summer school felt more like summer camp. Gabry and a fellow second-year student, Maleeha, were the chairs for my very first Francelia Butler Conference in Children’s Literature. They were professional and personable, the perfect hostesses for a kid lit conference. A fantastic cosplayer with incredible makeup skills (see her instagram), Gabry recently received a literary agent, a huge feat for a recent graduate.
My first Hollins summer is one I’ll always remember, and that’s in part to the likes of Gabry and her kindness. Her welcoming presence made me feel less afraid to start something new. Read on to hear more about Gabry’s background and upcoming successes.
Do you have any favorite writers in the world of children’s literature?
I feel as if there’s such an eclectic mix of writers that make up my favorites! And there are definitely too many authors I admire to list here, so I’m going to limit myself to four. More nostalgic favorites from my own childhood include Edith Pattou, who wrote the fairytale retelling East, and Shannon Hale of Princess Academy fame. (At least, that’s what makes her famous to me!) Both of them have exerted a great deal of influence on the kind of fantasy I like to write and the kind of narratives I like to explore. When it comes to the past few years, I’ve really fallen for the work of Catherine Bakewell, who wrote We Are the Song and Flowerheart, and Esme Symes-Smith, the creator of the Sir Callie series. Callie is such an amazing, tenacious character, and their fight to be who they are and against the bigotry in their kingdom blew me away. I’m so looking forward to book two! And Flowerheart really got to me with the choice to explore connections between magic and mental health.
What was your process behind nabbing a literary agent?
Gabry’s workspace (image courtesy of Gabriella Crivilare).
Right off the bat, I have to say that that I was incredibly lucky in regards to my querying process and privileged to have the outcome that I did. But, I built myself a spreadsheet to track the requirements of each agent I queried (if they had a QueryManager link, whether or not they wanted a synopsis, how many sample pages they allowed) and built that list gradually through a lot of MSWL (Manuscript Wish List) research. I started sending my work out in August of 2020, and continued to query for a little over a year, though checking back there was a fairly large gap in the spring and summer of 2021. At one point, Victoria -the agent I read for and who represents me now - said I could send my manuscript to her. So of course I jumped at the opportunity, thinking that it would be really great to have her insight about what changes might need to be made and who might potentially be open to a story like mine. But as time progressed, I started fantasizing about how amazing it would be if she actually offered to.
You attended Hollins University in Virginia for your M.F.A. in Children’s Literature. How has receiving this degree impacted your writing career?
Aside from how valuable I found the workshop experience, the greatest impact Hollins has had on my writing career so far is really in terms of the community, opportunities, and connections it provides. Where else are you going to find a dormmate who will help you restructure your plot by encouraging you to print it out, cut out each scene, and rearrange it bit by bit with additional feedback? Also, having that access to the professionals that the program brings in, to be able to pick their brains and learn more about the business side of the industry, has been so beneficial. Especially because these presentations can often lead to conversations that clue you into an interest you didn’t know you had! Who knows, maybe you’re equally passionate about championing other writers’ projects? And finally, if I had put aside my academic interest in children’s literature and not attended Hollins, I wouldn’t have had Hillary Homzie as a professor in my very first class. And, as she introduced me to Victoria, I probably would not be answering this question right now.
What inspires you in your writing?
Some of Gabry’s favorite books (image courtesy of Gabriella Crivilare).
Initial sparks usually come to me with some little niche interest I have at the moment, combined with a sort of vibe or atmosphere and a weird comp mashup. Plot is way tougher for me than concept, so finding ways to work those elements into the actual narrative is vital to keep me engaged when I’m having trouble with things like logic and motivation! Also, this is going to sound so silly, but I took one of those ubiquitous internet quizzes a while ago, and the topic was something like “What fuels your creativity?” and my result was along the lines of “tribute.” And pretty quickly, I realized how true that is. There are little bits of pieces of media I love in everything I write, and the desire to be in conversation with those stories and create work that evokes the same emotions in myself and others is really what drives me. That feeling I get when I see the binary sunset? If you get even a fraction of that longing from my writing, it’s mission accomplished.
Keep up with Gabry on her website, gabriellacrivilare.wordpress.com, and follow her on instagram @harpyella.