Hollins University MFA in Children’s Literature and Illustration program student Lauren McPheters won a student illustrator scholarship award at the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators’ (SCBWI) international conference in New York City last month.
“This was my first time attending the SCBWI conference, and with such a large pool of illustrators, I did not expect to win anything,” McPheters says. “When SCBWI posted it on their Instagram, I was flooded with so many lovely messages from all of my Hollins friends.”
“It’s an extremely competitive award,” says Elizabeth Dulemba, director of graduate programs in children’s literature and illustration. “That was quite a kudos for Hollins, that the winner of this award came from our program.”
Professor Mary Jane Begin, illustration chair of graduate programs in children’s literature, says she first met McPheters while teaching an online continuing education course on character development through the Rhode Island School of Design.
“She was a BFA graduate, and this was something that she had been so interested in, and when she took this class, she did beautiful work,” Begin says. “In our final meeting, I said, ‘You need to check out Hollins University’s MFA in Children’s Literature program.’ She was like, ‘What?!’”
Begin and then-program director Lisa Rowe Fraustino shared more information with McPheters, and she joined the program in the summer of 2022, hitting the ground running.
“She can draw like a dream, she’s super smart, and according to Lisa, she’s a wonderful writer,” Begin says. “I worked with her in portfolio last summer, and the paintings that she had showing at the SCBWI conference were from the portfolio class.”
McPheters’ winning illustrations are, she says, her own adaptation of Eugene Field’s poem “Norse Lullaby.” Begin believes the award was vindicating for McPheters, who had “agonized” over the project.
Begin says children’s books are trending these days towards a “very flat, graphic style, a much more simplistic way of working.” And McPheters, who draws in a “surreal style,” worried last summer that she needed to change. But Begin encouraged her to be herself.
“The work that came out of that really speaks to what we try to do at Hollins, which is focus on who you are as an individual, and lean hard into that, so that we’re not creating cookie-cutter illustrators,” Begin says. “This is not about a formula. This is about a deep-dive into your own self and what you bring to the table.”
McPheters said Begin “opened up the world of illustration” to her.
“The Hollins MFA program has been such a great experience for me,” McPheters says. “It’s such a pleasure to be part of such a creative and supportive community. My teachers in the MFA program have been truly invested in me, and their encouragement has been life-changing.”
The program has also provided McPheters with “a lovely group of friends.”
“I can rely on them for thoughtful critique, and we keep each other focused and motivated,” she says. “This incredible support system of teachers and friends is what I love most about Hollins.”
McPheters’ award came with a scholarship that funded her attendance at the conference and the opportunity to present her winning portfolio.
“It’s a substantial sum that opens the opportunity for people who might not be able to otherwise, based on the merits of their work,” Dulemba says. “It’s a huge deal. Not only was it competitive, it also was financially sustaining, to make that opportunity possible for her.” “She’s a very special individual, because she’s that perfect synthesis of intellect, creative skill, curiosity, and she’s also just a really lovely human,” Begin says.
