Middle Grade Fiction First Pages with Allison Hellegers
April 30th, 2025 - May 30th, 2025
with Allison Hellegers
Member registration opens
March 3rd at 01:00 (EST).
Non-member registration opens
March 31st at 02:00 (EDT).
You'll submit your pages at the group start, then spend the next weeks critiquing peer stories. Alli will submit her notes near the critique deadline. After critiques are complete, we host a 2-hour group debrief, in which each writer gets 15 minutes of individual time with Alli to dig into feedback, brainstorm next steps, and discuss any writing questions.
Our goal with these events is to help writers become stronger storytellers. That said, each opening pages event we offer also comes with a submission opportunity.
<p>You may take one middle grade workshop per season. Spring/Summer season includes workshops beginning April 15th - August 14th 2025. If there is space in a workshop 1 month prior to it starting, you may register for a second workshop.<br></p>
Notes
Who this workshop is for: <p>This workshop is best suited to writers who are querying, preparing to query, or for agented writers who are looking for a high level educational event. <br></p>
Focus: Children's - Middle Grade - Contemporary fiction - Children'…
Group size: 7 writers
Submissions: <p>There will be one submission of your first 3750 words of prose, or 2500 words of verse (approximately 15 pages) at the workshop start. Participants should also plan to share their pitch/short summary with their pages. Your pitch is not included in the word count and will not be critiqued.</p><p><span style="font-family: "Open Sans", sans-serif; font-size: 15px; font-weight: 700;">Changes and Withdrawals Policy: </span></p><ul><li>2 months or more ahead of a workshop start: you will be credited the full amount of the workshop, less a $20 change fee.</li><li>Under 2 months to 14 days ahead of a workshop start: If we are able to replace you, you will be credited for the full workshop price less a $20 change fee. If we can't replace you, you will receive a credit for 50% of the workshop cost. </li><li>Withdrawals within 14 days of a workshop start: If we can replace you, you will receive a credit for 50% of the workshop price. If we cannot replace you, you will not receive a credit. Your fee will go towards our workshops and scholarships. </li></ul>
Fee
Members: $135; Non-members: $158
About Allison Hellegers
Allison Hellegers is Foreign Rights Director and Literary Agent for Stimola Literary Studio, with 23 years of publishing experience. She worked in editorial and literary scouting and she was the Director of Foreign Rights for Alloy Entertainment and Rights People, based in the UK. Allison is local to Brooklyn and as an agent is drawn to works for all ages that push boundaries, evoke emotion, and take readers on a journey. Her young adult clients include award winning authors Colby Cedar Smith (Call Me Athena) and Rebecca Caprara (Spin) and as well as graphic novel clients Teo Duvall (Brooms) and Mari Costa (Belle of the Ball). In YA, she loves a big hook and bold characters that sweep her off her feet. She’s especially excited for one of her latest sales by her client Michelle Jabès Corpora, who is writing Children’s of Khetara, “an ancient Egyptian Game of Thrones-eques YA series.” For all ages and genres, she’s is drawn to writers who excel at the craft and have a sharp, rich, and unique voice. She’s always looking for opportunities to highlight diverse creators. Allison likes contemporary fiction dealing with taboo topics, fantasy grounded in reality, historical fiction and myth retellings, lush horror, unreliable narrators, surrealist fiction, psychological stories, and speculative elements, but she loves when authors play with mixing genres or writing in verse.