All about Middle Grade

Hello! Today on the Kid Lit Craft column I’m going to be covering my favorite of the many amazing types of kid Lit books: middle grade.  But first, what is middle grade? It’s not a name you hear often outside of the publishing world, and if you peruse your indie bookstore or local Barnes &… Read more »

Stalk Your Curiosity

Stalk Your Curiosity

Have you ever considered becoming a stalker? Not a creepy stalker. A curiosity stalker. You see, not every inspiration appears like a magical bunny out of a hat. In fact, most of those inspiration bunnies spend their time hopping across your lawn, sneaking into your garden to nibble up your lettuce before something else catches… Read more »

Cozy to Cold-Blooded: Mystery Games

Cozy to Cold-Blooded: Mystery Games

I’ve needed some extra fun in my life lately and mystery games fit the bill. To be honest, in the past I’ve found many mystery games disappointing, because they didn’t involve evidence and clues. They were board games with mystery themes. While fun, that wasn’t what I wanted.  But soon enough Carmen Sandiego swooped onto… Read more »

July 2022 Leisure Learning (and Mid-Year Recap!)

July 2022 Leisure Learning (and Mid-Year Recap!)

Hello, fellow word nerds! As some of you may have noticed, this column is relatively new for DIY MFA. The first installment came in January 2022 and since then, it has been both an honor and pleasure to share with you the most interesting literary-related projects I’ve stumbled upon. Over the months, I’ve had the… Read more »