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09/07/2022 07:00 AMBy day, Paige Classey Przybylski of Madison is a library media specialist at Polson Middle School in Madison. For many, many years she has harbored a love for novels in verse, a passion fueled in part by her students’ intense interest in and love for those kinds of novels. And so, by night, and early in the morning, and in whatever spare time she has been able to find, she has crafted manuscripts of her own.
In 2020 and 2021, she submitted her work to the Tassy Walden Award competition, winning honorable mention both times. That recognition gave her the confidence to join the Shoreline CT Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators group. That allowed her to attend virtual meeting with other local authors who were working on their craft.
“Their feedback and support have been instrumental in my writing and in my attitude towards sending my work out into the world,” she says.
This year Przybylski once again submitted a manuscript to the Tassies, and she was named a first place winner in the Young Adult Novel category of the competition, which was thrilling in and of itself.
She recently got some more good news. “I’m thrilled to share that my Tassy submission that won the YA category this year is being published by West 44 in February 2021,” says Przybylski. The novel’s revised name is Everything You Left Me, and it will be published under her maiden name, Paige Classey.
“The first time Doe Boyle, one of the eight founders [of the award competition], called to inform me I’d won honorable mention, especially, was pivotal for me,” she says. “Given the rigorous judging process of the Tassies, by industry professionals, I began to take myself seriously as a writer.”
In fact, dozens of Tassy Walden Award winners have gone on to publish or self-publish novels, including Alice C. Bauer, Jeanne Zulick Ferruolo, Jason Marchi, Steven Parlato, Martha Seif Simpson, Joyce A. Stengel, Jane Sutcliffe, Cat Urbain, Brenna Burns-Yu, Sam Taylor, and Gabriella Svenningsen. But that is just one measure of success for the program, says Boyle.
An Invitation To A Community
“We are trying to remove barriers for people who are the beginning of their careers,” she says. Part of that teaching authors the basics of how to prepare and submit a manuscript. “So that’s the first motive, the educational aspect. And the second aspect is to include them and embrace them in a community of artists within community. We just really wanted to build a sense of community so that people were not working in isolation without support. So when you enter the Tassy competition, you are invited into a community of writers and illustrators, including those who are familiar with the industry.”
Offered under the umbrella of the Shoreline Arts Alliance, The Tassy Walden Awards for New Voices in Children’s Literature, launched in 2001 by its eight founders, is “an annual competition that encourages and nurtures the creation of exceptional books for children by unpublished Connecticut writers and illustrators.” There are five award categories: Picture Book (text only), Illustrated Picture Book (text and illustrations), Children’s Book Illustrator’s Portfolio, Middle Grade Novel, and Young Adult Novel.
The next deadline for submissions will be Feb. 1, 2023 and there likely will be a Zoom workshop offered in late fall, probably mid-November, to allow authors time to prepare their submissions, says Boyle. For updates and to find out more about the process, writers and illustrators can visit https://www.shorelinearts.org/tassy-walden-awards.
This year’s winners included artists and illustrators from the Connecticut shoreline and Connecticut River valley. They include:
Picture Book Text: Winner: Elizabeth Donnelly, Bridgeport – Stacking Stones; Honorable Mention: Sherry Peterson, Newtown – Is There Something In My Teeth?; Finalists: Katherine Donohue, Plantsville – Monsters Say What; Kristine Giliberto, Glastonbury – The Horse Listener; Claudia LeBel, Mansfield – Night Blooms; Rachel Shupin, Stamford – There Are No Bad Guys In This Book.
Illustrated Picture Book Writer-Illustrator: Finalists: Jillian Aurigemma, Deep River – Rylee Finds A Family
Middle Grade Novel: Winner: Michele Manning, Mystic – Nooks and Crannies; Honorable Mention: Ginger Merante, North Branford - Lore; Finalists: Jeanne Davies, Chester – Cast Away, Deb DiTomaso, Hebron – Gram Ridder, Jane Pronsky-Brothers, Niantic – Brooke Skyler & The Quest For Mysterium, and Lisa Yelon, New Haven – Cook Me A Winner.
Young Adult Novel: Winner: Paige Classey Przybylski, Madison - Inheritance; Honorable Mention: Debbie McGinley, Westport – The Surge; Finalists: Kelly Kandra Hughes, Norfolk – The Happiest Dog On The Internet.
Illustrator Portfolio: Winner: Anne Marie Drury, Columbia; Finalist: Marcus Fort, Branford.
“This year we had some wonderful results,” says Boyle, but, as a published author herself who has prepared many manuscripts for review and publication, she says she’s proud of not only the winners, but of everyone who entered. “If you are you if you're able to follow the guidelines and produce a polished, finished completed manuscript, or or develop your portfolio of artworks and submit them properly in in a professional manner, then right from the get-go you are a winner. Absolutely.”
Different Elements For Different Categories
The one thing that has changed, relatively recently, is that there are no more paper submissions accepted.
“So we used to do this very old school,” says Boyle. But the pandemic necessitated a change to online-only submissions, and that will remain the same going forward.
One thing that has remained the same is that the judging is done by a panel of professionals from the industry, including literary agents and illustration agents currently working in the industry in the first round, and editors and art directors at major publishing houses, ones that specialize in books for young readers and young adults, in the second round.
While the judges always look for polished work professionally presented, Boyle says the judges often look for different elements in the different categories.
“So it’s essential to understand that a picture book has to tell a real story with an emotional arc and a psychological arc. There has to be character development.”
Picture books have been trending down in length in recent years, she says, so it’s important to develop plot and setting in as few words as possible. Books in the non-fiction category, in part due to Common Core requirements, have become more complex over the years, and often have curriculum tie-ins.
Successful middle grade novels often are geared towards students who are deeply connected to their families, but starting to become more independent, Boyle says. In young adult novels, readers are approaching autonomy, seeking independence, and beginning to think and act outside the nuclear family, she says. ”So it’s important to understand that middle grade novels and YA novels are distinctly different and should be, right?
Authors and illustrators who understand those types of industry trends and requirements are more likely to meet with success, she says.
Going Forward With Courage
Besides Boyle, the Tassy founders include Leslie Bulion, Mary-Kelly Busch, Leslie Connor, Lorraine Jay, Kay Kudlinski, Judy Theise, and Nancy Elizabeth Wallace.
“And I won’t just speak for myself,” Boyle says. “I’ll say that all of the founders would give this advice, which is to believe in yourself. Trust your instincts, proceed according to your interests and passions and your expertise. And just write with your whole heart. Do the best work you can and revise, revise, revise. And read, read, read. That’s very classic advice that just about all children’s book writers and illustrators would give. And the founders would agree with me on those points. We just encourage each other to believe those same beliefs and go forward with courage.”
Jillian Aurigemma of Deep River, a finalist, says her success is due in part to following interests, passions, and expertise she gathered and developed in part by working in the Essex and Westbrook school systems.
“It offered me tons of exposure and so many opportunities to fall in love with creating illustrated works,” says Aurigemma.
The inspiration for her Tassy award-winning work, Rylee Finds A Family, was the family dog, but her desire to create a book goes back much further.
“Being an author illustrator or a cartoon animator is something that I’ve been interested in and creating projects, for fun, ever since kindergarten honestly,” she says. “There’s just something special about sharing a story together, sharing in the delight and connection and its all the more special when you created the spark.”
Marcus Fort of Branford says he really appreciated the opportunity to share his work with professionals in the industry, “and receive their encouraging feedback. It gives me the motivation to keep pursuing my goals.”
Lisa Yelon of New Haven, who wrote a manuscript for a middle-grade novel about four sixth grade classmates who battle in a cooking competition, agrees.
“It was validating to be a finalist. I feel like I’m moving in the right direction with my writing. I’m so pleased and proud to be able to include the award on my query letters as I send this manuscript to agents.”