During this season of giving, of hope, of compassion, consider this gift —

Please consider this special opportunity to purchase the late Frances Lee Hall’s middle-grade book, LILY LO AND THE WONTON MAKER – a delightful book for a young reader. Your purchase will also be a gift to help support her daughter’s education.  Many of us in the Vermont program remember Frances ever-so-fondly and are excited to see her work finally published. Thank you especially, alumni Ann Jacobus, Annemarie O’Brien, Linden McNeilly, Helen Pyne, Christine Dowd, and Sharry Phelan-Wright for organizing this release.

Around this time last year Frances Lee Hall became unconscious because of a fatal brain aneurysm. Her San Francisco writing group were stunned and vowed they would help Frances bring her middle grade novel, LILY LO AND THE WONTON MAKER to young readers.

Frances graduated from Vermont College of Fine Arts in January of 2008 from the MFA in Writing for Children & Young Adults program. Everyone who knew her remembers her infectious smile and laugh, and her unfailing support of her friends. “Yay!” was a frequent Frances encouragement. 

Frances was determined to bring diverse stories to young readers. She said she had rarely encountered a book in her childhood about a character or family like hers. She was thrilled when her agent, Marietta Zacker, sold her middle-grade novel, LILY LO AND THE WONTON MAKER, to Egmont USA in late 2013.

Sadly, the international publisher closed US operations a little over a year later and LILY LO, along with many other stories, never made it into print. Frances was in the process of resubmitting LILY LO when she passed away.

Her writing group took the reins.   They discovered Inkshares, a hybrid publisher located in Oakland, that publishes books that attract 750 pre-orders to cover design, editing, production, and distribution costs. All proceeds from book sales of LILY LO beyond the initial funding amount (750 copies) will support the education fund of Frances’ daughter Emmie, who is now a sophomore in high school.

But your help is needed:

  • Please share this email and pre-order link so we reach all those who knew Frances, as well as her future readers.

Thank you for helping family, friends, and the VCFA community celebrate the memory of an exceptional woman and writer, Frances Lee Hall.

VCFA Beyond the Margins Writing Group

Ann Jacobus, Annemarie O’Brien, Linden McNeilly, Helen Pyne, Christine Dowd, and Sharry Phelan-Wright

Thank you, Melissa Fisher for sharing this announcement:

Melissa Fisher, Director, MFA in Writing for Children & Young Adults Vermont College of Fine Arts

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