We are honored to announce that Terrie Wolf, Byron Graves, and Gayleen Rabakukk will be participating in the upcoming Native Children’s and YA Writing Intensive, hosted by We Need Diverse Books and sponsored in part by Heartdrum/HarperChildren’s. This in-person event will be held June 12–15, 2025, at The Texican Court in Irving, Texas.
This annual Intensive is a unique opportunity for Indigenous authors and author-illustrators to connect, develop their manuscripts, and build lasting careers in children’s and young adult publishing.
🔥 Faculty Spotlight: Byron Graves
Byron Graves (Ojibwe), author of the critically acclaimed Rez Ball, returns to the Native Writing Intensive as a faculty member. Byron’s debut novel has captured the attention of the literary world and earned a shelf full of major honors:
- 🏆 2024 William C. Morris Award Winner
- 📘 American Indian Youth Literature Award (Young Adult)
- ⭐ Boston Globe–Horn Book Fiction Honor
- 🎖️ Colorado Book Award Winner
- 🏅 Oklahoma Sequoyah Book Award Winner
- ✨ Named to multiple “Best of” and state reading lists, including TAYSHAS, Florida Teens Read, and SLJ’s Best YA of 2023
Byron’s voice in contemporary Native YA is both powerful and necessary, and we are proud to see him shaping the next generation of Indigenous storytellers at this event.
🌱 Honoring the Work of Gayleen Rabakukk
Gayleen Rabakukk is a powerhouse behind the scenes—and on the page—at this year’s Native Writing Intensive. As part of the program’s administrative team, she helps orchestrate the entire weekend, ensuring every session runs smoothly and every participant feels supported.
An MFA graduate in Writing for Children & Young Adults from Vermont College of Fine Arts, Gayleen also holds a journalism degree from the University of Central Oklahoma and serves as Editor-in-Chief of Cynsations, a leading digital magazine covering children’s and YA literature.
Beyond her editorial work, Gayleen teaches creative-writing workshops for the Austin Public Library Foundation and is an active member of SCBWI’s Austin chapter, bringing deep craft knowledge and a community-first mindset to every project she touches.
At the Native Writing Intensive, Gayleen handles key logistics, moderates sessions, and offers one-on-one feedback that marries big-picture story vision with practical publishing advice. Her calm guidance and editorial precision ensure every participant leaves with clearer pages and a stronger sense of direction.
Whether she’s fine-tuning a manuscript’s hook, spotlighting debut voices on Cynsations, or running the backstage show so faculty can shine, Gayleen embodies the spirit of collaboration the Intensive is built on—uplifting Indigenous storytellers and nurturing the next wave of children’s and YA literature.
🎙️ Terrie Wolf Joins as Faculty
This year, Terrie Wolf is proud to serve as a faculty member at the Intensive. Her role will include:
- Participating in a faculty interview and panel discussion
- Offering individual manuscript critiques and consultations for up to 12 attendees
- Attending group sessions and participant readings
- Contributing to a special faculty reading, where she’ll spotlight a title, she’s agented and share behind-the-scenes insights from the world of publishing
Terrie shares, “I’m truly honored to be in the company of such phenomenal writers. This Intensive is more than a workshop—it’s a celebration of voice, story, and community. I’m excited to listen, learn, and support every step of the way.”
💬 Why It Matters
The Native Writing Intensive is more than a professional development program—it’s a cultural and creative hub that fosters long-term relationships between Indigenous writers, agents, editors, and mentors. Events like this help ensure Native voices not only enter the publishing world but thrive within it.
We’re proud to stand with #WNDB and the Indigenous literary community. Follow along as we celebrate stories that matter, voices that inspire, and the future of Native storytelling.
🔗 Learn more about the program: https://www.diversebooks.org/programs/nativewritingintensive
📱 Follow the journey online: #WNDB #NativeWritingIntensive
