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In fourth grade, Laura Hawbaker, MFA ’23, sat cross-legged in the library surrounded by her classmates. A teacher read a short story Hawbaker wrote that had won a Young Authors award. She was so embarrassed to hear her work being read aloud and in front of her friends. Her face turned red. She stared at the floor. She couldn’t wait for it to be over. But at the end of the story, everyone—teachers and students alike—stood and applauded. For the first time, nine-year-old Hawbaker realized people outside her family enjoyed her writing. “I had stories people wanted to hear. Getting that kind of encouragement at a very young age doomed me,” says Hawbaker... (read the full article at Colum.edu)