Joy McCullough

Joy McCullough’s debut young adult novel Blood Water Paint earned honors including the National Book Award longlist and winner of the Washington State Book Award. Her debut middle grade novel, A Field Guide to Getting Lost, was a Junior Library Guild Selection. She has projects forthcoming in picture book, middle grade, and YA, including Champ & Major: First Dogs (PB 1/19/20), We Are the Ashes, We Are the Fire (YA 2/9/20), Across the Pond (MG 3/16), and more.

She writes books and plays from her home in the Seattle area, where she lives with her husband and two children. She studied theater at Northwestern University, fell in love with her husband atop a Guatemalan volcano, and now spends her days surrounded by books and kids and chocolate.

“OUTSTANDING!!! [Joy] was an engaging, highly knowledgeable and personable instructor!”

“If I could give [Joy] eight stars, I would. She is so enthusiastic and smart about story. I can’t tell you how much I got out of this class. And her special guests were amazing too (especially AS King)–oh my!”

Blog Posts by Joy McCullough

Workshops for Writers & Illustrators

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New to the Highlights Foundation? Try these:

The Crash Course | The Whole Novel Workshop | Summer Camp

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Visiting Our Campus

Our campus (The Barn at Boyds Mills) is tucked away in the foothills of the Pocono Mountains of Pennsylvania.  It's a few hours from both New York City and Philadelphia, but worlds away from everyday life.

Line drawing of the Barn at Boyds Mills

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The Highlights Foundation positively impacts children by amplifying the voices of storytellers who inform, educate, and inspire children to become their best selves.  Learn more about our impact.

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