Welcome to our Community Celebration Station!
This is the place where we’ll share the good news and more that we hear from our community.
Our team tries our best to compile these posts. If we missed you, or if you have a new story or a piece of good news to share, please let us know here. We’d love to hear from you!
New Books
It’s Like We Touched the Moon
Congratulations to Beth Hollar Gier on the publication of It’s Like We Touched the Moon in August 2025!
Beth says “The original verson of MOON was my submission for the Whole Novel Workshop in November 2023. The following fall, I made my second trip to Boyds Mills for a retreat with my beloved early morning sprint group, formed out of your Just Do It! class. The quiet beauty of the Retreat Center was the pefect setting for getting real work done.”
The Spiral Key
Congratulations to Kelsey Day on the publication of The Spiral Key on February 24, 2026!
Kelsey worked on the book during a Personal Retreat at Boyds Mills. She says “I’m so grateful to have had that nurturing creative time to bring this project to life.” She won the Personal Retreat as a prize for winning the YA Discover Contest with Serendipity Literary Agency.
recent press
ALA Youth Media Awards
We love to watch the livestream of this every year, and especially celebrating the books from those in our community! Congrats to everyone who had their works acknowledged this year!
Brown Bookshelf: 28 Days Later
On Day 1 of this year’s 28 Days Later series, Jamie Adoff writes movingly about his mother, Virginia Hamilton. He also mentions the scholarship that he and sister established at Boyds Mills: Virginia Hamilton and Arnold Adoff Breaking Barriers Scholarship. You can find out more about the scholarship here.
Huda Al-Marashi on the Interfaith Education That Informed Her New Novel
Huda, one of our Muslim Storyteller Fellows, was interviewed in Publishers Weekly about her new novel Hail Mariam, which is coming out on February 24.
Hello, Boyds Mills!
We’ve had a big rebrand to kick off 2026! Here are two recent interviews about the change:
George Brown on the Children’s Book Podcast: The Highlights Foundation is Now Boyds Mills
More Good News On Our Blog
Celebration Station: Spring 2026
How We’re Leaning Into Our New Name: A Note from our Executive Director
Woods & Words: Our 2026 Art Wall Installation
Welcoming Nicole Valentine to the Boyds Mills Board of Trustees
The Future of Storytelling: Meet Our 2026 Scholarship Recipients
Celebration Station: Fall/Winter 2025-26
4 Verse Novelists Enjoy Success Thanks to Cordelia Jensen & Boyds Mills
#Gather: 2026 Scholarship Celebration and Info Session
Opening Doors: Our 2026 Scholarship Season is Here!
A New Chapter: The Highlights Foundation is now Boyds Mills
Multiple Scholarships Supported the Creation of This YA Biography