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Uma Krishnaswami

UMA KRISHNASWAMI is the author of numerous books for children, including picture books, retold story collections, and readers. Her middle grade novel, NAMING MAYA, is on the IRA list of Notable Books for a Global Society, and a NJ Garden State Book Awards 2007 list. Uma is a member of the Children's Book Guild of Washington DC, and the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI), and is also on the guest faculty of the Vermont College MFA program in Writing for Children and Young Adults. Her picture books include Remembering Grandma, Monsoon, and Bringing Asha Home. For more on Uma's books and other projects visit www.umakrishnaswami.com.

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Comments from Students

Uma is an excellent teacher--in fact, one of the best writing teachers I've had. She's wonderfully supportive, with truly helpful lessons and insightful comments. She does a great job of encouraging and inspiring her students, even helping them past writer's block, offering them market tips (techniques) and insights, and giving sound criticism. She's great! -- Lyn Gardner

I was very happy with the content. Excellent assignments, nurturing critiques, full and well-explained lessons. I was particularly happy with Uma's constant involvement - she was ever-present during the eight weeks, which helped keep up my motivation and interest, and kept me learning more and more. She was always keen to invite questions and comments, and to respond to each one as fully as possible - this was really admirable. This is a sign of a good teacher! ...I would definitely recommend this to others. It was well organised, good value for money, and an excellent learning opportunity. -- Katie Stewart

Uma is an excellent teacher and I learned a lot from the class. The lessons provided a strong grounding in the fundamentals and the exercises and discussions reinforced them... I found Uma's lessons/discussions on writing style/process to be EXTREMELY helpful. Uma was great in advising us when to give the creative side free reign and when it's important to knuckle-down on theme, good clean writing, etc... Uma's method of developing our critiquing skills to be thoughtful and detailed was superb. She was good at sensing when one of us might be feeling a bit sensitive/battered and would jump in with another good reason for keeping up with the critiques. I also liked the fact that we focused on the elements of writing in the critiques and not so much on copyediting. This way we were concentrating on structure and I might have become distracted or overwhelmed if we were copyediting too... Uma invested a lot of herself in the class and I liked her teaching style very much. She shared her own personal experiences and writing with us. This reinforced the lessons but also added to the "caring " learning environment and I think we felt more secure in pushing the envelope! She was very good at adjusting the class and discussions to fit the group. We asked GAZILLIONS of questions and each time her answers were thoughtful. -- Tricia Buckley

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I would enthusiastically recommend this class to anyone who wants to improve writing skills. This class not only exceeded my expectations of what it would be, but my hopes for what it could be. Uma did a great job in presenting material to us and also in answering questions raised by that material. There was a book the Victorians found useful--its title was something like Inquire Within For Everything You Want to Know. Uma reminded me of that book because there was never a question that I asked that she didn't answer promptly and fully... Uma is an excellent teacher who followed us in our journeys rather than dictating the way we should go. She pointed us in the right direction, kept within calling distance and let us find our own paths there. I never before have realized how important that is when one is learning to write... I was also very fortunate that the other class members were very enthusiastic and very supportive. They were generous with their time and effort in critiquing my work, and I learned as much from critiquing their work as I learned from their critiques of mine... I thought this was a great adventure, and I am thrilled that I was able to partake of it! -- Debbie Hunter

I enjoyed the class and actually saw some validation for my desire to write. The content was good as were the lessons... Uma was wonderful. She was supportive and offered good feedback. Her exercises helped me a lot... I am my own worst enemy about writing. I'll put it off and let my job and other commitments come first. That's why taking classes at least helps me in the first few weeks of the course... I'm thinking of taking another course in August. -- Erin Shelley

This was my first internet class. I loved it. The class content and assignments were appropriate, fun, and the feed-back invaluable... Loved Uma. I hope she will offer a follow-up class... I have recommended [the class] to my sister... I enjoyed the class tremendously...couldn't get enough of it... Thanks! Let me know if Uma does a follow-up class. -- Cathy Intyre

I have basically nothing but praise for the class and for Uma... This was my first online class (in fact, my first class ever with other writing students) and although it took a few days to get used to the sometimes overwhelming number of emails, the online format worked wonderfully with my work-at-home job... Uma far exceeded my expectations... She maintained email contact on a daily basis... She has a talent/ability to point out writing flaws and weaknesses in writing in a positive, humorous manner... The strangest thing of all - I found myself missing that constant contact with Uma and my classmates once the class ended. Maybe you should warn people that an online class can become as addicting as that regular morning cup (or, in my case, pot) of coffee!.. Thanks for the opportunity to take this class. You'll never know how much it has shaped and helped direct my writing. -- Stephanie Basalyga

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I wanted to let you know how happy I am with the help I received from Uma. As I told her, I also had someone else critique my story. That editor's comm ents were very general and left me feeling lost as to how to proceed with the rewrite. In contrast, Uma's comments were detailed with excellent suggestions for changes and improvements. Now I have some specific things to focus on and I'm so excited to get to the rewriting. Thanks for your help and for writers.com! -- Linda Covella

The lessons are invaluable, and I will continue to use them as my writing evolves. Uma is a wonderful and gifted teacher - her comments are insightful and supportive, and her lessons are inspired! -- Courtney Johnson

I learned a lot from the class - much more than I have learned from a class in years and years! I enjoyed hearing about "the industry" from your point of view -- thanks for sharing your experiences with us. Thank you for all your time and thoughtful consideration of everything and anything we posted. Your positive attitude goes very well with an online class! THANK YOU! -- Maureen Brennan

I was very pleased with the course, content and assignments. I managed to write three children's stories, more than I had imagined before the course began. Uma was an absolute delight. She gave fully of herself in critiquing our work, in being supportive of our writing and was both timely and highly responsive. Uma gave us considerable direction and advice throughout the course. I would highly recommend this class to anyone. Uma was a gem. If every undergraduate and graduate course was as exciting and enjoyable as this one was, I'd have been a very happy student. I actually looked forward to every assignment Uma gave. Her notes and lectures were outstanding. Every course I've taken though Writers on the Net has been excellent. Thank you. -- Mary Raihofer

I was very happy with the class content and lessons, etc. I felt challenged yet not over-my-head. It was great! I was very happy with Uma. She's great in all aspects of teaching and helping us to learn. I would take another class from Uma in an instant. Maybe she'll come up with another children's writing class? :-) You guys were great. Always right there when I had my various email address problems and such! Thanks! -- Elizabeth McCartey

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I was extremely happy with the class. I learned and reviewed a lot of the basic elements pertaining to the craft of writing. I got a lot of support and useful suggestions in the development of my story and particularly enjoyed the crisp pace of the assignments and the abundent communication initiated by Uma. Uma is terrific... she rolls up her sleeves and gets right down to the bottom of things with us. Being bi-cultural myself, I also enjoyed her insights into several cultures.-- Maryvonne Fent

I found Uma to be honest, forthright, clear and able to provide suggestions to help me move forward with my writing. In the beginning I wanted someone to say how wonderful my story was so I could maintain my momentum. That's not what I got. Instead, I received criticism that helped me to look at the problems in my story and correct them. At first I didn't want to hear that, but I kept working at it. I now crave the reviews because I know how it has helped me improve. -- Marcia Kelly-Gerritz

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