writer
writing work
I will always be a writer.
I began writing before I was a teenager, in diaries, journals, trying out poetry forms, and making up small stories. Sometimes I drew pictures to go along with the text.
I started writing with more of a focus in the late 1990s, beginning with picture books. One story, OLAF’S DOOR, was published on a multi-media platform for mobile devices. It has since gone “out of print.” I wrote more picture books, none published traditionally, and learned how to make a story work.
Currently, I’m working on novel length mysteries for middle grade, with a three-book series in development. Two short stories were included in the collection “RIVER CITY SECRETS, Stories from Richmond,” published by Chop Suey Books Books in 2016.
I also write haiku, some of which I illustrate with botanical art. The form I use (there are many) is one line of 5 syllables, the second line of 7 syllables, and the third line of 5 syllables. The challenge of capturing meaning and imagery in a few words is a great discipline.
I have two stories in the anthology
River City Secrets: Stories from Richmond
for middle grade children
River City Secrets is a collection of twenty-four stories of imagination and adventure, each set in one of Richmond’s many popular historic locations. Written with children in mind, this is a great collection for adults, too!
Authors, all Richmond based, included: Kristi Tuck Austin, Elle Blair, Hazel Buys, Melissa Bybee, Deb Dudley, Robin Farmer, K.A. Herndon, Phillip Hilliker, Troy Howell, Erica Kirov, Lana Krumwiede, Stephanie McPherson, Brian Rock, Mary Helen Sheriff, Steven K. Smith, Chris Sorensen, A.B. Westrick, Vernon Wildy, Jr.
Haiku
for Chinese Lantern
Translucent pumpkin
Bright bauble, paper light
Swinging festival
Haiku
for Brazil Nut
Dark crinkled giant
Heavy armor, forbidding
Concealing treasure
Haiku
for Spring
Bright red blossom, light green leaf
Winter discarded
Haiku
for Summer
(Sleeping Bee)
Carries pollen, shedding life
Until her day ends
Haiku
for Fall
Double-winged samara,
David and Goliath
Haiku
for Winter
Last gasp before winter’s sleep;
Snow falls on silence
learn more
About Hazel
*click on plus sign to read
selected exhibitions
7/3 – 7/30/2011 “In Praise of Nature”, invitational exhibition, Asbury United Methodist Church, Harrisonburg, VA
2/26 – 3/21/2010 One person show, “Baker’s Dozen,” Helena Davis Gallery/Artspace, Richmond, VA
Nov/Dec 2009 “ThinkSmall 5” International Invitational Exhibition, art6 and Artspace, Richmond, VA
Jan/Mar 2008 Solo exhibition of landscape paintings, VA Senate OB, General Assembly Building, Richmond, VA
Nov/Dec 2007 “ThinkSmall 4” International Invitational Exhibition, art6 and Artspace, Richmond, VA
Oct/Nov 2007 Invitational Exhibit, Lewis Ginter Botanical Gardens, Richmond, VA
Nov/Dec 2005 “ThinkSmall 3” International Invitational Exhibition, art6 and Artspace, Richmond, VA
September 2004 Member Exhibition, art6, Richmond, VA
August 2004 “The Art of Seeing – Botanical Works by Regional Artists”, Invitational Exhibition, Brookside Gardens, Wheaton, MD.
July 2002 Hampton Bay Days 20th Annual Juried Art Show, the Charles H. Taylor Arts Center, Hampton, VA
Juror: James Gadson Award: Hampton Arts Commission Special Purchase Award
March 1998 Award: Excellence in Art, Women’s Caucus for Art
July 1994 “Crucifixion of the Feminine” Invitational Exhibit, Martha Mabey Gallery, Richmond, VA
September 1993 “Border Beings, A Gatherings of Angels” Invitational Exhibit, Martha Mabey Gallery, Richmond, VA
1990-1991 “Bright Visions: The Making of Myth”, Rahr-West Art Mus, Manitowoc, WI Jurors: Ruth D. Kohler, Bev Harrington, Margaret F. Rahill
1980 – 1990 Multiple exhibitions in VA.
selected private collections
City of Hampton, VA
Luciano Nonella, Kilchberg, Switzerland
Pat and Rita McLoughlin, Dungarvan, County Cork, Ireland
Jacqueline and Kieran McLoughlin, Paris, France
Melvin and Mildred Spicer, Charlottesville, VA
Joan Lee Carmody, Wilmington,DE
Hirschler Fleischer, Richmond VA
Marilyn and Don Martin, Richmond, VA
Milton and Bridgitte Goodwin, Tulsa, Ok
publications
2014 – Present articles in BASNCR newsletters and ASBA journals
2011 – 2018 Reviews of children’s and YA books published for CLCD (Children’s Literature Comprehensive Database).
2016 River City Secrets: Stories from Richmond, published by Chop Suey Books, (Buys et al. 33-42, 168 – 179)
2010 OLAF’S DOOR, a narrated picture book, e-published by FrogDog Media/Zuuka
education
VCU, Richmond, VA, Certificate in Information Systems, August 1987 Honors: DPMA Scholarship, January 1987
University of VA, Charlottesville, VA, M.Ed., August 1976
Duke University, Durham, North Carolina, B.A. French, August 1969 Honors: Dean’s List
American University in Paris, Paris, France, 1/66 – 6/67
employment
2009 – 2015 Narrator, audio books.
11/05-1/2018 Reviewer, Children and YA Books, Children’s Literature.
7/01 – 6/02 Consultant, Adoptive Family Preservation Initiative, RRP/VDD, VCU, Richmond, VA
2/00 – 5/00 ESL Instructor, J. Sargeant Reynolds Community College, Corporate Program, Richmond, VA
10/97 – 5/00 Assistant teacher and art teacher at the Tuckahoe Montessori School, Richmond, VA
5/81 – 1/92 Programmer/Systems Analyst, Information Systems, State Government, and private industry.
9/71 – 5/81 Counselor, State Government and private, non-profit rehabilitation agencies in Virginia