Rebecca Givens Rolland is a writer, clinician, and education lecturer. She is the recipient of the Dana Award in Fiction, as well as the May Sarton New Hampshire First Book Award, and writes fiction, nonfiction, and poetry. She is the author of three poetry collections and focuses her nonfiction writing on education and parenting. Currently she teaches at the Harvard Graduate School of Education and works as a clinician at Children’s Hospital Boston.
Consulting
Rebecca consults with parents, organizations, and schools on issues of early learning, learning disabilities, and parenting. She also consults with creative writers on manuscripts in progress and on developing bodies of creative work.
Speaking
Rebecca frequently speaks at schools and early childhood centers on issues of language and literacy development, executive function, and parenting, with a focus on supporting both child and adult development.
Writing
Rebecca is an award-winning creative writer of fiction, nonfiction, and poetry. She frequently writes op-eds and personal essays for national publications, including USA Today and Salon. She is the winner of a Dana Award in Short Fiction and has published three books of poetry, as well as fiction in publications including Slice, The Literary Review, and The North American Review.
Meet Rebecca
As a writer and expert in child development and early education, I have a passion for bridging the worlds of education and parenting, and for brokering knowledge. My work includes research, teaching, and clinical work focused on both early childhood and adult development. Currently I serve on the faculty of the Harvard Graduate School of Education, work as a clinician at Children’s Hospital Boston, and serve as a Scientific Advisor for Kiko Labs, where I work with a team of researchers developing learning games and executive function assessments for children in the early years. Learn more…
FIND REBECCA ONLINE:
News & Events
Recent nonfiction publications:
“Helicopter parenting primes kids for a crash,” Cognoscenti, 2018
“We’re missing a big preschool opportunity,” USA Today
“We don’t throw sand: Uncovering the impulse toward others,” Tampa Review, 2017
Recent fiction publications:
“The Passage,” Storyscape, forthcoming
“My Body Has Become a Weapon,” Grain Magazine, forthcoming
“Snowy Sky,” Literary Mama, 2018
“Seascape,” Green Hills Literary Lantern, 2017, nominated for a Pushcart Prize
“Swimmer,” Michigan Quarterly Review, 2017
“The Light Was Fine,” Litro, 2017
“Last Letter from Grandfather to Grandchild,” The Blueshift Journal, 2017
“In the Music Therapy Room,” Cosmonauts Avenue, 2017
Parenting/Education work:
Rebecca has recently given a new webinar on classroom strategies to support executive function, which can be found at: http://www.scilearn.com/events/webinars/register-live-webinars-developing-executive-functioning
Rebecca recently gave a webinar on Executive Function for Young Children through Scientific Learning, which can be found at: http://www.scilearn.com/events/webinars
Poetry:
Rebecca’s poetry chapbook is now available at dancing girl press: http://dulcetshop.myshopify.com/collections/frontpage/products/the-vine-of-somewhere-rebecca-givens-rolland
Rebecca recently served as a judge for Beyond the Bow Seat, a contest for ocean awareness for high school students. See more information at: http://www.fromthebowseat.org/team.php, and read more about the contest at: http://www.fromthebowseat.org/contest.php
Recent Blog Post
As adults, we often think we’re done growing when we’re eighteen, or twenty-five. And yet, as new research shows, our brains are actually more plastic than we’ve ever thought previously. Although it’s not as visible as the changes of children, we’re growing and shifting in ways we’re only starting to understand. This neuroplasticity is exciting, as it gives us hope that we’re far from “finished” as people after graduating college or high school. Rather, especially through experiences that startle or shock us—what psychologist Dr. Robert Kegan refers to a “cognitive dissonance”—we’re often able to make profound changes in the ways we think, act, and behave, and even in terms of our understanding of who we are. Read more…