For Hannah Holzer ’20, becoming a children’s book author started with ٺƵ connections.
In December, her first book, Kid Reporter Field Guide (Penguin Young Readers, 2024) comes out as part of Penguin’s partnership with Time for Kids to nurture young learners. One of her former classmates brought the idea to her.
“I was on the school paper, The California Aggie, all four years that I was at ٺƵ. And for the last couple of years, I worked closely with Olivia Luchini — we were editors together and worked on the editorial board together. We both graduate, and Olivia gets a job at Penguin Publishing,” Holzer said.
“One of her projects was going to be a book for kids about how to how to be a journalist, and she thought of me, which was very flattering. It's just such an extraordinary opportunity.”
Holzer is the op-ed editor for McClatchy, which includes the Sacramento Bee, Fresno Bee, Modesto Bee, San Luis Obispo Tribune and Merced Sun-Star. In September, she joins a weeklong Fulbright program for early-career journalists, traveling to Berlin with 19 other U.S. journalists to talk about the international media landscape.
Here, she speaks with ٺƵ Magazine about the new book and her path in journalism.
What was it like to write for children for the first time?
I have never considered being a children's author before, and so the idea of writing for that age range was quite daunting. I do have a couple cousins in that age range so I know just how smart 11-, 12-year-olds can be and that they're perfectly equipped to be journalists. They’re very curious and ask a lot of questions. So I didn't want to talk down to kids, but I wanted to make the language accessible. It was a challenge for sure, but it was such an exciting opportunity.
What is the format of the book?
It’s meant to be a guide that kids take with them — to the park, to the library, to events. And it’s supposed to challenge them to be journalists. Each chapter, for the most part, gives kids a specific assignments. I don’t want it to sound like homework, but it’s a set of instructions on how to actually produce their own work. [For one], I asked kids to read their local newspaper or a local magazine and then write a 150-word letter to the editor and actually submit it. I’m really hoping that it will lead to some published letters.
Because you work in journalism, you know that field has had tough times with layoffs and cutbacks. Why is it important to inspire the next generation in that field?
One thing I tried to make clear in the book is that studying journalism and doing journalism can help lay the groundwork for so many different careers and skills. Even if you don't ultimately decide to pursue a career in journalism — because it certainly can be a challenging career path — you learn so many important skills. You learn how to write. You learn how to talk to people. And I think you also look at the world with a more curious lens. I think that just makes life overall more enjoyable and more exciting, asking questions, talking to people. That idea of being a lifelong learner is valuable in so many different careers, but also, just for life.
How did you get started in journalism?
My sister is four years older than me, and I followed in her footsteps in high school quite a bit — she did student government, I did student government, and then she did the student newspaper, and I did the student newspaper. And I felt like at the paper I really found my niche. There was an aha moment at the school newspaper where I thought, ‘oh, this is really fun,’ and then knew that I wanted to join the school paper at ٺƵ immediately. And so fall quarter my freshman year I joined, and then I was on it all four years.
How did you pick ٺƵ for your undergraduate degree?
Both my parents went to ٺƵ, and I do remember I thought I would never get in, but my mom wanted to show me the campus. I thought there was such a warm environment on the campus. It just looked really friendly, and but I had totally written it off, [thinking I wouldn’t get in]. And so when I got in, I really had a tough decision to make because there wasn't a journalism program. But talking with my parents, we thought having a solid education in a field related to writing and communication would be helpful. And so I decided to go the English route.
And you joined the staff at The California Aggie. What was that experience like?
We were the last to be in Freeborn Hall and helped take it down and pack up [for the new location]. It always just felt so special down in Freeborn, this little nook, right in the middle of campus. But on the reporting side, I think some of my fondest memories were when I was a freshman and a features reporter. Every single week I would have a different story, which looking back, I don't know how I did that with all my classes. And another fond memory is “the best of Davis” issue that that comes out with every year. I was sort of a shy freshman, and I had to spend four or five hours going up to random people on the Quad and saying, “Can I survey you?” Everyone was very nice.