University of Vermont  University Communications  Alumnus' Book
'Goblin Secrets' Is Winner of a National Book Award  On his 36th
birthday, alumnus Will Alexander G '06 got one of the better
gifts any writer could receive. His novel Goblin Secrets was
named a finalist for a 2012 National Book Award. "I was pretty
sure it was a prank," he says -- one that was becoming
"increasingly elaborate" when the news broke the next day to
media. Not long after, things took another step toward the
surreal when Alexander prevailed for the top prize in young
people's literature.  "Writers fantasize about winning awards,"
he admits. "And the real way to aggressively waste your time
daydreaming is to write in your head acceptance speeches rather
than writing the work…But even wildly daydreaming, I never
thought National Book Award."  It's not that Alexander, even at
the age of 36, was new to the scene of national awards (two of
his short stories had been nominated for the Pushcart Prize),
but his genre of writing is often an o