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Meg Cabot - dean's introduction

In Meg Cabot’s 2006 young-adult novel How to Be Popular, the main character, Steph Landry, ponders on the concept of popularity. After a fellow student asks about the relationship between being “nice” and being “popular,” Steph thinks to herself, “Out here, in the cruel Midwest, popularity has nothing whatsoever to do with niceness.”

Those who know our Distinguished Alumni Award winner for 2008, Meg Cabot, may beg to differ with Steph. Meg is the epitome of a runaway literary success story, showing that popular acclaim and ‘niceness’ are not yet mutually exclusive, even in the cruel Midwest.

Meg grew up here in Bloomington, and was a voracious reader from an early age; she consumed the entire works of Judy Blume, Jane Austen and Barbara Cartland, among others, before graduating from high school. Her appetite for stories helped spur her dream of becoming a published writer. Assuming that a literary career was beyond the reach of average mortals, Meg kept her writing close to the vest; while attending Indiana University she majored in fine arts, figuring a career as an illustrator was more “realistic.”

After graduation, she moved to New York City, and couldn’t get a job even as an illustrator – she wound up working as an administrator in the dorms at New York University. All the while, she wrote novels on weekends, keeping the flames of her dream alive, albeit so far under wraps that she refused to even send query letters to publishers in fear of having her writing rejected.

After a death in her family, Meg rethought her fears: She concluded that there are worse things in life than being rejected by publishers. So for another next three years she assailed the nation’s publishing houses with query letters –failing repeatedly -- until finally St. Martin’s Press accepted and published her first book, a historical romance, and her literary dreams caught fire.

Two and a half years after her first book came out, Meg wrote the novel that would push her career into the stratosphere. Published in 2000, The Princess Diaries told the story of an awkward, boy-crazy high-school girl who inherits a royal title—and the public attention that goes with it. Enormously popular, The Princess Diaries landed Meg squarely on the New York Times bestseller list -- and attracted the attention of Hollywood, as well.

The Princess Diaries was made into a movie by director Garry Marshall in 2001, starring Julie Andrews and Anne Hathaway; it grossed more than $165 million at box offices around the world. The sequel using the original characters, “Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement,” did not do as well – a mere $122 million worldwide gross – but then, Meg did not write the sequel.

As of today, Meg Cabot has written more than 50 novels for adults and teenagers, and is a leading figure in young adult literature. She transcends the traditional author-reader relationship through new media outlets, connecting with fans via text messaging, video blogs, and Internet chats. Two more of her novels are currently in production to become movies, and January will see the release of the tenth – and final – novel in the Princess Diaries series. Will Mia, the novel’s main character, end up with her blue-eyed, broad-shouldered chemistry partner, J.P.? Or will she return to the former “love of her life,” the academic Michael? Or will she chart an entirely new direction? Millions of readers around the world can’t wait to find out – but I imagine we won’t find out either. Nevertheless, I am honored to introduce this year’s Distinguished Alumni Award winner, Meg Cabot.