We’re continuing to celebrate the Writing Barn’s 10th Anniversary in an interview with our friend and WB Success Story, Jacquetta Nammar Feldman! A resident of Austin, TX, Jaquetta is the author of middle-grade novels Wishing Upon the Same Stars and The Puttermans Are in the House.
Complete this sentence: My favorite line in the Writing Barn manifesto is__________ because…(and/or what it means to me/how it adds to my literary life).
My absolute favorite line in The Writing Barn Manifesto is “Creativity takes BRAVERY.” During my writing journey, I’ve learned that it takes bravery to turn the feelings in our hearts into words. It takes bravery to put those words down on a page and let someone else read them. It takes bravery to revise our words and make them better and better. And it also takes bravery to decide to share our creations with the world. The Writing Barn has greatly supported my creativity in all these capacities through its nurturing and supportive offerings. I’m so grateful!
I first came to The Writing Barn (when) and was expecting…(what). I continue to support The Writing Barn as a published author because…
I first came to The Writing Barn in January of 2018 because my sister told me that some of my poems for children seemed like they could be turned into picture books. I had absolutely no idea how to begin, but The Writing Barn, with courses like Perfecting the Picture Book I and II, seemed like the perfect place to start. I learned so much during my first few classes and became hooked! Before long, I decided to expand my skills through The Writing Barn’s novel courses and intensives to further a middle-grade story idea, which has now been published by HarperCollins as WISHING UPON THE SAME STARS. Supporting The Writing Barn is very important to me because I sincerely believe that I wouldn’t be writing for children today if I had not found Bethany and the amazing and supportive community she created.
How has publishing changed (as you moved from pre-agented or pre-published author) and your experience changed in the 10 years The Writing Barn has been around?
My involvement in the world of kid lit has only spanned five of The Writing Barn’s ten years. But since I began writing for children and became agented, and then published, it seems like there are more and more books being released by BIPOC and marginalized writers. My debut middle grade novel was one of them, and I wrote it in large part because there aren’t many children’s books in the marketplace that feature Arab American characters. I’m pleased to see that more books like mine are being published all the time!
The Writing Barn is known for its craft classes. What do you think makes the Writing Barn programming special? If you teach with us, what does it mean to you to support writers who were once deep in craft studies, as you were (and are–we writers are always learning.)
I think that what makes The Writing Barn’s programming special is a combination of its stellar faculty and staff and its targeted offerings. The Writing Barn’s courses appeal to writers who are just beginning to explore a kid-lit genre, those who have partial to finished manuscripts that need honing of specific craft elements, those tackling final revisions, those querying, and even those who are already on submission. There is something helpful for everyone!
Lots of your manuscripts are now BOOKS! Which ones did you work on in any of our programming or intensives?
I wrote the first chapters of my middle-grade novel, WISHING UPON THE SAME STARS, at The Writing Barn, and I can honestly say that it would not be published today had I not found this remarkable place! I was fortunate to take Middle-Grade Novel Foundations with Christina Soontornvat, partake in the Mastering the Middle-Grade Intensive with Lamar Giles and Phoebe Yeh, and then take a Novel Foundations II class with Carolyn Cohagan. And after I queried and found an agent, I took The Writing Barn’s Prepare to Publish: The Business Side of Books with Stevie Fitzgerald. Every single one of these courses took me further in my writing and publishing journey.
My favorite funny memory of The Writing Barn is…and any favorite or memorable interactions with Bethany or current or prior staff you’d like to share?
My favorite memorable moment at the Writing Barn was when I told Bethany that I was not really a writer, I was simply writing. Folks, beware of doing this! If you say those words to Bethany Hegedus, she will look you in the eye and tell you that you are indeed a writer until you believe it.
If I could grant the Writing Barn a 10 birthday gift for reaching a DECADE of serving writers, I would give the Barn:
Another fabulous ten years!
What do you wish for the Writing Barn and all the writers who will study with us in the next 10 years?
I wish for us to continue to support each other in the work of putting wonderful and important stories into the world for young readers.
We want to send a huge shoutout to our dear friend Jacquetta Nammar Feldman for joining us in this milestone celebration. We are so grateful to have been a part of her spectacular writing journey! Cheers to 10 more years, and to Jacquetta for her amazing work.
About Author Jacquetta Nammar Feldman
Jacquetta Nammar Feldman is the author of middle-grade novels Wishing Upon the Same Stars, a Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection and a 2023 TLA SPOT Reading List selection, and The Puttermans Are in the House. She loves writing stories of all kinds, and when she’s not curled up with a book or typing at her computer, she can be found hiking the beautiful hills of Austin, Texas. She earned her BS in Advertising from the University of Texas at Austin, and her MFA in Writing for Children & Young Adults at the Vermont College of Fine Arts.
What a great article! Jacquetta is so inspiring!