Our 10-Year Anniversary celebration continues on in an interview with our friend and WB Success Story, Robyn McGrath! We are so thrilled to catch up with the incredibly talented Robyn McGrath as she reflects on a writers journey and our time together.
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 favorite line in the Writing Barn Manifesto is “If you write you’re a writer.” This was the first thing I learned during my very first class with Bethany. (Which happened to be THE very first picture book class at the Writing Barn.) While at the time I was far from being agented, this one line of thought helped strip away at the imposter syndrome I’d been carrying for years.
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 came to the Writing Barn expecting to dive deep and learn about picture books…the Writing Barn did not disappoint. I continue to attend classes as a published author because the programming is top notch, and as writers we should never stop learning about our craft.
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.)
Programming at the Writing Barn welcomes writers at all levels and the variety of topics make it a one stop shop. The instructors have so much passion for their craft that I’ve never been disappointed.
Lots of your manuscripts are now BOOKS! Which ones did you work on in any of our programming or intensives?
During my time at the Writing Barn I worked with Bethany Hegedus and Nancy Churnin on DOLLY! The Story of Dolly Parton. My next book, THERE’S ALWAYS ROOM FOR ONE MORE also started as an idea in Bethany’s Social Justice class.
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 memories are the intensives with editors and agents. Spending the weekend living and breathing picture books always filled my cup with community, inspiration, and insight!
If I could grant the Writing Barn a 10 birthday gift for reaching a DECADE of serving writers, I would give the Barn:
Another 20+ years of sharing the magic of writing.
We want to send a sincere thank you to our friend Robyn McGrath for joining us in this milestone celebration. We are so grateful we’ve been able to contribute to her writing journey! Cheers to 10 more years, and to Robyn’s incredible journey!
Robyn McGrath writes both fiction and nonfiction picture books for children. Over the past twenty plus years she has worked with children in various occupations; as a reading teacher, a school counselor, a yoga and ballet instructor and most recently owning a private practice as a child and adolescent play therapist. In 2018, Robyn was nominated as a finalist for Austin SCBWI’s 2018 Cynthia Leitich Smith Writing Mentor Award. Her picture books include DOLLY! The Story of Dolly Parton and THERE’S ALWAYS ROOM FOR ONE MORE. She lives in Austin, Texas with her husband and two young children.
Follow Robyn on Instagram @picturebookplay or on Twitter @picturebookplay.