Ask this agent anything: Melanie Figueroa of Root Literary, with her author Lisa Manterfield

Well, I think this is going to be my shortest blog post ever!

On Thursday, April 4th, I had a wonderful conversation with Melanie Figueroa and Lisa Manterfield, with contributions from more than thirty enrolled writers. It was a lively conversation, I think you’ll agree. Here is the recording.

And, there were some eye-opening moments, especially (IMHO) when I asked the final question. I believe most participants found the discussion pragmatic and useful—but more than that, human and reassuring.

It’s a skill, I think, to keep the writing life with its many challenges and disappointments a source of warmth, affirmation, and reassurance. That’s what it should be after all; this writing thing is supposed to be a source of joy. You know the joy drug I’m peddling is always community, so here’s some community news you might benefit from:

Anne Lamott launched her latest book, SOMEHOW yesterday. Am I claiming “Annie” as one of our community?! Surely the author of BIRD BY BIRD is a spiritual founder of every writing community? In addition, Annie originated the Dear Stevo Letter, and you know that as author, editor, and writing coach, I use the Dear Stevo all the time. Here’s Anne on Forum. At the 20 min mark, she talks about community and the inner critic: that’s why she’s one of us.

Another one of us—like some of you, a participant in my Stanford NVL33 class back in Oct. 2021—Jill Blocker has also got a new release to announce. WHAT WAS BEAUTIFUL AND GOOD is based on the true story of Emmy Hennings and Hugo Ball, figures of the Dada art movement, and explores the tension between the necessity of art and the brutality of war.

And finally, part of what keeps this community together is our love for getting some good, productive writing time and invaluable peer feedback on writing retreats. This year’s retreat season has already kicked off with four fabulous days in our favorite hacienda in Lodi.

Next up is our old haunt, the Pt. Cabrillo Lighthouse, and then we’re off to Kefalonia!

If you didn’t manage to squeeze into one of these retreats and would like to be kept in mind for future jaunts, you can sign up for my retreat notification list here. My retreats tend to book full because past retreaters are given first dibs. However, I plan to host four retreats in 2024 and another four in 2025, so I’m sure spots will open up.

Until then, happy writing!

Shirin