1.) When did you know you wanted to be a writer?
I’ve loved writing all of my life. While my friends were out playing soccer or doing theater, I was dreaming up stories and poems. My grandfather was a writer. While my grandmother was at the mall, he would sit and write stories about the people he saw and things he felt. He fostered my love of books and writing. When I was in third grade he came as an honored author to my class. My dream of becoming an author was solidified on that day.
2.) What do you love most about the writing process?
I love the blank page. I love the feeling of promise it brings. For me, there is peace in that moment right before the words begin. I forget about my outline. I forget about the revisions to come. There’s a little bit of magic before my thoughts come spilling forward.
3.) What do you love most about teaching writing?
I love seeing the spark in my students’ eyes when they feel encouraged to keep going. Seeing their stories take shape and how they become more confident in their critiques and writing is such a gift.
4.) What are you reading right now?
Right now in Kidlit I am digging into early reader books. I am beginning to write my own and the best way to grow as a writer is to be a reader. I am particularly enjoying Scholastic Acorn’s series- Mr. Shivers. In picture books a recent favorite is Old Friends by Margaret Aitken. In adult books, I recently read The Midnight Library for my book club and really enjoyed it.
5.) What’s your favorite writing quote?
“You have to write the book that wants to be written. And if the book will be too difficult for grown-ups, then you write it for children.”
― Madeleine L’Engle
Lisa Cloherty is teaching a six-week Writing for Young Children: Picture Books, Board Books or Early Readers in person at the workshop on Wednesday mornings this summer, beginning June 21st.
Whether you are looking for a gift for the other writers in your life or thinking of ways to commit to your craft in 2026, we put together a gift guide perfect for the holiday season. BOOKS We asked our instructors and staff to share the book they’re giving friends
BY SUZANNE FARRELL SMITH At my first grad school program, my inaugural class was a writing-heavy course on cultural criticism, co-taught by a famous, cantankerous, prolific author. He told us, in so many words, “Writers must write every day. If you don’t write every day, you are not a writer.”
