Writing Coach Interview: Caitlin Rose Myers
Continuing our series of interviews with our marvelous writing instructors, here’s the latest installment: an interview with Caitlin Rose Myers!
Caitlin Myers is 32 and lives in Ellicott City, MD which is near the outskirts of Baltimore. She was homeschooled by her mother, then chose to apply to and attend a magnet high school in Literary Arts where her poetry took off. She earned two BAs from Oberlin College in Creative Writing and English as well as an MA in Literature from The University of Arizona. She loves Romantic and Gothic literature but will never stop reading YA fantasy novels in between her classics. While she started out teaching composition to college freshmen, Brave Writer is definitely more her speed. 🙂
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What kind of a writer were you in high school?
I was a poet, primarily! I had a journal that I carried everywhere and that I filled up with snippets from songs that I loved or new adjectives that I discovered. Then I would weave them together into short descriptive poems in first person.
You’re a new addition to the crayon box. What color would you be and why?
I would love to be the “moonstone” crayon. Those are my favorite precious stones. I love how they somehow can look white at one moment and then reflect rainbows the next.
What is one of your favorite classroom moments?
My first poetry teacher had us journal for fifteen minutes at the beginning of every class with soft music playing in the background. I try to recreate those moments regularly.
What are you known for?
I’m known for my eclectic fashion sense! I wear a lot of black but I love to mix textures. A fuzzy sweater with some silky pants is a great combination.
What do you work toward in your free time?
We’re in the process of renovating our home to be 100% wheelchair accessible. I have a genetic disability that is likely to progress, so we’re making sure that this will be our forever home. Renovating is so much work!
If you were an animated character, who would you be and why?
I like to think that I’m a combination of some wise mentor figure like Professor X and a silly, magical kid with lots of energy like Princess Star Butterfly from the tv show Star vs. the Forces of Evil.
Which superpower would you like to have? What is a superpower you already have?
Teleportation would be my instant first choice for superpowers. I LOVE to travel and being able to zip around the world in my spare minutes would make me so happy. Plus, I wouldn’t be defeated by flights of stairs! I already have the superpower of being very health-conscious and organized. My doctors tell me that they are impressed by my note-taking at each visit.
Where would you go in a time machine?
I would like to visit the late nineteenth century in England since British Romanticism was my emphasis in graduate school.
If you could be Batman or Robin, which one would you be?
Definitely Batman. I think of him as a Byronic character. 🙂
If you could be any character in fiction, who would you be?
This one is much too difficult. I would choose to be any of the various British children who unexpectedly discovered magic in the books I devoured when I was younger. I would love to carry with me that memory of impossible things.
What’s your favorite smell? What memory does it remind you of?
Rose! It’s my middle name, my Puerto Rican abuela’s name, and my favorite scent. It reminds me of her.
What was your favorite toy growing up?
A white stuffed bear named Maxie. He went everywhere with me and was often the hero of the stories I would invent.
Cake or pie?
Neither, usually! I am gluten- and dairy-free. When I had both options, I would always lean towards a lovely fruit pie.
If you don’t know the words to a song, do you improvise?
I almost always know the words to a song. I have a very strong memory for song lyrics in particular, for some reason. I wish it worked as well for historically important dates!
When you were little, what did you want to be?
A teacher, actually. I loved to play school. I would create actual homework sheets and give them to my siblings.
What book on your shelf is begging to be read?
Reincarnation Blues. It boasts a tone like Neil Gaiman’s, which drew my attention immediately.
What is one of your little-known talents?
I spent a long time studying circus skills when I was in high school and college. I have training in circus hula-hooping, aerial trapeze, and clowning!
What is your perfect writing environment?
A big comfy chaise beside a bright sunny window with classical music gently floating through the background and a breeze rustling the pages.
As a fantasy lover, tell us something you’d like us to read.
Many of my favorites are classics that people have already read! Two books that I re-read pretty much every year, though, are The Last of the Really Great Whangdoodles by Julie Andrews (yes, that one!) and The Solitaire Mystery by Jostein Gaardner. I highly recommend both of these excellent examples of YA magical realism.
Caitlin Rose Myers’s Classes:
- Essay Prep: Dynamic Thinking
- Literary Analysis: The Importance of Being Earnest
- Passion for Fiction
- The Writer’s Jungle Online
Tags: writing coach
