Writer's Journey:
Devin 'Pan' Barrett
(Pictured above)
In an effort to keep our readers, not just informed, but also motivated, AWC has decided to add a recurring section to our quarterly newsletter, entitled, "Writer's Journey". Here, we will feature an interview with an established Writer, as they share the details of their own journey and provide insight into things like: when/how they fell in love with writing, how they have developed their craft over the years, their favorite genre, what they've worked on in the past, present, and dreams for the future; as well as any encouraging words they have to share with our Youth to focus them on their own Creative Writing journeys.
I'm so excited to share the below interview!!!! DEVIN 'PAN' BARRETT is not only an AWESOME and EXTREMELY TALENTED Writer, but he is also, MY BROTHER, yes - BIOLOGICAL (same Mom & Dad ;-))
Q: Tell me a bit about yourself.
Where are you from?
What is your favorite childhood memory?
I was born and raised in Newark, NJ. I have plenty of fond memories from my childhood, but I'd have to say my favorite ones revolve around growing up in a full house of parents, grandparents, siblings, my Uncle John, and sometimes cousins and family friends. There was always something going on. Always an opportunity to listen, observe, and interact.
Q: Did that memory help to shape you into becoming a writer? If so, how?
Although I wasn't thinking about becoming a writer at the time, I believe my childhood played a part. My grandfather was a preacher and a great storyteller. The ability to use a narrative to illustrate some symbolic point is what every writer tries to possess. It probably also taught me how to listen and analyze what people say to me, which comes in handy when I'm interviewing subjects for an article.
Q: When did you begin to identify as a writer?
I was doing writing assignments as an intern with TRACE Magazine throughout 2006-2007, but I still didn't really think of myself as a writer. I was hired as staff writer later in '07 and I began to pitch my own stories, rather than just taking assignments. At that point I definitely began to feel like I was actually a "writer". After writing my first cover story towards the end of 2007 and getting overwhelmingly positive feedback from readers in different parts of the world, that really solidified it for me.
Q: What is your favorite genre to write?
I consider myself a journalist and through editorials I try to identify underrepresented scenes, cultures, and individuals, and present them to readers in some creative context. I've also started getting into writing short stories and plan on pursuing script & screenplay writing in the future.