Monthly Meeting: April 2026 – Sean Petrie

By revealing his personal journey of writing for children, April’s Monthly Meeting speaker, author Sean Petrie, shared how, while there may be ups and downs along the way, it’s wise to remember there is “always another daybreak.”

Sean holds an MFA in Writing for Kids from Vermont College, a law degree from Stanford, and a Plan II degree from the University of Texas (where he co-founded the Camp Texas program). He is a writing professor at the University of Texas School of Law and teaches creative writing workshops for kids and adults.

Sean’s published poetry collections for children are: Universe at the Tips of Your Toes (Burlwood Books), and Pet Poems (also not just pets), with its companion workbook Pet Poems Plus: How to write your own poems about pets (both Burlwood Books; Moonbeam Award). He has also written a middle grade sports adventure series: Jett Ryder (JollyFish Press). Other publications include several educational books for Fountas & Pinnell.

He also writes books for adults, including the poetry collections Typewriter Rodeo (Andrews McMeel Universal), Cracked & Broken (Burlwood Books), and Listen to the Trees (Documentary Media; Independent Publisher Book Award), and an essay in the creative-writing anthology, Spinning Toward the Sun: Essays on Writing, Resilience, & the Creative Life (Burlwood Books).

You can hear Sean’s weekly radio poems on Austin NPR, and his work has appeared in The Texas Observer, Dallas Morning News and other outlets.

MEETING HIGHLIGHTS

Take a minute to answer the questions below.

STRIVING TO SUCCEED: 

• What’s your “why?” (I write/illustrate because ___________.)
• Think back to when you were a child. What did you think success might look like? What did you imagine yourself doing when you grew up? What were your goals? How have your goals morphed since then? What are your current goals?
• What does success mean to you now, and how has your definition of success evolved over the years? 
• Examples of Sean’s striving to succeed: Being part of an amazing creative community; Writing for others and connecting with others through poetry; Publishing someone else’s dream book; Teaching; Finding a way to put a book out in the world for others to enjoy

BUMPS ALONG THE WAY:

• What obstacles have you faced? 
• How has your perception of those obstacles evolved over time?
• How have those obstacles strengthened, educated, or inspired you?
• Examples of Sean’s obstacles: Fear of failure; Time and financial constraints; Worrying what others may think or whether they respect the work; Energy levels; Not reaching out to others due to feeling not “at my best”

THE JOURNEY:

• Many times, authors and illustrators think success means publishing with a major publisher or winning awards, but instead: success is the journey. 
• There are usually many rejections from agents and publishers, with a circuitous road to success. 
• Examples of Sean’s journey: Joining a critique group; Attending/speaking at conferences; Continuing education; Querying; Getting signed/rejected from agents/publishers; 25 years of writing and revising; Creating over 30,000 poems

DREAM DETOURS:

• Some dreams are achieved on the detours along the way.
• What detours have you taken along the way? Where have they led?
• Examples of Sean’s dream detours: Making friends through groups and classes; Founding Typewriter Rodeo; Becoming a UT Law professor; Earning an MFA; Becoming a publisher (Burlwood Books)

JOY:

• Find joy. What joy have you found on your path?
• Sometimes your inner voice may try to steal your joy by saying, “That’s not the best/that’s not good enough,” but just keep going.
• Sometimes you may question yourself, but give yourself credit. You are worthy.
• Examples of Sean’s joy: Friendships; Teaching others; Working with creatives; Making a difference—even if, and especially if, just one child experiences the work

TAKEAWAYS:

• Almost nothing goes like you planned, in life or in writing.
• Celebrate where you are, right now, TODAY!