We recently sat down with a returning workshop instructor, the warm and talented Adria Goetz. She shared insights into her work as a literary agent and teaching philosophy. Adria worked with Il Chiostro to host two picture book writing workshop in the beautiful hills of Tuscany.
Adria cares deeply about her students, and it was fun revisiting her past workshop and her hopes and plans for future workshop (which includes enjoying some pappardelle al ragu, carbonara, cacio e pepe!). Take it away Adria…
How did you start teaching?
I started teaching after being invited to teach at various publishing and writing conferences.
What is your teaching philosophy?
When I teach, if it’s possible I like to get a sense for where my students are at and what they need. At last year’s workshop, I asked a series of “raise your hand if” questions to my students to get a sense of where they were at on their writing journey. I got the sense that a lot of them felt stuck, so I wanted to pinpoint or “diagnose” why they weren’t making the progress they were hoping to make, like signing with a literary agent. I asked them to raise their hands if they’d sent more than 50 query letters to literary agents. I was expecting every single hand to go up, but none of them did. I was shocked! In the publishing industry, it’s common for writers to have to query dozens if not hundreds of agents before they’re able to find literary representation. I asked more follow-up questions and found that the root of the problem was that these writers were being bogged down by fear and insecurity. This moment instantly showed me what I had to do that week, which was basically turn into a cheerleader (or maybe a drill sergeant?) that pumped them up and pushed them to have the guts and vulnerability that it takes to send your work out to literary agents. I even reworked my workshop schedule a bit in order to accommodate the need I saw in this group. I can’t wait to meet the next class of students to see what it is that they need from their instructor!
What do you love about teaching?
I work from home for most of the year, so I relish teaching opportunities because I get to connect with other people—and my students often feel like kindred spirits. We’re all bookworms who love stories, so I walk into each class knowing I have a lot in common with everyone in the room.
Why do you enjoy working with Il Chiosto?
I got to teach a picture book workshop with Il Chiostro last summer and it was one of the best weeks of my life—truly! What a dream come true to spend a week in a beautiful old monastery with the warmest hosts, amazing food, delicious wine, and friendly hosts who showed us around the region.
What do you hope students get out of your class?
I hope that my students walk away from this class feeling equipped and inspired and ready to take steps forward on their writing journey.
What are you looking forward to most during your next trip to Italy?
I’m looking forward to meeting my students and getting to eat lots of good food with them! (In particular, pappardelle al ragu, carbonara, cacio e pepe!)
Anything else you’d like me to highlight?
I’m fully on the clock when I’m there, so I’m always available to answer questions over meals, in the car on the way to our excursions, and so on!
We look forward to working with Adria again on new and inspiring writing workshops in Italy.
Adria Goetz is a Senior Literary Agent and Illustration Coordinator at KT Literary. She got her start in publishing as an intern at Martin Literary Management in 2013 and began agenting in 2016.
Adria represents picture books, middle grade, graphic novels, and adult fiction. She graduated from the University of Washington with a Bachelor’s degree in English with a Creative Writing emphasis, as well as the Columbia Publishing Course. In 2019, she was selected as a Publishers Weekly Star Watch Honoree.
She was recently proud to represent Indie bestseller THE CHRISTMAS BOOK FLOOD by Emily Kilgore and Kitty Moss, as well as THE OCEAN CALLS by Tina Cho, MILLIE FLEUR’S POISON GARDEN by Christy Mandin, THE WHATIFS by Emily Kilgore, GIRLS ON WHEELS by Srividhya Venkat and THE UGLY DOODLES by Valeria Wicker.
In her spare time she can be found rewatching Gilmore Girls for the millionth time, listening to Taylor Swift, and dreaming about the mossy stone cottage in the woods she would like to live in one day.
You can learn more about Adria at adriagoetz.com.