Welcome to author, television host & interviewer, AND foodie, Matt Robinson.
A graduate of the University
of Pennsylvania who is married to a Dartmouth alumnus and the son of a Brown
graduate, Matt Robinson has been steeped in Ivy League culture for most of his
life. A professional writer, editor, and educator for over 20 years, Matt has
also developed a profound curiosity about all things education-related and
knack for remembering and sharing stories about many schools. While much of
Matt's most recent research has gone into this book, hundreds of more pieces
can be seen at www.TheRobinsonReporter.com.
What
would you say are your strengths as an author?
I have published over 7,000 pieces in
more than 200 international publications and am proud to say that I have never
been late! As I have worked as an editor for so many publications, I really get
perturbed when one of the writers to whom I assigned a story is late, so I have
promised myself and my colleagues that I would never be that writer.
As such, once I set the (unfortunate) deadline of what would have been my late
father’s 80th birthday for the Ivy League book (which was inspired by him in
the first place), I knew this book would be finished! Though I had some issues
with my original publisher that led me to take back my manuscript with just a
few months left to go before my self-imposed deadline, I was fortunate enough
to find an amazing illustrator named Jim Roldan (www.jimroldan.com) who totally got what I was
going for right away and we were able to finish up the project with about five
weeks to spare. So I guess one of my greatest strengths is an ability to stay
on task and get my assignments done.
As I also have experience in public
relations and media relations, I have been able to promote my author events
pretty effectively and to be very creative in terms of who I notify about the
events and with whom I plan them. Even though the book is about the Ivy League,
I have not only presented it to alumni groups and other school-affiliated
organizations, but also to library guests, Rotary club members, retail store
customers, and on my television show, The Writer’s Block (https://www.needhamchannel.org/the-writers-block/),
where I also interview and promote other authors, many of whom I Have been
hosting at various venues, including libraries, senior centers, and wherever
else people are interested in learning about various topics and how authors
come to write about them.
My combination of editorial and public
relations skills helps me not only to combine ideas in new ways and to come up
with potential audiences that others may not think of, but it also helps me
write my press releases and other outreach materials in a way that, were I to
receive them as a journalist, I would respond, and I think that allows me to
help my clients in ways that others may not be able to.
How
often do you write, and do you write using a strict routine?
As a long-time freelancer who has been
working from home before it was “hip,” I fortunately have enough assignments
going on right now that, even if one has to slow down (for example, while
waiting for some materials to come in), I can easily flip over to something
else. So while I write for a good number of hours every day (sometimes long
into the night after I try to put my daughters to bed), no two days are the
same, and, though I was admittedly not always satisfied with the inconsistencies
of my job (and my life), I really kinda’ like that at this point!
Five
years from now, where do you see yourself as a writer?
I recently finished a second version
of a book that I actually started many years before the Ivy League book. It is
a semi-autobiographical book about a young boy who has a nervous habit of
tapping on everything (potentially due to ADHD). Though many fellow students
and even some teachers do not understand him, he is able to find a supportive
music teacher who encourages him to direct his energies into percussion and
drumming. As the boy learns about the different instruments, he also learns
about the cultures they came from and how Western music has influences from all
over the world. I am hoping this book is able to reach not only music fans but
also schoolchildren and teachers and anyone else who wants to support young
people like I do as a long-time teacher and tutor because I think that too many
music classes are being cut and our young people are really losing out as a result.
So, by the end of five years, I'm hoping that this book is being widely
distributed and that I am moving on to other successful publishing projects. I
also hope that the Ivy League book continues to find a larger and larger
audience, especially because it has so many fun facts (what I call “Tr-IVY-a©”)
and as it has inspired many students to apply to college and apparently even
helped some gain admittance!
If you
could offer once piece of advice to a novice writer, what would it be?
I actually offer a presentation about
the lessons I learned from writing and publishing the Ivy League book and one
of the biggest lessons that I learned in that process is that you’re going to
get a lot of opinions from a lot of people, including some who may have some
authority (such as editors, agents, and publishers), but there has to be a core
to your book that remains true no matter what other people say about it and you
have to be true to that core and your original vision of the story.
What would
you consider to be the best compliment a reader could give your book?
My very first review of the Ivy League
book came when my then seven-year-old daughter came up to my home office way past
her bedtime and said, “Daddy I just read your book- It’s good!” I actually used
that as my first cover blurb when I was promoting the book.
I love hearing from people who tell me
that they learned something new from the book- especially if they are going to
one of the schools that it is written about.
I also very much appreciate hearing
from people who knew my father who say that the book is a great tribute to him,
because that was the main point.
What are you working on now?
Right now, I am working on the
percussion book and trying to find artists, instrument manufacturers, and music
and education organizations to partner with to get the word out about the book
and hopefully get it wide distribution so I can support as many students and
artists as possible. I am also working with some amazing not-for-profit groups,
including one called Project Insulin (www.ProjectInsulin.org) that is developing a
generic insulin for people with diabetes who may not be able to afford the
versions that are out now. I am also working on a cookbook and outreach
materials for another group called Wish Dish (www.thewishdishproject.com) that interviews
members of homeless communities about the favorite meals that they grew up with
and then cooks the meals for the entire community. Speaking of food, I also
promote independent food makers on WBZ radio in Boston, which is part of the
iHeart Radio family. In addition, I have been working with students from all
over the world as a writing teacher and tutor, helping them develop their communicative
confidence and improve their understanding of the mechanics and importance of
writing. I am also teaching a writing class and an entrepreneurship class at a
correctional institution near my home. I am very happily busy but always
available to use my education and writing skills to support other people and if
anyone wants to discuss projects or book one of my author events, they can
email me at matt@therobinsonreporter.com.
ABOUT THE BOOK
You may know that HARVARD was the first college in the United States or that PENN is the oldest university. You may even know that the YALE mascot is named Handsome Dan or that BROWN'S first bear was named Helen. Perhaps you are aware that PRINCETON has a battleship and an asteroid named for it or that CORNELL'S colors inspired the design for Campbell's soup. And who can forget that “Animal House” was written by a DARTMOUTH grad and that the atom bomb was developed at COLUMBIA?
But did you know that one of these schools once had a burro for a mascot and another an orange man? Or that students at two of them throw food at sporting events? Do you know where students can request songs to be played on the campus bell tower, which school uses Pantone 290 for its official color, and which has the oldest continuously-published daily student newspaper?
All this and more can be learned in Matt Robinson’s book,
"Lions, Tigers, and…Bulldogs? An unofficial guide to the legends and lore of the Ivy League."
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