The Telling Room Announces New Publications Partnership
Molly McGrath steps into new role as full-time Owner & Editor at Pink Eraser Press
The Telling Room is delighted to launch a new publications partnership with Pink Eraser Press, an established editorial company founded and owned by long-time Telling Room staff member, Molly McGrath. Pink Eraser Press will become the official partner for The Telling Room’s publications, managing design and editorial development on new Telling Room books. McGrath will transition from her role as the Telling Room’s Publications Director at the end of June to lead Pink Eraser Press full-time.
Molly McGrath is a writer, editor, and educator, and an advocate for the youth publishing movement. She has been creating and editing books for over two decades, first through Boston and New York publisher Bedford Books of St. Martin's Press, and then with individual authors and through partnerships with other presses and organizations like The Telling Room. McGrath first joined The Telling Room team as a volunteer writing coach in 2006, then joined the staff at the organization after helping to create The Telling Room’s first book, I Remember Warm Rain.
“Thank goodness Molly showed up, since her vision has profoundly shaped everything since,” says author Sara Corbett, one of The Telling Room’s co-founders. “She's the animating spirit behind what's now a full library of beautiful Telling Room books. She recognized early on that there were incredible opportunities to create professional-level publishing experiences for Maine youth. And she's worked passionately and tirelessly to make it all happen. She's brought hundreds upon hundreds of vibrant young voices to hundreds upon hundreds of readers, helping students learn not just the discipline and thrill of writing to the highest standards, but also giving them the chance to develop valuable editing, design, and publishing skills as well.”
“Molly has driven my belief that youth publishing is truly life affirming—she has led the hopeful charge in publishing books by young, diverse authors across language, race, gender identity, religion, and LGBTQIA+ centered stories,” says Telling Room alum and poet Amanda Dettmann, whose collection of poems Untranslatable Honeyed Bruises was published by The Telling Room in 2016. “Without Molly, I don't think I would have learned to trust myself, especially as a writer and now a teacher. She is a vulnerable, honest, and human connection-seeking leader who reminds us all that our initial fear is what unlocks our limitless and revolutionary potential.”
“Coming to The Telling Room in 2021 as someone new both to being an executive director, and to the organization, I felt so fortunate to have Molly alongside me,” says Executive Director Kristina Powell. “She holds such a deep knowledge of our community of authors and readers, and has fostered an infectious passion for truly listening to youth, sharing youth stories here at The Telling Room and beyond. Molly is an innovator, asking thoughtful questions and inspired by continuing to develop, change, and grow. Embarking into our newest strategic plan with an eye toward community partnerships, it felt natural to continue collaborating with Molly and the talented team of designers and editors who have nurtured the over 200 books we have published. As we look ahead to the next 200 books, we are excited to be partnering in this new capacity.”
Pink Eraser Press (PEP) offers design and editorial services to any individual, school, or organization that wants to give their writing projects a long shelf-life. They create custom books, such as literary anthologies for schools, keepsake books and journals for organizations, and made-to-order books for individuals. Long-time Telling Room book designers Andrew Griswold and Ashley Halsey are also team members at PEP, and will continue to help develop Telling Room publications. Beyond creating books for The Telling Room, PEP is partnering with the Nossrat Yassini Poetry Festival at the University of New Hampshire to make books that celebrate the best in contemporary poetry, and is contracted by the Maine Writers & Publishers Alliance to design and edit books for their annual Community Word and Maine Chapbook Series.
With McGrath and her team at the helm, The Telling Room has published over 200 books authored by young writers, including anthologies, chapbooks, picture books, collections of short stories, poems, and essays, and even an invasive species cookbook. Telling Room books and authors have won both local and national accolades throughout McGrath’s tenure, including twenty-two Maine Literary Awards and nearly fifty Scholastic Art & Writing Awards. In spring of 2023, Molly McGrath was honored with Maine Writers & Publishers Alliance’s Distinguished Achievement Award at the Maine Literary Awards.
“The quality of the books published by The Telling Room is something that stood out to me from the very beginning,” says Communications & Editorial Director Rylan Hynes, who will lead The Telling Room’s in-house publications staff moving forward. “Not only is the writing within their pages powerful and polished, but the books themselves are gorgeous in their design, touch, and feel—which is such a gift to both the reader and the author. That respect for young writers shows in The Telling Room’s publishing process from beginning to end, and Molly has been instrumental in elevating youth voices in this way, treating their work with the same care as we would adult authors.”
“Molly’s an all-around excellent writer, editor, publisher, teacher, and most importantly, an inspiration to many writers from all over the world, and right here in Maine. I was one of her students at The Telling Room way back in 2011 to 2013, and up to this day I still remember the lessons I have received from Molly,” says Richard Akera, who participated in the Young Writers & Leaders program and was published by The Telling Room in The Story I Want to Tell alongside Pulitzer Prize-winning author Richard Russo. “I will carry these memories for life. Molly is on a journey to change more and more lives and I'm happy to say she changed my life in more ways than she probably knows. As an immigrant refugee that immigrated to this country in 2011 with no English from Uganda, it wasn't easy to learn another language, let alone write and co-author with great well-known writers….I owe Molly and The Telling Room for being the anchor, and the light at the end of the tunnel for myself and my fellow writers who went through the writing programs she helped run.”
“Anyone who is fortunate enough to know Molly appreciates her warmth and thoughtfulness, her tireless advocacy for youth voices, and her willingness to dream big. Molly has given so much to the organization over the last 16 years,” says Program Director Nick Whiston, who has worked alongside McGrath since joining the staff over a decade ago. “Our 10th anniversary book, The Story I Want to Tell , is perhaps the best example of Molly's many skills. She undertook the Herculean task of bringing together writers young and established from all over the country to create a unique testament to The Telling Room's first 10 years. The Story I Want to Tell remains one of my favorite Telling Room publications, and it, plus the other 200 books (and counting) Molly has helped produce — and the thousands of young writers who grace their pages — tell the story of a person who has left an indelible mark on the Maine writing community.”
Read our recent conversation with Molly here as she reflects on her time on staff at The Telling Room, Pink Eraser Press, and her favorite punctuation marks.