The 80% Fiction, 100% Emotional Truth Rule | Robin Farmer

At 11 years old, Robin Farmer stood in a Catholic school classroom and told her nun that Thomas Jefferson was a hypocrite for owning slaves while signing the Declaration of Independence. The nun slammed her ruler, pointed to the door, and screamed: "Get back in the boat, go back to Africa.

We never needed you people in the first place." That moment of racism and religion colliding became the turning point that inspired her debut novel, Malcolm and Me. In this powerful conversation, Robin—a former journalist, screenwriter, and now award-winning author—shares how she turned trauma into art, why she chose fiction over memoir, and how forgiveness became the key to healing.

She reveals why her book was moved up seven months early in 2020, how Malcolm X's autobiography guided her protagonist, and what she wants young readers to understand about truth-telling, empathy, and critical thinking. This is a story about finding your voice, standing up to power, and using your pain to help others.

0:00 - Intro & Technical Difficulties
1:30 - Robin's Debut Novel Introduction
3:15 - Learning to Read at Age 4
5:45 - The Nun Incident That Changed Everything
9:20 - Why the Book Was Moved Up Early
12:10 - Fiction vs. Memoir Decision
15:30 - Journalism Background & Screenwriting
19:00 - The University of Michigan Fellowship
22:15 - Defining Forgiveness
25:40 - Gratitude as a Healing Tool
28:10 - Lessons for Young Readers
30:40 - Outro & Book Birthday Plans

• https://www.instagram.com/dara.levan/
• Website: daralevan.com3
• Robin Farmer - Debut novel Malcolm and Me

QUOTES:

"I was seven years old, I went to Catholic school, and my nun taught us how to do cursive writing. I came home and said, Mommy, I'm a writer. I wasn't quite understanding what writer meant, but because I could cursive write, I thought I was a writer."
– Robin Farmer

"There's a storyteller, and there's an awesome writer, and I don't feel everyone is good at both. What a blessing if you're amazing at both."
– Dara Levan