Pen Friends: Jane Robinson and Maria Motunrayo

The exchange of knowledge between different generations has long been a mainstay of Somerville life. Now this exchange is being galvanised by Somerville Connect, our dedicated alumni platform. Social historian Jane Robinson and newly-signed YA author Maria Motunrayo share two sides of the mentoring story.

It’s a wonder I ever became a writer. When I embarked on this career after leaving Somerville, I had no idea what it would involve practically, nor what the roles were of an agent, publisher or editor. Ignorance made me vulnerable. But then I met the best-selling historian Peter Hopkirk, who took me under his wing. He gave me the confidence and know-how to get my first book commissioned – and once you’ve got one in the bag, it’s much easier to progress.

So when I heard about Somerville’s mentoring scheme, it seemed natural to somehow pass on the love. I entered my name on the register of alumni, and while waiting for a contact, began to fantasise about discovering the Next Big Thing in the writing world.

Maria soon got in touch. She explained that she was desperate to start writing; had plenty of ideas but no experience; ambition but no spare time; enthusiasm but no relevant expertise. We got on well and agreed to give it a go.

At this stage – before I’d read any of Maria’s work – I was terrified that I wouldn’t ‘get’ it. I rehearsed nice ways of saying thanks, but no thanks; we were simply on different wavelengths, but I was sure her book would find a home somewhere… I needn’t have worried. As soon as her characters burst into my world, I was hooked. She’s brilliant.

We’ve shared regular Skype sessions throughout the three years since. A book has many stages from first draft to final publication, and I’m delighted to support Maria through them, and beyond. Although we’re from different generations, different backgrounds and write different genres, we share so much.

Mentoring is hugely enriching. Maria’s reignited my excitement about our profession. My whole family were overjoyed to hear of her success, even though they’ve not met. In fact, I’ve only met Maria face-to-face a couple of times – yet she and her characters feel like old friends. What a gift.

Jane and Maria. Photo Oxford Atelier

In 2019 I was itching to write an authentic children’s book, but had no clue how to go about it. I’d written opening chapters before, but then abandoned the story as soon as I got into it. I decided to give the Somerville Alumni Mentoring Network a chance after an email popped into my inbox. I remember writing a desperate introduction and clicking send, thinking it was destined for the void. Jane replied, saying she would like to Skype me so we could talk face-to-face.

I suspect we were paired simply because Jane’s an author, but we’re so different! At the time I was working for the dating app Bumble and was an aspiring children’s writer who hadn’t even written the first draft of a manuscript. Jane, meanwhile, is a prolific feminist historian who has published twelve books. But it worked: having her different lens and vast experience of the publishing industry was incredibly insightful, and we had more in common than I imagined.

I didn’t have a manuscript, so the first thing Jane encouraged me to do was finish one. I really struggled; the only way I managed it was by speaking to Jane each week having sent her a chapter beforehand. I had gotten into storytelling by inventing stories for my

little sister at bedtime, so it made sense that writing chapters for Jane gave me the incentive to finish my manuscript.

In late 2019 I was feeling quite low after back-to-back rejections from competitions. Working fulltime, I couldn’t see how to finish the manuscript without extra time. Jane suggested doing a TEFL, as it would give me time after teaching to write, but I didn’t have the money to move abroad. That’s when Jane brought up the Alice Horsman Travel Scholarship. I doubted Somerville would consider my application valid, but I applied and won the award, and in January 2020 moved to Barcelona to work on my novel.

The impact of Jane’s friendship and mentoring has been huge. It has seen me move countries, overcome my imposter syndrome and, yes, achieve the big book deal I always dreamed of! That happened in January this year. I can’t name my publishers as they haven’t made the announcement yet. However, I can say it’s a two-book deal with a top UK company. I’m extremely passionate about diverse children’s literature so it feels amazing to be able to contribute to this.

I definitely want to be a mentor myself: that’s one of my goals as soon as the book’s out next August. Jane told me that she had her own mentor who supported her early career, and I can’t wait to continue this legacy. But even when I do get my own mentee, I’ll still need mentoring myself. I’ll always need Jane’s well-timed advice and unwavering support. The Somerville Connect platform costs £6,000 per annum from the Somerville Fund. If you would like to support Somerville Connect or get involved as a mentor/mentee, please email development.office@some.ox.ac.uk