Bethany Hegedus Bakshi
Co-Owner, Author, Co-Owner of The Writing Barn
Bethany is the founder of Founder and Creative Director of The Writing Barn, a writing retreat and workshop space—Sangam Retreat’s sister company—that she owns and operates with her husband, Vivek Bakshi.
Born in Bolingbrook, Illinois, and a graduate of Augusta State University in Augusta, GA, she received her MFA from Vermont College of the Fine Arts.
A former educator, Bethany is an in-demand speaker and mentor who speaks and teaches across the country about writing, creativity, resilience, and privilege. She is also the Founder and Creative Director of The Writing Barn in Austin, Texas and host of The Porchlight podcast, which includes the popular Courage to Create series. She graduated from the Vermont College of Fine Arts with an MFA program in Writing for Children & Young Adults.
Bethany's picture books include the award-winning Grandfather Gandhi and Be the Change: A Grandfather Gandhi Story, both co-written with Arun Gandhi (grandson of Mahatma Gandhi), as well Alabama Spitfire: The Story of Harper Lee and To Kill a Mockingbird, and the recently released Rise!: From Caged Bird to Poet of the People: Dr. Maya Angelou, and Hard Work But It’s Worth It: The Life of Jimmy Carter. Her books have been included in numerous “best of” lists such as A Mighty Girl’s Best Books of 2018 and Kirkus’ Best Books of the Year.