About

In a nutshell: Barbara A. Barnett (she/her) is a Philadelphia-area writer, musician, Odyssey Writing Workshop graduate, coffee addict, wine lover, and all-around geek.

In a much bigger nutshell: Barbara A. Barnett (she/her) is an avid rejection letter collector—or, what is more popularly known as a writer. Her short fiction, which ranges from dark to wacky to whimsical, has appeared in publications such as Beneath Ceaseless Skies, Lady Churchill’s Rosebud Wristlet, Intergalactic Medicine Show, Fantasy Magazine, Daily Science Fiction, and Flash Fiction Online. Her novel-length work is represented by Emily Keyes at the Keyes Agency, LLC.

A 2007 graduate of the Odyssey Writing Workshop, Barbara is currently managing editor of the workshop’s blog, a critiquer for the Odyssey Critique Service, and has spent several years as Resident Supervisor for The Never-Ending Odyssey (TNEO), a workshop exclusively for Odyssey graduates. She also attended the 2024 Taos Toolbox workshop.

Barbara earned her Bachelor of Arts in music (vocal performance) and English literature from the University of Maryland and her Masters in Library and Information Science from Rutgers University. She has spent most of her non-writing professional life working for performing arts organizations, first doing grant writing and database management for opera and theater companies, then working as an orchestra librarian for The Philadelphia Orchestra and the Cabrillo Festival of Contemporary Music.

When not hunched over her laptop writing, Barbara enjoys singing, theater, playing piano, occasionally dusting off her clarinet, obsessively organizing things, attending far too many wine tastings, and imbibing large amounts of coffee.

Barbara lurks about the Philadelphia area, where she lives with her husband, a herd of surly unicorns, and a pantless stuffed monkey named Super Great.