Why I Write Wednesday: IUWC Participant Julie McGue

Three years ago, IUWC participant Julie McGue decided to professionally pursue her passion for writing. She built her author’s platform by writing articles and developing a blog while simultaneously working on her debut memoir—Twice a Daughter: A Search for Family, Identity, and Belonging—a story about the search for birth relatives. She writes about finding out who you are, where you belong, and making sense of it.

Despite her unique upbringing as an adopted identical twin, she discovered that many people also grow up without a sense of who they are or where they come from. Other adoptees feel shut down during the search for their biological parents, and Julie felt an obligation to share her story in order to help others understand how complicated the process can be. Her memoir is laced with loss and hardship, but also great joy.

With this story, Julie strives to debunk common myths about adoptees trying to find their birth parents and provide clarity for those in the process. She offers a myriad of guiding tips on what to do and what to avoid, and ultimately, she aspires to be inspirational to others. Julie has made it her mission to give her book to adoptees and social workers alike so that they can connect with her experiences.

In 2019, Julie attended the IUWC’s non-fiction workshop led by New York Times bestselling author, Kiese Laymon. There, she workshopped the first chapter of her memoir and felt incredibly blessed to learn from him.

When asked about her favorite part of the conference, Julie remarked that she loved the nightly readings and hearing the faculty’s work as well as her peers’. Furthermore, she spoke fondly about her workshop group and the other writers she had the pleasure of writing with.

Although the writing and publication process can be difficult, Julie encourages apprehensive writers to attend writers’ conferences such as IUWC and to exchange their work with others. She also recommends the use of social media and emphasizes the importance of connecting with other writers: “Start following other writers, comment on their posts, and begin messaging them individually. You never know what can happen!”