2. What is your nickname?
Technically, I use a nickname professionally. I’ve always been called Robbie. My birth name is Robert, but I’ve never been referred to as that, except maybe at school or work. There is this great photo of my third birthday and the cake has a toy horse on it and says Robbie. But some of my friends call me Rob, and one day I’m hoping to graduate to being called Bob.
3. What is your greatest fear?
The fear of not being able to write anymore.
4. Describe your writing style in 10 words.
My writing is raw, but the craft always comes first.
5. Tell us five positive words that describe you as a writer.
Poetic, honest, resilient, uncompromising, tender.
6. What book character would you be, and why?
In my opinion, there is only one reasonable answer to this question, and it is Batman. I’ve been obsessed with Batman and a huge reader of Batman comics and novels since I was a kid. Why? Because Batman is the best.
7. If you could time travel, what year would you go to and why?
Realistically, I’m sure it would have been a rough, horrible life, but I still like to fantasise about being a cowboy in the Old West, living in the saddle, going on cattle drives and sleeping under the stars. So, I’d travel to the 19th century American West. I clearly read and watch way too many Westerns. I’d also travel to the early sixties so I could hear Bob Dylan’s early records as they were released and witness his evolution in real time.
8. What would your 10-year-old self say to you now?
When I was 10 years old, I sent an attempt at a novel I had written to a major publisher. They rejected it, of course, but sent back a lovely encouraging note. I think my 10-year-old self would say 'I can’t believe we did it'.
9. Who is your greatest influence?
My single greatest influence is the Australian poet Robert Adamson. Since I discovered his work as a teenager, he has been my hero and had an immeasurable impact on my writing. I’m so fortunate that he became my mentor and a friend, and I miss him every day. My other biggest influence in how I approach writing is Sam Shepard. My greatest YA influences are John Marsden, Sonya Hartnett, Steven Herrick, Robert Cormier, Kevin Brooks and Ron Koertge. I can never narrow it down to just one. I adore so many writers.
When I was 10 years old, I sent an attempt at a novel I had written to a major publisher. They rejected it, of course, but sent back a lovely encouraging note. I think my 10-year-old self would say 'I can’t believe we did it'.
9. Who is your greatest influence?
My single greatest influence is the Australian poet Robert Adamson. Since I discovered his work as a teenager, he has been my hero and had an immeasurable impact on my writing. I’m so fortunate that he became my mentor and a friend, and I miss him every day. My other biggest influence in how I approach writing is Sam Shepard. My greatest YA influences are John Marsden, Sonya Hartnett, Steven Herrick, Robert Cormier, Kevin Brooks and Ron Koertge. I can never narrow it down to just one. I adore so many writers.
10. What/who made you start writing?
I’ve wanted to be a writer for as long as I can remember, and I think that’s largely because of my mother who is a big reader. As a child, I remember her reading us Banjo Paterson’s verse and Tolkien’s The Hobbit, and I was hooked. I loved books and wanted to write my own and ended up writing very bad imitations of The Lord of the Rings. But what really changed everything for me was when I first read Edgar Allan Poe’s poem 'The Raven' when I was 14. It was a lightbulb moment and suddenly everything made sense. I knew then exactly who I was and who I wanted to be, and ever since all I have wanted to be is a poet.
11. What is your favourite word and why?
I recently re-read Robert Cormier’s masterpiece Tenderness, and as of now ‘tenderness’ is my favourite word. I love words, and my favourites always change, but I think ‘tenderness’ is such a beautiful, gentle word.
12. If you could only read one book for the rest of your life, what would it be?
The most difficult question. My all-time favourite book would be The Catcher in the Rye by JD Salinger. But if I could only read one book for the rest of my life, I think I’d choose Shakespeare’s Collected Works (although this may be cheating). I’d also possibly choose Batman: The Long Halloween by Jeph Loeb and Tim Sale.
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Robbie Coburn is an Australian poet and author of the young adult verse novel The Foal in the Wire (Lothian/Hachette Australia, 2025). His poems have appeared widely in magazines and
anthologies and he has published four full-length collections. He lives in Melbourne. For more
information, see robbiecoburn.com.